DuLarge ahead of schedule

Chris Ginn

Most of the trout stack up on the flat to the east side of the mouth of Oyster Bayou.

According to Capt. Travis Miller, 2012 has been an odd sort of year when it comes to the baits he’s fishing and where he’s fishing them out of Bayou DuLarge.

It has been his experience so far that things seem to be about a month ahead of schedule.

"I don’t know if it was the warm spring or what, but the live bait has been a lot more prevalent early on this year than ever before," Miller said. "Usually, we’re 100 percent plastics during May and early June, but a lot of live-bait fishermen have just killed it, while the plastic bite has been off a little."

Miller explained that live bait isn’t even a thought for many anglers leaving Bayou DuLarge until the water heats up.

But as of late May, the water was 85 to 88 degrees, which wasn’t ridiculously hot.

"I’m wondering if there’s just that much more bait out there," Miller said. "Maybe they’re siding with the live baits because they’re seeing a lot more live baits floating around out there."

Not only did the live-bait fishing start early out of DuLarge, but Miller reported that the nearshore rigs also kicked off early. He traditionally doesn’t fish these popular rigs until the middle of May, but the bite out there started in the middle of April.

"We were out at 26 catching trout the second week of April," Miller said. "I made a couple one- or two-hour trips out there, and landed several good trout while getting ripped up by some Spanish Mackerel.

"Everything just seemed to be a little early this year."