Charter Captain Gabe Boudreaux of Bayou Boudreaux’s Charters (985-705-0570) said March means taking the longer run to the MRGO rocks and beyond for big fish.
But that trip opens up an expanded menu for filling your ice chest.
“Action in the inside waters gets tough in March, as most fishermen know,” Boudreaux said. “It’s typically one of the harder months to find fish. We get those fluctuating temperatures, low, dirty water conditions and lots of windy days due to numerous fronts, so it’s a challenge.
“Usually if you fish hard and move around a lot, you can manage to grind out a meager catch, but it can be discouraging. So, I take the ride out to the rocks and fish the cuts and points and washouts for sheepshead and drum and redfish. You can fish plastic or dead shrimp under a cork, or just toss a jighead with a piece of dead shrimp on it. You might lose more tackle that way, but I generally catch more so it’s worth the retying.”
Hit the wellheads
Boudreaux said March is the month sheepshead spawn, so they huddle around the wellheads out in Bay Eloi and Breton Sound.
“If you get a break from the winds, head outside and fish any of the wellheads out there,” he said. “Look for decent water and the key is to fish the bottom. Some use sliding sinker rigs or drop-shot rigs, but I just put dead shrimp on a plain ½ ounce jighead and let it go to the bottom. Then just lift it up and bounce it slowly up and down off the bottom.”
Boudreaux said some of the wellheads will hold drum, others will hold reds or sheepshead, some will hold a combination, and some will just hold sheepshead. Just fish them thoroughly and the fish will answer the question.
“Move around, keep at it and you’ll find them,” he said. “You might have to head out near the Central Rigs, but you’ll definitely catch some big fish out there this month for sure.
“By mid-to-late month, some big trout will start showing up out there along the wellheads in the mix as well. Later in the month, we’ll start fishing some of the oyster reefs with plastics or live shrimp if we can get them, under a cork.”
