Young charter captain shares how she puts her clients on redfish, specks this month
Capt. Tori Arnona (985-400-4492), who fishes out of Buras, said the fall months are absolutely her favorite time of the year to fish, and she expects October to be outstanding.
“The conditions are setting up to be perfect,” she said. “The river is low and that means the reds and trout will move upriver and hunt prey in the salty water around the numerous sandbars. That’s where I’ll be targeting them, along with flounder and black drum in the same areas.”
Arnona grew up fishing with her dad, and he instilled in her a love for the outdoors and a passion for fishing. After graduating from LSU, she told her parents she wanted to become a charter captain.
“I just couldn’t see myself working in an office every day, sitting behind a desk, shuffling papers or staring at a computer screen,” she said. “I realized my passion was outdoors, on the water, chasing redfish and trout, and that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”
She enrolled in charter captain school and joined the staff of anglers at Ryan Lambert’s Cajun Fishing Adventures in Buras.
“I bought a 24-foot Skeeter bay boat and have been a charter captain now for a year, and I’m loving every minute of it,” she said.
Arnona said anglers can head upriver or downriver, because the hot zone will be everywhere between Empire and Venice this month.
If she’s targeting trout, Arnona said she’ll follow the same sandbar approach and anchoring technique, while checking her sonar for ledges.
“I especially like to fish sandbars with a shell bottom,” she said. “I’ll Power Pole or Spot-Lock in shallow water but within casting distance of a 30 foot depth. That’s where I want to fish the bottom for trout. Get your bait all the way to the bottom and twitch it up and down. The trout will usually nail it on the downfall.” ■
Arnona said she will mostly be targeting reds in October because that’s what the vast majority of her customers want to catch.
“This is a great month to catch bull reds,” she said. “We have people coming from all over the country just for the thrill of catching bull reds. It’s what this whole area is known for.”
Arnona said the hungry bulls, along with lots of slot-sized reds, drum, flounder and trout, will patrol around those sandbars in search of prey.
Target the sandbars
- Look for moving water and any signs of baitfish activity.
- Approach slowly using your trolling motor. If you run over the fish with your outboard they will scatter.
- Use your sonar to locate the ledges.
- Anchor with your Power Pole or Spot-Lock, and cast down along the ledges.
Capt. Tori’s trout tips
- Anchor in 3 feet of water and cast into depths up to 30 feet
- Fish the bottom with soft plastics on heavier jigheads
- Try bouncing your bait off the bottom
- Use a Captain Lane’s Ghost Minnow in purple or pink or a Marker 54 Shrimplet fished under a popping cork with an extra-long leader
Capt. Tori’s favorite redfish baits
According to Arnona, live bait is not necessary in the fall. She likes to try a variety of lures and colors, but her most productive baits include:
- Gold spoons, especially effective on sunny days
- Soft plastics in purple/chartreuse or chartreuse
- A Marker 54 Shrimplet fished under a popping cork (The large size is best for bull reds; the smaller size for slot reds and trout)
