There are more varieties of soft-plastic paddletail lures on the market than boats, outboards and trolling motors put together. Each manufacturer constantly develops new colors and styles in hopes of catching anglers’ attention as they side-step down the aisles of their local tackle shops. But do these lures actually catch fish?[…]
Mother Nature typically cranks up the furnace on high this month, enveloping the state in a sticky, humid sauna that practically leaves anglers begging for the first cool fronts of fall.[…]
Catching trophy-sized speckled trout on topwater lures is no less exhilarating than hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to win game seven of the World Series. There’s just something about hearing the staccato rhythm of a clacking plug being interrupted by a cupped slap and frothy explosion. It turns the knees to jelly.[…]
Capt. Johnny Nunez, AKA the Fishing Magician (504-239-3159), was born and raised in Shell Beach and has spent his life pulling fish of every kind from the surrounding waters. When Nunez speaks, fishermen listen — and he told me the keys to speckled trout success this month are rocks, reefs and rigs.[…]
July means another month for big spawning speckled trout in and around Grand Isle, and Capt. Mark Scardino with Hard Times Fishing Charters said bait selection couldn’t be any easier.[…]
Catch two speckled trout at a time, before the heat of the day, then add a limit of redfish — now you’ve got the scenario for a day in the life of saltwater fishing guide Brady Giroir in July.[…]
So it was a banner redfish day, one for the record books.
I was aboard Capt. Mike Wittich’s boat, fishing with both he and Capt. Ron “Ahab” Broadus, on what was supposed to be a scouting trip.[…]
Plenty of speck anglers are very content to stay dry and comfortable in their boats to catch yellowmouths — but for those who really want to dive in and have more of a ‘hand-to-hand combat experience,’ nothing beats getting down and dirty with trout in the surf.[…]
Jeff and Nick Poe recommend using electric trolling motors as sparingly as possible. In fact, neither of them use one much because they believe it spooks the fish. […]
When I first envisioned a comprehensive article to make sense out of all the lure options available to speckled trout fishermen, it became obvious I needed the help of someone who really knew his stuff.[…]
Tommy Vidrine was at it again this week busting speckled trout around Grand Isle, specifically in the surf on Elmer’s Island.[…]
I sure was happy when Jeff Poe pointed his boat’s pointy nose north out of Hebert’s Landing on Calcasieu Lake. In the early light, the sky to the south looked like a bruised eggpant — purple and ugly. […]
The legendary Trestles train bridge on Lake Pontchartrain is loaded with fish — and fishermen — every spring. When the speckled trout bite is super hot and winds are calm, the 5-mile-long bridge often has a boat on almost every piling.[…]
With the Mississippi forecasted to still be up around 12 feet by the beginning of June, Capt. Curtis LeNormand said anglers will have to pay close attention to the river stage to get on a trout bite on the west side out of Buras.[…]
Veteran Shell Beach charter guide Capt. Jacques “Jakamo” Laboureur (504-303-1494) said, “To me, June means two things: One, fish the MRGO rocks, and two, fish the reefs in the big, fringe oyster-laden bays.”[…]
The Mississippi River will be a key determinant on how the trout bite shapes up this month out of Delacroix, according to Capt. Mike Wittich.[…]