When weather clears, plastics and live shrimp will work again in Delacroix/Hopedale area
Even though the speckled trout bite out of Hopedale/Delacroix has been solid for more than a week, heavy rains in the forecast for the next several days don’t upset Capt. Ted DeAgano III.
In fact, Wednesday morning he sounded almost happy the extended dry spell was coming to an end.
“I don’t find the rain is a pain at all. I truly don’t,” said DeAgano, with Scales-N-Tales Charters in Delacroix. “I think in order for us to get the beautiful days that we get the pleasure of fishing, we have to have days like this in order to make yin and yang work.
“The water needs this rain and these breakup days to where it can readjust itself and everything can repopulate.”
He likened the effects of the forecasted wind and rain to turning on the bubble jets in a Jacuzzi.
“It’s going to get rid of the stagnant water at the top that has been pushing our fish deeper and further out,” he said.
When the weather clears, he expects things to pick up were they left off: lots of trout on plastics or live bait.
“Live bait is better. Campo’s Marina has plenty of live shrimp, and if they run out, they can just head out and get more,” he said. “Bait has been greatly accessible.”
He’s had success fishing with plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork around the MRGO rocks, in Lake Machias, Lake Coquille and Lake Calebasse, and has heard solid reports of catches at the Compressor and central rigs.
“If you’re not fishing live bait, the two things I would recommend are the Berkley Gulp 4-inch swimming mullet in pearl white and the Vudu shrimp,” DeAgano said. “Quite honestly, I haven’t had a complaint on any of the Vudu colors. I’ve been using all six of the colors and the trout haven’t turned any of them away.”
DeAgano currently likes the smaller 3-inch Vudu.
“I like to practice casting what the hatch is,” he said. “Right now the small shrimp are in – the big shrimp just aren’t in yet.
“As soon as that turnaround comes with the bigger shrimp, you’ll want to go to the bigger 4-inch Vudu.”
DeAgano has been targeting trout over oyster reefs of late.
“I’m looking for the cluster of oyster poles, basically stopping to read the water a little bit and letting the fish and shrimp show themselves once everything calms down,” he said. “Once they show themselves, cast into them and they’re there.”
He reported catching lots of solid pound-and-a-half fish, and suggested moving when smaller fish move in.
“You do get the small little dinks,” DeAgano said. “When the small trout and catfish show up, that just means to move.
“But you don’t usually have to move far. Anywhere from 500 yards to a mile, and you’ll get right back into the fish.”
