Above-average trout will be moving inside this month
Lafitte is commonly known for relatively small trout — but this fall could be quite different, according to Capt. Lane Zimmer. He said a tough year last year could benefit the area this autumn, which means anglers will spend more time throwing speckled trout in their ice chest than on the measuring stick.
“We had such a lousy spring that I’m hoping all those trout that didn’t get caught in the spring had time to grow up and get nice and fat,” he said. “We ought to have some decent-sized trout this year.”
The trick to finding fish this month is knowing how far inside the fish have come. October speckled trout are, for the most part, constantly changing locations because of their annual migration to inside waters.
“Usually I tell everybody the second good cold front that comes through, the fish generally make their way all the way inside,” Zimmer said.
He usually focuses on major lakes this time of year.
“I’ll look for diving birds in the big lakes, like Little Lake and Bay Round,” he said.
Zimmer said when he doesn’t see birds diving, he fishes around vegetation in the lakes.
“I like to work the edges of the big grass beds. Usually there’s some trout moving around them even if there’s no birds diving,” he said. “You just get on the edge of where the grass gets thickest and work along it.”
Zimmer fishes with Ghost Minnows under a popping cork, and if the grass isn’t too thick, he tight-lines with ¼-ounce jigheads.
One important element to look for, Zimmer said, is good water clarity.
“If those hard fronts come down and blow hard, it’s going to muddy up a lot of water,” he said. “I’m mainly looking for clear water. If the tide’s moving, that’s best, but I don’t want to fish good tidal water that looks like mud.”