How to plunder and pillage for speckled trout and redfish
Capt. Chris Danos (504-606-6223) operates his Screaming Reels Fishing Charters business out of Pointe a la Hache on the east side of the river. But these days he’s traveling over to Lake Robin and beyond to get into bigger and better speckled trout action.
At least until the river subsides.
“These west winds and the higher river have caused us to stretch our wings and seek out saltier water, and I’m finding it in Lake Robin and beyond,” Danos said. “I’ve been fishing the deeper bayous and finding some beautiful trout. The water is gorgeous, salty, and protected from the winds and rough seas.
“It’s about a 12 mile run from the marina, and all in protected water, so that’s not a bad run at all. You have to go to where the fish are.”
Danos said his tactic for success is simple.
“I fish the big bays — Lake Robin, Lake Calabasse, Two Trees and Machais — at the mouths of the bayous, and I go up into the deeper bayous,” he said. “Look for a good point with some moving current, or look for signs of bait along the shore. Sometimes I just stop and fish where I find a shell bank on the edge of the bayou, and I anchor.
“Basically I’m tossing live shrimp about 21/2 to 3 feet under a cork, and the trout have been smacking it. Nice trout, too.”
Danos said he gives a spot 10 or 15 minutes to produce, and then he moves on.
“The key is finding better water than what we’ve been dealing with so close to the river,” he explained. “Hopefully, now that the river is down, all the normal hotspots will turn on and I’ll be fishing the Buras High School reef in Breton Sound and the Battledore area, also around California Point, and on out toward Breton Island. It should actually be a great month, and I have an action plan for either a high or low river.”
Danos said Beshel’s Marina stays well-stocked with live shrimp.
