Guide skips split shot to allow minnow to swim freely
Capt. T-Man Cheramie (985-677-6294) said the trout are already on the move, beginning their annual transition off the beaches to the inside, and though September is a dreaded “transition month,” you can still put plenty of nice fish in the box if you know where to ambush them.
“We caught a ton of undersized trout this summer, I mean barely shy of 12 inches,” he said. “That means those trout will be legal-sized and choking the routes towards the inside waters, and you should be able to pick off a box-full.”
Cheramie said you’ll still be able to catch fish on the beaches, too, but the action becomes spotty this month since the spawn is over and the trout are finishing up with the beaches for another season.
“I’m launching out of Leeville at the public launch, and heading out to Timbalier Bay or Lake Raccourci, and fishing what little is left of the islands out there,” he said. “I’ve been using live minnows about 2 ½ feet under a cork, with no split shot. I like to give the minnow room to wiggle around, and I find that adding a split shot decreases the effectiveness of the bait.
“It’s different with live shrimp, but I haven’t been using them for three reasons. One, they’re too expensive. Two, they die too quickly in the hot weather and hot water, and three — they’re small and soft so you often lose them when you cast. The minnows are much hardier, you can sometimes catch several fish on one and the trout and reds love them.”
Cheramie said bottom structure, reefs and wellheads are all good places to soak a minnow.
“I’ll also start fishing Lake Felicity, Lake Chein and Lake Barre’ this month, using live minnows,” he said “And I’ll also toss some DOA shrimp in the glow color, and the Vudu shrimp in the white/chartreuse or white/pink colors, under a cork.”
