Speckled trout are starting to move to the deeper holes on the west side of Buras out of Joshua’s and Yellow Cotton Marina according to Captain John L. Taylor (504-657-9739). After banging out some good fish during Thanksgiving week, Taylor says he’s looking forward to the action continuing into the foreseeable future.
“The best areas I have found are along the Buras Canal where there are deep holes left over from when they dug out for the levees,” said Taylor. “There are several of these kinds of holes from just above Joshua’s Marina to down below the first spot where the land starts to narrow.”
Finding the kinds of holes that Taylor is fishing isn’t very difficult if you have a good depth finder on your boat. Taylor suggested watching your electronics while moving around at a slow speed. Mark the areas where you see the depth quickly getting deeper then turn around and fish.
“I would recommend concentrating on the flats on the sides of the holes,” Taylor continued. “Watch your screen for blips or fish markings. I’ve been noticing them around the 8- to 10-foot range. When you see those blips at that depth, get your baits in the water.”
Taylor has been most successful setting up so that he can cast from the deep water to the shallow water around the edges of the holes so he can bump his soft plastic over the edge of the drop off. His best scenario lately has been bumping his plastic off a 3- to 5-foot shelf down into about 10 feet, and he’s been working the bottom all the way back to his boat.
“I’ve been throwing a black/chartreuse ReAction Bayou Chub,” Taylor revealed. “Right now I’m mainly throwing it on unpainted 1/4-ounce jigheads, but if there is a strong enough tide, I’ll move up to a 3/8-ounce head.”
Don’t be surprised if you latch into some redfish while working these ledges for trout. Taylor said schools of reds are moving up and down the same areas in search of food. If you’ve got your bait in the water when they come by, you’ll catch reds instead of trout.