Trout and redfish await the savvy angler
Veteran charter guide Bobby Gros, over at Bobby Lynn’s Marina in Leeville (985-637-0118), says the fishing is as hot as the weather this month.
“Redfish action has been phenomenal all over the area, and that won’t subside in July,” he said. “The speckled trout action got off to a slower start than usual, but by now it should be hot and heavy.”
Gros says there are three vitally important keys to a successful trip this month.
1. Start early. “You really have to get an early start because of the heat, and because the trout bite tends to shut down early,” he said. “I like to start the morning fishing along the beaches in the shallow water between the first and second sandbar. The rocks around the old barges in Fourchon are also good first thing in the morning. On the beach, I’ll fish live bait under a Carolina rig, and on the rocks I’ll fish live bait under a cork. The fish on the beach have been nice-sized, both reds and trout, but the trout action will shut down early. By 9 or 9:30, its over.”
2. Fish deeper platforms in at least 6 feet of water in Lake Raccourci, Timbalier Bay and Lake Barre, or the Fourchon Jetties. “Once the heat turns up the fish will move off the beaches into cooler, deeper water, and those platforms in 6 to 7 feet of water and the deeper jetties is where they’ll go,” he said. “You can fish them with live bait on the bottom, which is generally the most productive, but you can also catch good fish on the bottom with soft plastics. I’ve done best with a H&H glow/chartreuse cocohoe or the Saltwater Assassin chicken-on-a-chain color. Offer it slow on the bottom and you should find a buyer.”
3. Bring live bait. “It doesn’t matter if its croakers, shrimp, pogies or minnows, live is always good insurance,” he said. “And a little secret: I’ve been hammering the trout on an EBS bait (electronic bait signaling) called Livingston Lures Poboy 90. It’s a hard plastic, slow-diving imitation shrimp that emits the biological sound of actual shrimp. The trout are just eating it up.”
Bonus: Gros said reds are everywhere. “We’re consistently catching limits of 16- to 25-inch reds, the perfect eating size, all along the beaches, and bulls are also on steady patrol along the beaches, barges and jetties. They’ll devour live croakers, cut bait and cracked crab,” he said.
