Ask South Louisiana anglers what their favorite month is for catching speckled trout, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who says September.
Although it may not be at the very top of his list, Delacroix fishing guide Capt. Jack Payne finds great speckled trout action this month.
The key, he said, is understanding what the fish are doing this month in relation to the shrimp.
“I usually fish right on the edges of Black Bay as the fish are in transfer mode coming from the outside back inside,” he said. “They’re sitting there waiting for those white shrimp that are coming.”
Payne likes to fish the islands in Lake Campo and around Deer Bayou.
Once he gets to these areas, he actually likes to fish on anchor. The Sweetwater Marina owner feels that the trolling motor noise significantly reduces the amount of bites you get this time of year.
“The only time I ever drift fish in the summertime is if I’m going through schools of birds,” Payne said. “I feel like the trolling motor really scares those schools of fish when you turn that thing on.
“In the wintertime, that trolling motor doesn’t bother them in the slightest because I think they’re just trying not to move much and eat as much as they can.”
Live shrimp needed
When the weather is at its hottest, live shrimp are almost a necessity if you’re looking to catch keeper-sized speckled trout. However, one great aspect of September is the water temperatures can start to chill down, making the fish more responsive to artificial lures.
Payne likes throwing magneto-colored Matrix Shads under a popping cork when the water is clear. He said he thinks it represents a type of bait he’s been seeing a ton of this year.
“I’ve seen millions of glass minnows,” he said. “I’ve seen more (good) stuff this year than I’ve seen the last 10 years in Delacroix — good water clarity, schools of baitfish.”
Payne said if you’re not familiar with fishing soft-plastics, it certainly doesn’t hurt to buy the live stuff.
“If you’re not a good artificial fisherman, live shrimp is what you want to use,” he said.
Payne rigs the live shrimp on a khale hook a couple feet below a popping cork.
If you’re looking to catch monster speckled trout, September may not be the prime month, as Payne said a lot of the fish you catch this month are around 12 to 15 inches. But as the year goes on, the fish get bigger.
“Then October comes around, you go fish the same spot and they seem to move up to really nice trout,” he said.
