Action is great right now, but will it last all month?
Capt. Casey Kieff (504-512-7171) said trout action has been great during October and November in the Biloxi Marsh, and it should continue this month as long as the mild weather lasts.
“All the fall hotspots are producing right now,” Kieff said. “Stump Lagoon, Mack’s Pass, Muscle Bay, and the bayous in and out of it: Crooked Bayou, Pete’s Lagoon, Cut Off Lagoon, Brick Lagoon and Goose Flat are all producing fish.
“We’re catching trout at the mouths of bayous, along drop-offs, over the flats in lakes and lagoons, and redfish on the shoreline.”
Kieff said there’s still a lot of bait in the area, so he recommended taking some Campo’s live shrimp along for the ride in case you need them.
“For the most part, we’ve been able to catch plenty fish on plastics under a cork,” he said. “The Matrix baits have been good, H&H beetles and cocohoes are producing, and the Egret Vudu shrimp have been very productive.
“I’ve been using plastics under a cork in glow, chartreuse, shrimp creole, clear/chartreuse and pink, and the trout are smacking them.”
Kieff said as the water temperatures drop he’ll fish more cast-and-retrieve plastics off the bottom in the deeper middle or along the steep ledges of bayous.
“The tactic is simple: In cold weather go deep, in mild weather fish shallow,” he said. “In good water fish bright colors, in darker water fish darker baits.”
Kieff said redfish will hit the same baits tight-lined or under corks, but he said adding a piece of market shrimp to your hook adds smell that helps attract them.
“Gold spoons and beetle spins will also work this month, as will topwater baits, both for reds and specks,” Kieff said. “I like to toss topwaters at the mouths of canals or bayous at the big ponds and bays, where they can really generate some good hits and produce nice-sized fish.
“The reds may be scattered, but you’ll find them in a variety of places: at points and drains along the shoreline of bayous, and when the tide is up along the shorelines in ponds and lagoons.
“You might not see as much bait in the water by mid- to late month, depending on how cold it gets, but when you do see bait, stop and fish there — and don’t pass up birds diving over bait.”
