Reds thick between Lafitte and Myrtle Grove.
An old commercial for Barq’s root beer said that New Orleans’ favorite beverage had “bite.”
Well, the root beer-colored water southeast of Lafitte also has bite — in the form of quick-chomping, line-stripping redfish.
Capt. James Wilson has been running from his dock at Capt. Phil Robichaux Fishing Charters to the ponds from Bayou Dupont all the way to Myrtle Grove, and he’s been returning with his box full of copper-colored reds.”The redfishing has been really, really good,” he said.
That’s because most of the ponds haven’t yet matted over with coontail, widgeon grass and snot grass, which Wilson calls slime grass.
“We’re just starting to get some slime grass, but it’s not real prevalent yet,” he said. “Most areas are still fishable.”
Lots of different baits will work in the ponds, but Wilson is a big fan of a black/chartreuse Baby Bull Minnow teamed with an H&H gold spinner.
“That bait is all you need,” he said.
And the bait isn’t attractive only to redfish. Also in the ponds, Wilson has been catching bass, black drum and even a good number of speckled trout.
Anglers who go to the area should look for clean water and bait along shorelines that aren’t clogged with snot grass.
Troll within a cast’s distance of the shoreline, and try to troll with the wind to keep boat noise to a minimum.
The great action will continue throughout the spring and summer, Wilson said, even though anglers have to be more choosy in their fishing locations because the grass begins to take over.
Still, that thick grass can prove beneficial.
“When that water gets high and over the hydrilla, the fishing gets really good,” Wilson said. “That’s the only time I switch to a gold spoon because it gets through the grass so much better.”
For more information, contact Capt. James Wilson at 460-2357 or captjamesw43@yahoo.com.
