Solid action should continue through Thanksgiving, local angler says
It took a while for the speckled trout bite to turn on out of Cypremort Point this year, but October’s arrival — along with a couple of pretty nice cool fronts — has finally done the trick.
“They’re catching trout right now big time just about everywhere,” said Keith Delahoussaye, who recently retired from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries after 31 years as an enforcement agent. “They’re catching them at Tee Butte like crazy and they’re all different sizes — from 14 inches to 3 ½ pounds.”
With the Atchafalaya River finally receding after record high levels this summer, the salty water specks love is now in play at many popular trout hotspots.
“They’re catching some at Pavy’s Reef, The Hammock, The Cove and Weeks Bay, also,” Delahoussaye said. “The thing about The Cove is they have so many boats in there, some people have been passing that up and going to The Hammock, especially if there’s a little north wind blowing. They’ll go around to The Hammock, and they’re protected there.”
Live shrimp under a popping cork is the ticket, he said.
“That’s the best bait to me,” Delahoussaye said. “But some people are catching them on plastic, also. It’s whatever you prefer.”
Redfish are also plentiful now near Marsh Island and Redfish Point, he said.
“The redfish never slowed down,” Delahoussaye said. “They’re just about everywhere. The reefs all the way around Marsh Island are good now, especially with the north winds starting to blow a little bit because you’ll be protected on that side.”
After a brutal summer with lots of fresh water from the Atchafalaya, Delahoussaye said the heart of fall fishing has finally arrived.
“October is your best month to fish. I don’t know why but it seems like clockwork every year, especially for the trout,” he said. “I think they were running a little behind time because the (Atchafalaya) River stayed so high for so long, but I think all the way through November we should have trout unless some big northerlies come through and stir up everything.
“If that doesn’t happen, I see it all the way through Thanksgiving.”
