October freckled frenzy in Dularge

Down in Dularge, Veteran Captain Bill Lake (985-637-3712) has followed a successful fishing strategy for decades.

“Beginning mid-to-late August and throughout the month of September, I fish for the big bull reds that hang in the deep holes and turns in Dularge’s bayous,” he said. “The tactic is easy; park at a turn in the bayou, drop a sliding sinker rig down to the deep bottom with cracked crab on a hook, and hold on.”

Since I’ve personally made this trip with him on a few occasions and fished those bayous, I can definitely attest to their productivity.

The redfish bite in the bayous will continue, though it does slack off this month, but Lake switches gears in October and targets the schools of speckled trout that swarm into the big lakes.

“October is trout time,” he said, “and I’m expecting a great season. I started making some exploratory trips in early September and found trout everywhere, most of them slightly undersized. But the lakes are loaded with shrimp and the trout are gorging on them so by early to mid October, those trout will be keeping size.”

A trio of picks

Lake said Lake Mechant, Lost Lake and Sister Lake are the three primary areas he’ll target for specks, but anglers who venture to the coastline will still find some action out there as well.

“I’m seeing huge schools of trout in the lakes, boiling on the surface just tearing up the shrimp,” he said. “Flocks of seagulls are diving on shrimp all over the lakes, so I am expecting a full bore freckled trout frenzy this month.”

Lake said you’ll have to weed through catfish until the water temperatures fall into the 60’s, and you can expect the usual number of undersized specks, but there will be plenty of legal fish to ice down for the ride home.

The best bait is live shrimp fished 14-18” under a cork, but soft plastics under a cork or tightlined under the birds will produce also. Lake said he’s catching plenty on the Berkley Rattle shrimp, the 4-Horseman Boom Boom Shrimp and the Vudu Shrimp, and double rigged H&H Beetles.

Here’s a bonus tip: Reds are patrolling along the shorelines in Lost Lake and Lake Mechant, hitting gold spoons, silver spoons, black spoons, and of course live or dead shrimp fished about 12” under a cork.

Sounds like it’s about time to go fishing.