Loads of lemonfish out of Fourchon

“They’ve got a reputation as being finicky fish,” Pitre said. “Some people even consider them to be stupid because they’re a naturally curious fish that will come up and investigate your boat as you move in on the platforms. They are a little finicky … sometimes you can catch them on anything, and sometimes you’ve really got to coax them into biting.”

While live bait is always the best way to go, it has been a little hard to find. Pitre said his No. 1 plastic for coaxing the lemonfish to bite has been an Old Bayside Skeleton Shad in the natural bone color and pink/white threaded onto a jighead.

“You can throw that in front of one, and he’ll eat it even if he isn’t hungry,” said Pitre. “If you can find some bait, though, I’d suggest trying live croaker and pogies. You want to make sure you have your hook set where your bait looks natural, and just kind of let it drift down a little bit.”

Pitre said his best lemonfish action has been happening about 15 to 40 miles out in South Tim, West Delta and Ship Shoal.

“They’re spread out all over,” he added. “They’re on some of the wrecks, and I’ve got a few honeyholes that are producing. They’re kind of crazy, though. They’ll be in one spot one day, disappear the next, and be back in the same spot on the third day. Lemonfish are a very migratory fish, and they’ll keep you on the move.”

Pitre also said he’s been catching some snapper in the same area by fishing the bottom with pogies. He suggested getting a pogie to the bottom then cranking it up five cranks.

Inshore action has also been hot lately. Pitre suggested fishing from Lake Barre to West Timbalier with purple/chartreuse and green/chartreuse plastics under a popping cork.

“Anything that mimics a shrimp ought to work” he added. “If you can go with live shrimp, you can’t go wrong. They’ve been ranging anywhere from keeper size to 3 and 4 pounds. The best way to catch the larger trout is to use live shrimp or croakers. There are also some reds mixed in with the trout.”