Guide hoping for a milder winter this year
Capt. Chad Dufrene of Dufrene’s Guide Service in Delacroix Island (985-637-6357) said if the weather doesn’t get too cold, he expects the redfish bite to be phenomenal this winter — and he hopes the trout action will become consistent.
“Last year we had that bitter cold, sub-freezing weather that played havoc with our fishing. It darn near wrecked us for awhile,” he said. “But the redfish action the past months has been nothing short of phenomenal, and that will continue and even get better if we don’t get frozen out. A couple years ago we had such a mild winter we caught fish under popping corks throughout the whole season. I’d really like to see that happen again.”
Unfortunately, the weather prognosticators predict a colder-than-average winter for us in the Deep South. Here’s hoping their normal trend of being wrong will continue to be true.
Dufrene said on colder days you’ll have to head to deeper bayous and canals to find fish.
“Oak River will be the best place, between Orange Bayou and the Pencil Canal,” he said. “Anywhere there’s a cut or stumps… try it. The reds huddle by the stumps, and naturally at points and cuts. Anchor off to the side of Oak River and cast into the middle, get your bait to the bottom and bounce it slow. If it warms up, then you can try the ledges and nearby shallower bays like Pointe Fienne and the bays around it, Little Crevasse and Four Horse Lake, and hopefully you’ll find both specks and reds. Just remember the fish won’t wander far from the deeper water.”
Dufrene said finding the reds shouldn’t pose much of a problem because the bite has been so consistent.
“Specks, however, are another matter,” he said. “We’ll have a great day in Four Horse or Amedee or the Twin Pipeline, and then nothing at all the next day. Very inconsistent. But this month we usually find trout in Little Lake and Grand Lake and Alligator Pass, as well as the areas I’ve already mentioned.
“Here’s a tip that’ll pay off if you’re observant: Look for glass minnows. Shrimp will be scarce, so the trout will feast on glass minnows wherever they find them. Fish there, under a cork.”
Dufrene said dead shrimp are by far the best bait to entice reds, and soft plastics or live shrimp work for targeting trout.
