January is the coldest month of the year in Louisiana. With average temperatures around 55 degrees and overnight lows in the 30s, this month can be a challenge for speckled trout anglers who are still learning winter patterns. Mathew Harding of Covington is not one of them. When Old Man Winter makes his short visit, Harding heads to a canal just off Highway 23 in Belle Chasse.
“The Myrtle Grove Canal ignites in January,” Harding said. “When that water temperature drops into the low 60s and even upper 50s, you can walk from boat to boat there are so many people catching trout.”
Harding bought a camp in Myrtle Grove in 2002 in the area known as the Village. The Village is a stretch of camps that line the canal just past Oaks Bayou. That is when he began studying the area and figuring out how the fish move through it.
“The canal has always been a great place for winter trout, but it was a little different back then,” he said.
Today, there are numerous homes built along the canal. Before those houses could go up, the land first had to be raised.
“They dug under Highway 23 and pumped river sand through a dredge line to build a foundation for the new homes,” Harding said.
The canal changed even more after excavators removed mud from the bottom.
“They did all kinds of work out there when they started digging,” he said. “Long story short, after the work was finished, that is when the canal became a super spot.”
What to look for
If you launch at Myrtle Grove Marina, Harding suggests heading down the main canal until you pass where the old launch once sat.
“As you are going down the canal, you will have nine subdivision canals on the right and five on the left side of the main canal,” he said.
Those subdivision canals are exactly where Harding recommends starting.
“That is where they did a lot of dredging, so there are deep pockets and ridges,” he said.
In January, the trout move around daily. Harding said locating them is the challenge, although they often chase bait balls in the deeper water.
“One day you might find them at the entrance to one of the dead-end canals,” he said. “The next day they may be all the way at the back near the pumping station. But once you find them, they will be stacked up and you can get on a good bite.”
Harding’s setup
When fishing the Myrtle Grove Canal, Harding uses a spinning setup with a 20-pound monofilament leader tied to braid. During January, live shrimp are rarely available. Instead, he throws a 4-inch Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad in Pumpkinseed with a chartreuse tail.
“Another great color this month is Opening Night,” he said.
Harding rigs the plastic on a 3/8-ounce jighead.
“There is not a lot of tide movement in there, so 3/8 works fine,” he said. “You can throw a ½-ounce if you want, but I have never really needed it.”
Harding recommends a slow retrieve with short lifts of the rod tip.
“It does not take much right now,” he said. “These fish are lazy in January and they are not going to chase your lure very far.”
Kayak and bank fishing
With its proximity to the marina, the Myrtle Grove Canal is popular among kayak fishermen who want a quick winter trout trip.
“It is a perfect kayak spot,” Harding said. “You do not even need a motor. You can paddle from the launch and be catching trout within 10 minutes.”
Harding also pointed out how accessible the area is.
“When it gets really good and word gets out, you will even see people fishing from the bank,” he said. “The side of the canal with the old marina is available for bank fishermen, and they do well too.”
If you are looking for classic dead-end canal fishing this month, the Myrtle Grove Canal is hard to beat. The trout will continue to stack up in the canal through mid-February, and anglers can take advantage of a dependable winter bite that often produces limits.
