Going back centuries, the fertile Barataria Estuary produced abundant quality seafood and outstanding fishing opportunities for multiple species, a tradition that continues to this day.
Essentially, the estuary runs from the Lake Salvador system through Barataria Bay about 40 miles to the Gulf. Barataria Bay covers about 15 miles long by 12 miles wide with many associated waterbodies connected by numerous passes, bayous and canals. In the summer, many sportsmen head south to find fish in deeper, cooler waters.
“In July, the weather gets more predictable and the water gets slick,” said Matt Fuertes, who runs Grand Isle Outfitters (985-258-6615, grandisleoutfittersla.com) with Cole McCarty from their new lodge on the island. “Anglers have many fishing options. The bay has many islands, oil field structures and numerous places to fish for various species. People can go north and catch plenty of redfish or stay down south and catch trout, sheepshead, black drum and flounder.”
At the southern end, Grand Isle and other barrier islands separate Barataria Bay from the Gulf. Inside Barataria Bay and around its edges numerous grassy islands and marshes create optimum habitat for several fish species, most notably redfish and flounder.
“During the summer, we catch redfish behind the barrier islands and in the surf, but if I’m targeting redfish, I go north towards Little Lake,” Fuertes said. “On the west side of Barataria Bay, we fish small grassy islands that separate Barataria Bay from Caminada Bay. I normally fish corks with live minnows or shrimp for reds.”
Reds and flounder both get in extremely shallow water and relish live shrimp. Drifting live shrimp, plastic shrimp imitations or live minnows under popping corks along weedy shorelines entice both species as well as trout and other fish. Also hook live cocahoe minnows to jigheads and drag them very slowly along the bottom, pausing periodically. Anglers also catch different species on soft-plastic swimbaits.
Redfish movement
While many people fish for redfish in marshy ponds and around grassy islands, shallow water gets super-hot and hypoxic in the summer. Therefore, many fish head to deeper waters at the southern end of the estuary or in the Gulf. Redfish spend their juvenile years in the marshes and estuaries eating and growing. When they reach sexual maturity, most head offshore where they spend the rest of their lives.
“Redfish are estuary-dependent species,” said Chris Schieble, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fisheries. “In the early stages of their lifecycle, juvenile redfish recruit into the marsh. When they become subadults, or about five years old and about 27 inches long and about 10 to 12 pounds, they move offshore.”
In late summer, bull reds come closer to the bays and estuaries to spawn. People call any large redfish a “bull,” but both males and females congregate in gigantic schools around passes with good salinity levels and tidal flow. Sportsmen frequently see redfish schools ravaging mullets and other prey in the bay, the passes and just offshore from late July to October. For tackle-busting action the peak occurs from mid-August to September.
“We normally see big bulls schooling in all the passes and the bay, but we mainly see them on the beachfront,” Fuertes said. “When the bulls get in big schools, we catch them on just about anything, if the tackle holds up, as well as the person’s arms and back. For tremendous fun, throw a big topwater bait at the schools. I love to watch big redfish explode on a topwater bait. Big trout also hit topwaters. That’s one of my favorite ways to catch redfish and big trout.”
Where to find trout
Most people fish the Barataria Estuary for speckled trout. The system produces great numbers. Most trout weigh between 1 and 3 pounds, but people occasionally catch bigger ones. In the summer, use live bait, but many anglers prefer throwing soft plastics.
“A popping cork with soft plastics or live shrimp is hard to beat for catching trout anytime,” said Mike Helmer with Capt. Phil Robichaux’s Fishing Charters (504-689-2006, fishwithphil.com) in Lafitte. “We also fish soft plastics on the bottom.”
During the summer, water temperatures can exceed 90 degrees. Trout move to cooler, deeper waters. Wave action sculpts the bottom into humps and valleys. Baitfish get in the deeper valleys. Small dips between troughs allow larger fish access to attack the bait.
