Timbalier, Terrebonne and Caminada bays are where they lurk
On days with milder winds, long time charter captain Aaron Pierce will run from the dock in Leeville to the structures and rigs in Terrebonne Bay and Timbalier Bay looking for the big trout coming out of the marshes this month to spawn.
“This is the time, especially around the new moon and full moon spawns, when the big trout will eat up live shrimp and soft plastics fished between 24 to 30 inches, either on the bottom or freelined, or under a popping cork,” he said. “It’s some of the best action and biggest fish of the year.”
Pierce said he much prefers to fish a rising tide or at the beginning of a falling tide rather than a low tide because of the dirtier water and low water conditions.
“The winter fish kill definitely hurt us,” Pierce said, “but to what extent remains to be seen. In March and April we’ve been chasing mostly sheepshead because both trout and redfish have been scarce, and sheepshead are excellent table fare. Plus, they’ve really been thick at the platforms in between 30 to 50 feet of water out of Belle Pass or Caminada Pass.
“I use my sonar to locate them on the upcurrent side of structures, and we drop live shrimp or fresh shrimp down to the depth we locate them at. Sometimes I drop some chum to try to move them out from under the rigs to where we can catch them. I don’t know how much longer they’ll continue to hold out there, but it has been great fishing them until the trout show up.”
Under the birds
Pierce said it’s still too early for the beaches to turn on, but the birds should show up.
“As everyone knows, the action under the birds is hit and miss, especially in the spring,” he said. “But I’ve got a couple tips that should help up your odds of catching some keepers.
“First, if you see birds diving on bait 75-100 feet off a point or bank, go fish that point or bank instead of fishing under the birds. That often pays off for me. Second, you know how when you pull up to fish under the birds in an open bay and you catch one or two nice trout right off the bat and you think you’re onto something, but then after that all you catch is little undersized trout? If that happens, stop fishing for a few minutes. You caught bigger fish there so you know they’re down there, but those small trout will feed so aggressively the bait never gets to the bigger trout. Just rest, reel in and wait a few minutes. The small trout will move on, and then you’ll be able to catch the keepers that are still there. I’ve seen that happen so many times I can’t count it. Try it.”
Capt. Aaron Pierce has been a charter guide for nearly 30 years, and besides his charter business, he is also an owner of Four Horsemen Corks and the Boom Boom Shrimp baits. He can be reached at 985-637-9720.
