Specks and bronze-backs in the bays
October is a welcome relief, as cooler weather and lower humidities make for more pleasant fishing conditions — and even the fish themselves seem reinvigorated by the change.
“This is the time to fish the mouths of the bayous in the big lakes and bays for some beautiful trout,” according to Capt. T-Man Cheramie (985-677-6294). “Lake Raccourci, Lake Chein, Lake Felicity and Little Lake are my prime hunting grounds.”
Cheramie said those big lakes and bays are teeming with pogies, and the trout love to gobble them up like candy.
“Pogies are everywhere right now, but especially around the mouths of the cuts and bayous,” he said. “And that bait isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so the trout are going to hang there for the next two or three months also, until cold weather pushes them into the deeper canals.
“As long as the bait is there, the trout will be there.”
Cheramie’s keys to October success are:
1. Choosing your days. The key to catching them is to choose your days so that you preferably fish an east wind, or as T-Man says, “Anything but a west wind. West winds mess up our water bad.”
2. Looking for the bait in the water. “You probably won’t see birds unless there’s also shrimp in the water, but where you see the bait troubling the surface, that’s where you want to fish,” Cheramie said. “I’ll be using live minnows under a cork, but you should be able to catch fish on H&H cocahoes. I like the glow/chartreuse color best, but when the trout are feeding they won’t be too particular.”
Cheramie said if you want some truly explosive action, toss a Zara Spook, a MirrOlure She Dog or a Top Dog Jr. topwater lure into the bait swirls and hold on.
3. If reds are your target, Cheramie said the ponds around the big lakes or around the Sulfur Mine — or basically anywhere in the marsh — should supply your limit.
“A live minnow under a cork parked at a point or cut will do the trick,” he said.
