Guide Darren Schaff of Reggio said December is shaping up to be an excellent month for anglers who fish the waters of Reggio and Delacroix.
“The fishing has been steady these past few months, and cooler weather usually turns our action up a few notches more,” he said. “This year, it looks like winter may actually show up, which means the fish will head into deeper water. I like to fish the bayous and rivers that connect bigger bodies of water on cold mornings and throughout the colder days: Bayou Robin, Bayou Batola, Middle Bayou, Sister Bayou, Bayou Fongera, the pass between Lake Ameda and Hopedale Lagoon, and on down to False River and Oak River when the real cold sets in. Generally, I’ll fish them in the turns and bends of the bayous where the water gets pretty deep, but I find the fish aren’t always right on the bottom but rather holding on ledges in 6 to 10 feet of water.
“You may have to experiment by casting into varying depths before you give up on a spot. My preference is to fish Carolina rigs with live shrimp on the ledges, or I toss H&H cocohoes or beetles in black/chartreuse or purple/white, double-rigged, using 3/8-ounce jigheads in fast-moving water or ¼-ounce jigheads on slower-tide days.”
Milder days
Schaff (504-400-2466) said on milder days, those fish will leave the deeper holes and spread out over the flats and reefs in nearby bays and lakes, in 3 to 4 feet of water.
“That’s when you can cast tandem rigs, with or without a cork, or live shrimp under a cork,” he said. “I’ll fish points and reefs and flats in Lake Robin, Lake Amedee, down to Four Horse and Pato Cabello, using those same baits and also the Matrix in shrimp creole when I’m fishing clear water, and the lemonhead color when I’m fishing in off-colored water.”
Schaff basically uses the same tactic to catch reds year-round.
“Fish points, cuts and drains under a cork with live or market shrimp, or with those same plastics on a ¼-ounce jighead,” he said. “If the water is normal to high, fish lagoons and bays. If fronts have blown the water out, then the fish will stack up those same bayous in the deeper holes and you can fill your box using those same baits.
“And the great thing about colder weather fishing; you don’t have to leave so early.”
