Trout on fire on the inside
“Trout action is on fire on the inside,” according to Hopedale area Capt. Gene Dugas, with Rather Be Fishing Charters (985-640-0569). “From the deep interior all the way out to Bay Lafourche, the trout are eating up baits and the reds are thick and hungry.”
Dugas said it just doesn’t get much better than this all year long.
“Anywhere up and down the Twin Pipelines will produce,” he said. “Historically, we always see the inside action turn on in Four Horse, Pato Cabello, Lake Campo, Round Lake, Bay Shallow, Lake Fausan…just look for three things: birds, bait, and falling tide.
“Any of it will produce.”
Dugas said he usually starts the morning looking for birds at the mouths of any bayous pouring into larger lakes and bays. “The trout are gorging on shrimp under the birds, so sneak in quietly and cast double-rigged plastics either under a cork or just cast and retreive, and you’ll wail on them. You might have some throwbacks in the mix, but many if not most will be keeper size. We often limit out right there, one stop under the birds,” he said.
Dugas said to fish those mouths on falling tides whether you see birds or not.
“The shrimp are flowing out of the marsh in the current and the trout and reds are waiting to inhale them,” he said. “You can anchor and have some anglers throw live shrimp under a cork while others try plastic. I like to keep live bait in the water to keep the fish from leaving, but the plastics will produce also. I’ve had great success with the Berkley Rattle Shrimp and the Tsunami shrimp, in either the natural shrimp colors, clear or glow.
“We often catch good eating size reds in the mix, but if you want to specifically target them just fish any of those same lakes with live or market shrimp under a cork at any point with current, or coves and cuts with water movement or wherever you see shrimp jumping near the shoreline.”
