LaRocca’s Camp isn’t the only tried-and-true Barataria Bay trout mecca.
Here are some other locations, with GPS coordinates, that Capts. Mike and Kevin Crossen said need to be on your list:
• St. Mary’s Point — Once an actual extension of land from a nearby island, St. Mary’s is now subsurface structure marked only by a pair of “Do not dredge or anchor” signs.
But Capt. Kevin Crossen said underwater structure is still there attracting fish consistently.
“I like to drop my trolling motor and troll around the signs in a wide circle,” he explained. “I fish soft plastics under a popping cork to try to locate the fish, and once I find them just stick the Power-Pole and throw everything.
“Live shrimp is always the best bet, and I carry it for that reason. But I find they’ll usually hit my tandem-rigged beetles tight-lined or under a cork, and you can fish a Carolina rig successfully there, also.”
• The camps at Four Bayous — From LaRocca’s Camp you can actually see the still-standing camps at Four Bayous, so the run isn’t far.
Once again, clean, calm water is needed if trout are the target.
The Crossen boys said live shrimp fished under corks will almost guarantee success, but soft plastics under corks or tight-lined will probably produce this month, as well.
• Grand Isle Point — This is another shell pad that vanishes beneath the waves at higher tides. It is marked by two PVC poles.
Kevin said to fish the north side about 50 to 75 yards off the poles under a cork, or on the southwest side there’s a deeper hole dropping down to 5 or 6 feet deep where you can tight-line plastic or a Carolina rig loaded with live shrimp or croakers.
• Cabanash Cove, Manilla Village, Government Reef, Bayou St. Dennis — All of these areas are well-known hotspots that will produce trout this month, the Crossen brothers said.
Again, it’s open water, so calmer winds and seas are necessary, but when the conditions are good you just have to give them a shot.
This month trout will be staging in these areas, preparing for their slow but steady trek into the inside waters.
Troll and fish live shrimp or soft plastics under corks and stick the pole down when you find some action, the brothers advised.
• Saturday Island Rig — The water is a bit deeper around the rig, so the best tactic is to get up alongside the rig and fish with live shrimp under a popping cork or free-lining a croaker or fish it under a cork, the Crossen brothers said.
You can also try tight-lining plastics.
But you have to keep your bait off the debris-covered bottom or you’ll lose a lot of tackle.
The action can be hit-or-miss this month, but if you have the time it’s worth a try.
• The Reefs in lower Wilkinson Bay — By September, the oyster reefs in that part of the bay will have trout over them, and double-rigged beetles under corks should put some of them in the boat.
You can drift or troll along those reefs and put some good numbers of fish in the boat.
