Early July should be great surf fishing for speckled trout. Try poppers starting at first light. An hour after the sun rises, switch to Clouser Minnows or other baitfish patterns. An intermediate or sink tip line will help get the fly down in the trough areas where the larger trout are feeding.
Later in the month, pelagic species become more dominant in the surf and passes. On a rising tide, casting Clouser Minnows with a fast retrieve will likely result in vicious strikes from “El Diablo” — the Spanish mackerel. Jack crevalle and bull reds may also be present, so make sure you’ve got a rod with some backbone.
Delacroix has been hot for redfish this spring, and July should continue that trend. Work the holes in the grass with crab flies, sliders, spoon flies or charlies.
Elsewhere, reds have moved out of the small interior ponds and into large ponds and lakes. Early in the morning, cast poppers along shorelines and be ready for a blowup.
Bream action in the Atchafalaya Spillway should continue to be good this month. Same for large reservoirs like D’Arbonne and Grand Bayou. The sure-fire Tony Accardo method of a slow sinking spiders (ligon) suspended under a popping bug sometimes gets hits on both flies.
In Orleans and Jefferson parishes, the large Rio Grande Perch — we call them ‘brainiacs’ — are slamming popping bugs and wet flies early in the day.
