Charter Captain Ron Broadus, aka, “Captain Ahab,” (504-914-6063), said this is shaping up to be the best May Delacroix Island has seen in years.
“The trout actually showed up early this spring,” he said. “The water temperatures warmed up so quick, we were catching trout with eggs in them back in March! We’ve had some really good days in both March and April, and judging by that, May should be outstanding.”
Could it be that all the conditions are finally coming together to make May phenomenal?
“It’s looking very positive,” he said. “The river, which has been very high each spring and a huge negative factor for us for years, has been lower and falling. That means we get a break from that muddy river water. What we now need is a break from these blustery winds and a quiet tropical season, and the trout action will explode.”
I just recently was able to jump aboard Capt. Broadus’s boat when he took Bryan Chauvin and his 11-year-old son, Seth, out on a fishing trip. The plan was to fish the outside bays where the fish are stacking up, but the winds that morning were already fierce and building steam. We poked our head out into Bay Lafourche and tried a couple spots, but the winds had so stirred up the bottom there was no clear water to be found, and thus, no trout either.
Broadus said any of the big outer bays should be productive this month.
“Oak River Bay, Lake Campo, Bay Lafourche, Bay Gardene, Bakers Bay, and it’s not too early to start trying places like Iron Banks and Stone Island,” he said.
Consistent strategy
Broadus follows a consistent strategy when fishing those big bays.
“The first thing I do is look for birds diving, specifically I look for seagulls. I know some anglers ignore the birds because the fish are often smaller under them, but I can generally find plenty enough keeper size fish under them to make the effort worthwhile,” he said. “I throw plastics only, either tightlined or under a cork and I’ll often throw tandem rigged plastics and reel in two fish at a time. It’s great when you’re catching trout, but not so much when it’s catfish.”
When that action slows down, he changes tactics.
“My next step is to fish off a point where I find clean water and moving water, and hopefully some bait activity,” he said. “Live shrimp fished about 2 ½ feet under a H&H popping cork is always the best bet, but plastics in shrimp colors like white or chartreuse should pay off also.”
Meanwhile, Broadus set us up on the lee side of a nearby bay where he found clearer water, and we started catching some nice-sized trout and reds. The trout were extra finicky, eating only frisky live shrimp.
Plastics were ignored, as were the shrimp that died and hung lifeless on our hooks. But over the course of the morning, and moving several times from point to point, we gathered up a very respectable box of fish, released two bull reds in the 15-pound class, and quit when we used the last live shrimp.
Broadus suggests you choose a Delacroix destination this month. He convinced me.
