All the limits of speckled trout reportedly coming from south Louisiana’s bays and bayous has caused the fishing report boards to buzz lately with postings from anglers that think the trout limit should be reduced and with those believing things are all right just as they are. Whichever side you are on, there’s no doubt that the limits of trout are there for the catching – or taking.The trout bite has been a little hit and miss at the mouth of the Mississippi River lately. While it has been hitting hard when it’s on, it has been missing just has hard when it’s off. Anglers fishing the Sulphur Mine haven’t had to worry too much about down time as the bite has been, and continues to be, strong.
It’s been so good, in fact, that Captain Mike Guidry with Rippin’ Lip Guide Service (985-632-5846) has had to contend with large crowds in the Sulphur Mine. Anglers finding the same flotilla of boats that Guidry is finding would do well to follow his advice.
“If you find a crowd in the Sulphur Mine and don’t want to fight it,” he said, “just get in the canals and keep on fishing. We’ve been catching limits of 15 to 18 inch trout before lunch by fishing the ReAction Bayou Chubs in the LSU and black/chartreuse colors. The best retrieve has been jigging it on the bottom.”
Guidry said the trout have been so good in the Sulphur Mine area because the water has been in the 58 to 60 degree range. It actually bumped up to 62 recently, and that has kept the speckled trout action consistent. In fact, the water has been warm enough for Guidry to turn his thoughts to a little topwater action.
“With the temperature the way it is, it’s OK to go ahead and try it early in the morning,” he said. “I would even recommend trying it right after one of those little mild cool snaps. Now a hard cold snap… I’d recommend waiting two or three days and let the winds calm down and the temperature warm back up. One of my favorites this time of year is a chartreuse and white She Dog. It works great on those foggy mornings.”
While most of the trout Guidry has been catching are in that 15 to 18 inch range, the topwater is likely to pull up some larger fish. “There are a lot of big trout to be caught right now if you’ll work the top,” he said.
The redfish action hasn’t been nearly as good as the specks, but Guidry said that has started to change within the past couple of days. Get in the canals and work the banks with a live minnow and jig-head fished on bottom.
“There are a lot of rat-reds,” Guidry said. “But we’ve been catching anywhere from five to eight good ones a trip with limits every now and then.”