Lake Borgne redfish are sunning in shallow bays

Common sense says deep water and wintertime go together like caramel sauce and ice cream, but Capt. Bubby Lamy finds redfish this time of year piled up in the shallow marshes off Lake Borgne and Proctor’s Point.

“In January when it’s cool outside, the (reds) are swimming in the shallow bays because in the daytime when the sun’s out, the shallow bays are warmer,” he said.

Even in the wintertime with hard fronts, Lamy said water clarity usually isn’t an issue.

“You normally get a lot of west winds, and that area stays crystal clear,” he said.

Because of the pristine water clarity, Lamy uses his eyes to begin the process of targeting redfish.

“The water is so clear, you can sight-fish a lot of them,” he said.

When sight-fishing, Lamy uses a Matrix Shad on a ¼-ounce jighead to catch the fish. He pitches the lure just past the red, and watches them gobble the bait up.

However, when the clouds move in or the sun isn’t up high enough to sight-fish, Lamy recommends two different techniques.

“You can throw a popping cork, which the sound draws them to you,” he explained. “You can throw a gold spoon, which the flash off the spoon, even though the water is dirty, will grab their attention. The gold spoon has been around forever and it works.”

Quarter-ounce gold spoons are the most popular size in South Louisiana, but Lamy likes a heavier one.

“If it’s a really grassy pond, I’d throw a ¼-ounce,” he said. “If it’s one that is not as grassy, a 3/8 will go down a little bit and it won’t grab all the grass.”

Lamy prefers the spoons that have the red weed guard on them — he says it makes a big difference in getting less grass on the hook.

About Joel Masson 177 Articles
Joel Masson is an avid angler who has fished South Louisiana his whole life. He lives in Mandeville and can be reached at Joel.masson19@gmail.com.