Work birds from Golden Meadow to Leeville on a strong tide, Vidrine says
Nice speckled trout have already moved up into Bayou Lafourche, and can be caught under birds with a shrimp imitation under a popping cork, according to a local angler.
Tommy Vidrine — who’s better known for catching hammer trout free-lining live bait at Grand Isle — said he’s not averse to fishing out of Leeville this time of year when the trout start transitioning inside.
Vidrine actually stopped along Highway 1 this weekend on his way back home to Baton Rouge and caught 10 nice specks in 12 casts – including one 18-incher – with a Vudu shrimp about 2 feet under a popping cork where birds were working in Bayou Lafourche.
“I would say the best results are when the tide is going out strong,” Vidrine said. “But as long as you have a strong tide moving those shrimp, you’re going to have some success.
“I would launch at Leeville and just travel Bayou Lafourche for the first couple of hours in the morning, and when you see the birds start diving, just sit there and put the trolling motor down and pop them under a cork.”
Shrimp are plentiful now in Bayou Lafourche, which is key to the bite, he said.
“There’s a lot of shrimp going through there, so those trout are just sitting in the current barely swimming and waiting with their mouth open,” Vidrine said. “When those shrimp come by, it’s almost automatic. They don’t have to chase them.”
Vidrine recommended a clear, lifelike Vudu shrimp, but stressed that a strong current — either incoming or outgoing — was important.
“My cork was probably moving 3 or 4 miles per hour by itself on the tide. Pop it every once in a while and use a slow, slow retrieve with a Vudu about 2 feet below the cork,” he said. “So that shrimp looked like he was alive, swimming sideways in the current. The trout couldn’t resist it.”
This weekend’s tides look flat, but Vidrine expected the Bayou Lafourche bite to be good the following weekend, Nov. 13-15 — and it should last a while, he said.
“For the next month or two, I think that’s going to be an easy fix for folks who don’t know the area, or maybe don’t know a lot of places to catch trout,” he said. “As long as you have a strong tide moving those shrimp, you’re going to have some success.”
