Plenty of specks concentrated in Big Bayou Blue, Comardelle says
Leslie Comardelle Jr. has been fishing in and around the sulfur mine out of Larose since he was 10 years old, but he can’t remember a consistent run of trout action like he’s seen this summer and so far this fall.
“The strange thing about the sulfur mine and the Larose area is normally in the summer, you’d be hard pressed to catch a trout,” said Comardelle, 48. “But I’ve been catching them all summer this year. They’ve never really moved out. It’s been odd.”
Comardelle, who typically fishes the area three to four times a month year-round, said he’s had a couple of really good trips lately.
“Most of the trout are concentrated in the canals right now, not in the sulfur mines themselves. Big Bayou Blue is basically one of the hottest spots,” he said. “They’ve been catching them under a sliding cork under and around the birds.
“But when you’ve got points and cuts and moving water, you can fish tight-line with plastics like Saltwater Assassins in a range of colors depending on water clarity. The better the water clarity, the lighter the baits. As you get to where the water clarity is getting a little cloudy, go to the chartreuse tail and that kind of stuff.”
Comardelle said sliding cork depth ranges from 16- to 24-inches. With plastics, he typically fishes with a 1/4-ounce jighead in the canals in 8- to 12-feet of water.
“It’s a steady retrieve with a few jerks here and there,” he said. “Let it drop a little bit. When it gets colder, they’ll be holding on the bottom but they’re not there yet. They’re suspended right now.”
Redfish are abundant, and Comardelle usually targets them with a gold spoon or a Storm minnow swim bait.
“The key with redfish is moving water,” he said. “If you’ve got a rising or moving tide, I’m fishing the points and shoreline where you have moving water and you’ll find them anywhere you go.”
Trout-wise, under the birds they’re running a bit smaller, but are pretty consistent in the 13- to 15-inch range tight-lining plastics. Again, water movement is key.
“We’ve been out there in a slack tide period, and it was difficult to find them,” he said. “But as soon as the water started dropping, you could almost count on it. You’ll see fish moving in.”
