Conditions expected to start improving mid-week, forecast looks good for weekend
A steady southeast wind has pretty much shut down the opportunity to head offshore for speckled trout out of Dularge, according to a fishing guide.
“Sunday it was blowing 20 to 25 (mph) with intermittent rain showers, and Monday it was probably 15 knots steady,” said Capt. Marty LaCoste, with Absolute Fishing Charters. “The water is dirty. It’s rough, and it’s just not feasible to go offshore to catch trout in those conditions.”
Before the wind arrived, LaCoste was catching limits of trout with Matrix shad in tiger bait, shrimp creole and green hornet with double-rigged ¼-ounce jigheads tied directly to 30-pound PowerPro Slick 8 braid.
When the winds start dying down, which is forecast to happen starting mid-week, LaCoste recommended several islands and near-shore rigs, including Last Island, Wine Island, Raccoon Point and the Sulphur Mine.
If you can get live bait, he suggested Carolina-rigged live shrimp or croakers.
“Usually in June the weather stabilizes and it’s usually a calm month,” he said. “So all this wind we’ve been having is unusual. May was windy, and we’ve only had a handful of days that it’s been calm, so it’s really not normal.”
Since he can’t get offshore, he’s been taking his customers to catch redfish and bass along the shorelines of Moss Lake, Lake Mechant, Sister Lake and Lake De Cade using Matrix shad in tiger bait — with or without a gold spinner.
The forecast calls for improving conditions, with lighter winds and calms seas expected later this week.
“It should be good by the weekend,” LaCoste said. “The trout should definitely get good by the weekend with the calm seas, and the water should clean up.
“Everything should get back to normal, hopefully.”
