Fishing has turned on all over Louisiana the past couple of days, and that has made it difficult to single out one particular spot to highlight. It doesn’t matter if you’re after specks, reds, sacalait, black drum or bass – they’re all there for the catching right now. However, a recent talk with Captain Ben Leto of Louisiana Fishing Expeditions (985-630-2066) revealed that Breton Sound just might be better than the rest.“We went out after big reds yesterday and got on some decent sized fish outside on the rocks,” Leto said. “Those fish were running 28 to 30 inches… great for bull reds. But, my customers wanted some bigger ones, so we went out to the second cement rig just to the east in Bay Eloi. We got on some 25 to 35 pound reds that kept their lines singing the rest of the day. We also got into some big black drum in the 20 to 40 pound range.”
Leto reported the redfish were biting Carolina rigged bait. Live cocahoes and dead shrimp produced a lot of the bites, but Leto said they were biting just about any kind of bait they threw out.
“This was my first time to head out there after the storm,” Leto said. “Those two and three story rigs are all knocked down. There’s just some of the cement sticking up. The barbeque rigs are also broken off at the water line. There’s a lot of stuff in the water out there, so I’d warn anybody heading that way to be extra careful.”
Leto said he has also been limiting out on 15 to 23 inch trout on the inside the past couple of days. His most productive method has been drifting live cocahoes about two feet under a cork. Soft plastics have also been catching fish. Leto also reported catching several on the Bayou Chub Minnows.
“The ponds around Bayou Bernard are holding some good fish right now,” Leto said. “Hopedale Lagoon has also been hot… there’s been about 15 to 20 boats in there every weekend catching fish. You have to pick through some smaller fish there, though. The bigger fish have been in those shallow ponds.”
Leto said that anglers looking for live cocahoes and shrimp could find plenty at the Breton Sound Marina.
“And, I don’t know what’s up with the gnats,” he fussed. “It’s ok as long as the wind’s blowing. But, when the wind dies down, the gnats are thick and aggravating. You really need to think ahead and prepare to deal with the gnats if you go out. Bring a gnat suit or some repellent. It’s hard to concentrate on the fishing if you’re having to worry about swatting gnats all day long.”
