Weather is the No. 1 factor this time of year in how far out you go for trout
August is an intense month for anglers, who have to battle the heat and frequent storms, and for the speckled trout, who are driven to the Gulf by physiological processes where they must contend with dangers of many types. We need to breakdown the attributes of speckled trout fishing this month so we can better succeed at our goals and stay positive when we do not.
Let’s get to the big topic right away, which is the weather. August weather in coastal Louisiana is the biggest influencer of all the conditions we are navigating around this time of year. Surprisingly only 28% of hurricanes since the year 2000 have hit us in August, but the afternoon storms rarely miss us. Not only are they a nuisance, they can be dangerous due to lighting and strong winds.
Wisely, there are days the threat of these storms will keep me from venturing very far from the launch despite the loss of speckled trout catching opportunities.
Check the temp
The second weather related condition is water temperature. We know abstractly that water temperature influences the ferocity of the hurricanes, but in a more intimate way it impacts our strategy for catching speckled trout. As a rule of thumb, the more frequently I have to melt an ice cube on my head to stay cool correlates to the water depth in which I need to fish. Trout move to deeper water when and where they can in August for several reasons, one being to avoid lengthy exposures to water temperatures in the 85 F – 90 F degree range, which occurs at the surface and in shallow water.
Using a thermocouple, I have measured the water temperature in the summer at the surface and at various depths. Where there is frequent water volume exchanges, which is also where we are likely to fish, the water temperature decreases around one degree F per 10 ft. of depth change. I only measured down to 20 ft. depth, so this ratio may not be the same beyond 20 ft.
Therefore, when the surface temperature is 85 degrees F, the temperature at the 10 ft. depth where I am likely fishing is 84 degrees F. While this difference is not significant to a warm blooded, self regulating creature like us, the cold blooded biology of a fish will respond incrementally to this change in its environment. Most notably will be an uptick in the fish’s metabolism. Therefore, it seems reasonable that one reason we find trout at 10 ft. depth or deeper in August is the water temperature.
Deep end of the pool
So, while I may get a headache or worse, heat stroke, from the August temperatures, the trout only need to eat more while hanging out in the deep end of the pool. Fortunately, coastal southeast Louisiana is chock full of food for them. Surely, our waters are as biologically rich as anywhere else on the U.S. Gulf coast. It certainly seems that way in August, when all around pogies are splashing, shrimp are popping, and mullets are rafting.
We understand and can see the answer to the question, “what are the trout eating,” but what is eating the trout?
That answer is not just valuable to a biologist but also to an angler, because many times in August it will prompt a change in our fishing strategy. Summertime in coastal Louisiana is full of predators which trout have to contend with and I am not only talking about humans.
Sharks, dolphins, and bull reds are all aquatic predators that regularly eat speckled trout when the season brings them together. I don’t mind the dolphins so much because they simply slowdown the trout bite. The bull reds are good for a 20 minute fling, but the sharks are my nemesis. They are over-equipped for this habitat and so they are simply bulls in a china shop. They are also not very discriminating in the size of their prey, because they will decapitate a 16 inch trout on my line and on the next cast, eat my three inch long lure. When they are around, I am going to either lose the trout I hooked or my $10 jerkbait.
Time for a new spot
The unfortunate reality is that when these big predators move in on my trout party, it is time to find a new school of trout in a new spot. That will give me at least 15 minutes with my beloved fish before the dolphins show up. I am 90% sure that dolphins use anglers in the summer to find the schools of trout, so for the sake of my sanity, I resign myself to this dance with the dolphins in August.
One of the primary ways trout protect themselves from predation near the Gulf is to hang around structure or cover. Some of their food is also hanging out around the same structure, so that is convenient. This structure can be rock shorelines, submerged rocks, reefs, and oil and gas rigs (platforms). They can also find some protection in gullies and drop-offs where other forms of structure do not exist. Just like trout are adapted to living around the structure, I am adapted to finding their structure using sonar, charts and satellite images, and visually while I am on the water. I love to fish the rigs in August because they attract and hold significant numbers of trout.
Since I am an artificial bait angler, I have certain advantages in August and some disadvantages.
As for advantages, I count not having to find bait sellers, not spending time keeping bait alive in 90F degree livewell water, not feeding the catfish and being able to present my bait effectively at the base of a piling in 10 ft of water. For disadvantages, I am faced with convincing trout to eat a piece of plastic or rubber that appears alive if they don’t look too hard, while swimming all around my lure is actual living food. It is also more painful when the sharks clip off my $10 lure instead of a 50 cent hook. Many people swear that you have to use live bait in the summer to catch trout. This I know is not true, but I do not know if I catch as many trout as I would were I using live bait.
Lures of choice
My artificial lures of choice for August are jerkbaits, free lining jigs, and jigs under popping corks. I will also try topwater baits if I am on rock shorelines and oyster beds at sunrise.
For August, I mostly launch where I can get my skiff out to barrier islands, rigs, and oyster beds. There are a surprising number of launches that serve my needs including Hopedale Marina, Port Fourchon, Leeville, Grand Isle, and La France, Mississippi. These locations give me access to Isle au Pitre, the outer edges of the Biloxi Marsh, rigs and shorelines around Grand Isle, the islands on the outside of Timbalier and Terrebonne Bays, and the rigs in those bays.
August can be a great month for speckled trout fishing and it can also deliver a lot of disruptions. My goal is to enjoy everything it has to offer, whether it be the expanded group of species attacking my lures or the views of towering storm clouds from which I am fleeing.
Good luck out there this month and stay safe.
