It looks like the speckled trout bite has started to pick up steam all across coastal Louisiana within the last week or two. As anglers begin tossing everything in their tackle boxes to try to hook a big trout, there is one technique that stands above the rest – topwaters!
As the trout start to show up south of Lafitte, especially, Captain Theophile Bourgeois says they will start getting thick in their usual spots like Manila Village, Government Reef and Bassa Bassa.
Although he likes to put some numbers in the box with soft plastics, his favorite way of putting bigger trout in the box is throwing topwaters right at daylight or even just a little bit before.
“Take into consideration that you’ve got about a 35-minute run from Lafitte to these spots, and you can see you’ve got to get up a little early to get in on the action,” Bourgeois said. “The general rule down here is chase the birds this time of year if you’re looking for numbers and throw the topwaters early if you’re looking for bigger fish.”
Bourgeois says the best topwater bite is found in the backs of deep pockets in shallow water. He prefers moving water with a tidal range of 0.8 or better, but it’s got to have bait for him to stick around very long.
“Look for schools of mullet and shad,” he continued. “Sometimes you’ll go along a shoreline and see no bait… no mullet… no pogies flipping… but the water looks good, so you stick around. If there’s no bait, don’t even bother. Work the pockets where you see everything in your favor.”
A slight breeze out of the south can actually make the bite even better as it bucks up water against the south-facing shorelines. Weaker baitfish get pushed up against these shorelines, and Bourgeois says fishing a topwater about 150 yards to the left and right of any points heading into these pockets can produce some explosive strikes.
“If I get enough hits, I’ll go back and double-dip,” Bourgeois pointed out. “If not, I just move around and hop to the next point or pocket. Seldom do I drop my Power Pole when I’m topwater fishing.”
Barataria Bay may be known for tons of smaller trout, and if you’re happy with 25 small fish, stick with the plastics either tightlined or under a cork. However, if bigger trout are what turns your crank, tie on a topwater and get there early.
“You may only get one or two topwater bites per stop,” Bourgeois concluded, “but if you make 10 to 25 stops before the surface bite shuts off, you’re numbers will start adding up.”
Contact Captain Theophile Bourgeois at 504-341-5614, or visit www.neworleansfishing.com. Follow the author’s blogs at www.chrisginn.com and www.evangler.com.
