Redfish bite remains consistent, guide says
After the first cool front of the season, the redfish bite remains consistent in the Biloxi Marsh, but conditions are setting up right for speckled trout to begin making a more definitive push inside coastal marshes and bays, according to a fishing guide.
“Even though we just went through a rough weather period over the weekend, the strong wind pushed in saltier water and the trout spawn is over with,” said Capt. Mike Gallo with Angling Adventures of Louisiana out of Slidell. “So really, things are setting up nice.
“We just had a full moon on the 19th. On the back side of that full moon, I think the specks are just going to be coming in and eating everything they can find. Now they’re ready to replace some of the weight they lost during the spawn and add more weight for the upcoming winter months. And that’s going to last all the way into Thanksgiving.”
Specks haven’t yet arrived inside in great numbers, and Gallo described the elusive nature of trout this time of year.
“I like to tell people they’re not where they were in the summer, they’re not where they’re going to be in the winter, and they’re a little bit of everywhere and all of nowhere,” he said. “That just means they’re all over. You won’t pull up to one spot and catch 30.”
If you want to target specks, Gallo suggested the usual tactics for this time of year in and around Lake Borgne, Lake Saint Catherine, Little Lake and the shoreline of Lake Ponchartrain.
“It’s the normal stuff,” Gallo said. “Look for birds if you can find them, or school of pogeys. But it’s still a transition period, still a lot of hit and miss. If you’re lucky, 50-percent of your trout are keepers and 50-percent will be undersized.”
Gallo prefers to mix artificial lures with live shrimp under a popping cork for trout this time of year, and noted that it was crucial to “match the hatch.”
“There are two main forage foods in the water right now: white shrimp, which a Deadly Dudley’s opening night resembles,” Gallo said. “And pogeys, which any salt-and-pepper lure resembles pretty well, especially with a chartreuse tail.”
Redfish-wise in the Biloxi Marsh, he suggested trying in and around Bayou Biloxi, the Southwest Branch and Bayou Grande, as well as points, coves and pockets in interior ponds like Pete’s Lagoon, Stump Lagoon and Cutoff Lagoon.
After a potentially rainy day on Tuesday, Gallo said conditions look favorable into the weekend.
“Once we get to Wednesday all the way through the weekend looks pretty good,” Gallo said. “One of the good things about this time of year is you’re going to have fish in protected water. If you’ve got high winds in the morning, go in the marsh and pursue redfish. If you’re fortunate and winds relax, move out into some of those open bays and fish points and islands and area where there is current.”