“In July, we fish the beaches,” Fuertes said. “I’ll run the sandbars and passes looking for big trout. The biggest trout usually stay in the deeper Gulf waters. Several petroleum platforms within an easy ride from Grand Isle hold big trout. We catch many trout out there when it’s blazing hot. We free-line live bait or fish deep with Carolina rigs.”
People without boats wade the Grand Isle beaches. Some better onshore places to fish include Grand Isle State Park and near Bridge Side Marina (www.bridgesidegrandisle.com). People also catch fish near the Hurricane Hole (hurricanehole.net) on the bay side.
Fishing structure and debris
Numerous oil field structures dot Barataria Bay and associated waters. These platforms create cover that hold trout and multiple other species, like sheepshead, black drum and redfish. People run from platform to platform until they find one holding hungry fish that day.
“When it’s too rough to fish the beach or the Gulf rigs, we fish the bay,” Fuertes said. “It has many islands with gravel and sandy points or oyster beds around them that hold fish. Some oil field structures have been removed, but there are still plenty of structures to fish in Barataria Bay.”
Even structures no longer there might still hold fish. Oil companies dump shell and other hard substrate on the bottom to stabilize the structures. In addition, things fall off the platforms. Storms leave debris. Other objects remaining on the bottom still attract fish. When companies remove the structures, they usually don’t bother with what’s beneath them. Many old-timers still remember where these structures were. Younger sportsmen find cover with good electronics.
“When it’s blazing hot, some fish go deep,” Fuertes said. “When it gets really hot, I fish oyster beds or shell pads 6 to 10 feet deep around the rigs. In the afternoon, we fish deeper because the sun shining on the water all day long heats it. To catch trout in the bay, I prefer a 1/8- to ¼-ounce jighead with a soft-plastic trailer. For natural bait, it’s hard to beat live croakers for big trout, but for the numbers, we use shrimp.”
Bonus fish
Structures and reefs hold more than trout and redfish. People might also catch powerful sheepshead and black drum. Sheepshead eat barnacles. Both species prefer live bait. Live shrimp will catch anything that swims in the bay and associated waters.
“We don’t usually target drum and sheepshead, but we’ll catch them when fishing for redfish with shrimp,” said Theophile Bourgeois IV of Bourgeois Fishing Charters (504-341-5614; neworleansfishing.com) in the town of Barataria. “If we’re fishing with shrimp on the bottom, we’ll often catch many different species. Sheepshead are difficult to clean, but very tasty. They are hard-fighting fish.”
Jetties and rocky shorelines marking the passes hold many sheepshead. To catch sheepshead, fish with live shrimp or small crabs. Massive black drum and bull reds drop into deeper holes in the passes. Drum can exceed 70 pounds. Big drum and redfish love whole crabs. Leave the top shell intact, but crack it to let succulent juices to ooze out. Crab halves also work well for big drum and redfish.
“Around the rocks in the passes and behind some of the islands, we catch sheepshead on live shrimp,” Fuertes said. “Big drum and bull reds give a great fight. We’ll fish for them when we have children on the boat so they can catch a big, powerful fish. Children get hooked on fishing and brag to all their friends about the giant fish they caught. It’s the perfect thing to do to see a big smile on a kid’s face.”
For a pure adrenaline rush, try targeting species most people ignore. Spanish mackerel might hit anything shiny. During the summer, jack crevalle patrol nearshore and bay waters looking to devour mullets and anything else they can gulp down. Toss very large topwater baits with strong hooks in front of the school. Pop once or twice and hang on for the next hour or so.
“When the water is really clean, big Spanish mackerel schools cruise off the beach and in the passes,” Fuertes said. “If I wanted to catch Spanish mackerel, I’d use small, shiny spoon with a short wire leader. With their teeth, they can easily cut through lines. In the summer, we see huge schools of jack crevalle around the beaches and in the bay. If I wanted to catch one, I would use a big live mullet.”
When the preferred species won’t bite on a hot summer day, try something different. This rich estuary still provides outstanding action to suit how anyone wants to fish it.
