July specks can be found on the beaches from Fourchon to Grand Isle
My old friend, Capt. T-Man Cheramie (985-677-6294), said all you need is a calmer day to get lucky out of Leeville this month.
“I’ll pick up some live shrimp and croakers and launch out of Leeville and head south for the beaches, anywhere from Fourchon to Grand Isle,” he said. “The water salinity is very high on all the beaches right now and the big specks are eating up baits, both live and artificial.”
Cheramie said the winds are the biggest potential factor because everything is so wide open that any winds 15 mph and above makes the water along the beaches too dirty, too rough and pretty much unfishable.
“You really have to pick your days,” he said. “When the winds lay down, I prefer 12 mph or under, get an early start and head to the beaches anywhere from Fourchon to Grand Isle, or around the jetties or old barges in Fourchon or any of the islands close to the Gulf.”
Cheramie said for the very early morning bite you’ll want to fish up closer to the beach, and live shrimp or croakers on a sliding sinker rig or under a cork will produce. He also likes the Marker 54 Shrimp and the Four Horsemen Boom Boom Shrimp freelined or under a cork.
“My absolute favorite thing to do is to cast topwater baits very early when the conditions allow, and get some of those explosive hits when a big trout or redfish smacks them,” he said. “Toss those baits up close to the rocks or beach and experience that, and you’ll be spoiled. That topwater fishing is all about experiencing the thrill of the fight, and it’s more about quality than quantity. In my mind, there’s nothing more exciting than that.”
Cheramie said his favorite topwaters are the MirrOlure She Dogs and the smaller Zara Spooks, either the Puppy or Jr. sizes, all in the bone or cream color.
Live bait
Once the sun is up, Cheramie said you’ll want to fish a little farther back off the beach because the trout will move back into slightly cooler and deeper water. That’s when you fish your live baits mostly on the bottom.
If you’re fishing live croakers, don’t be too quick to pull the trigger. Big trout will smack a croaker first to kind of stun it, then they’ll come back and gulp it and start swimming away with it. That’s when you set the hook.
Cheramie said this whole month is a great month to fish, but the action turns up a few notches along the beaches and islands around the full moon and the new moon in July. If possible, plan your trip around then and hope for calm seas.
According to Cheramie, anglers will also find good action in the back bays behind East and West Timbalier, Barataria Bay, Hackberry Bay, Lake Raccourci, Bassa Bassa, Lake Barre and all the big bays.
“Any of the platforms, islands and oyster reefs out there should produce specks and probably some decent sized white trout and sheepshead,” he said.
