Devin
Forum Replies Created
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Excellent questions. The links below to LAFB have great graphics to illustrate my points, so be sure to check them out.
It’s gonna put the fish in a funk. Crabs and whatever shrimp are left in the marsh will burrow in the mud and basically hibernate. In Chesapeake Bay where it’s much colder this is what happens and crabbing is pretty much done. So they’re far more seasonal in that regard.
Trout will go into survival mode. They won’t be biting much if at all when the water temperature gets into the mid to low 40s, which is most likely what will happen. Remember, areas that are protected from that harsh NW wind will be warmer. The Great Wall of Chalmette is an excellent example. Speckled trout will definitely be taking a time out. If the water temps stay in that range of mid to low 40s you can pretty much count on them just not being catchable.
I’ve observed them on sonar being glued to the bottom and only confirmed they were there by snagging them with a jig.
So, it’s Plan Redfish, kinda like what I did in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96r20IhUomA
You can see water temp on the south side of the Rock Dam was 47 degrees.
Redfish are just hardier and will continue to eat. You will see them get leeches and parasites on them, maybe even see some fin rot.
A fish kill is likely: https://www.lafishblog.com/what-caused-this-massive-fish-kill/
The majority of mullet and menhaden are gone for their own spawn to begin with, so that’s not really a factor.
The best places to fish will be the “bottom” of the stairs: https://www.lafishblog.com/redfish-jubilee/
“the last significant snowfall in the New Orleans area was 2008”
Where did you get that? The Northshore has definitely had snow in far more recent years. The last off the top of my head was 2018.
“Will baitfish get killed off?”
Any fish that can’t get somewhere safe will die.
“Are shrimp and crabs able to survive?”
They burrow in the mud.
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I haven’t been approached by anyone, but I also don’t bother with it because so many folks know who I am. That really changes what I can and cannot get away with. LOL
But I have heard of anglers getting kicked out of there before. I guess it is a pseudo sensitive site and sometimes I’ve seen them shipping expensive looking stuff through there. Given my background in working for The Man securing sites and personnel — if I were in charge of security there (and especially if I didn’t know jack about inshore anglers and especially given what just happened in NOLA) — I would 1,000% kick all of you out of there. Just one less headache.
With that said, what’s that saying? Better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission? lol
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Do you know what the other boats did different? Were they further south?
“Spent some time in the blue point canals for some deeper water”
How much deeper are those canals anyway? Doesn’t seem like they’d be ~10ft.
This last cold front definitely moved the fish around. We saw something similar that same day on the other side of the river. Very interesting.
Something we need to give ourselves a collective “pat on the back” for is the timely and detailed reporting we’ve been providing to this forum. What we are getting is better resolution on what the speckled trout are doing across a broader area. So it’s obvious that this last cold snap moved them around. Well, it’s about to happen again. I would approach the coming days with fresh eyes and not factor in previous reports from when it was warmer. This is when older reports from year’s past for the same conditions really come in to play.
LA Inshore on Facebook could be a good resource to that end.
“comparison is the thief of joy”
That it is. One of the things I hated about cleaning fish at the marina is seeing some dickhead come in with a slew of fish after I sucked all day. LOL Honestly, I was that guy more often than not. I think we all enjoy getting credit for good results, but I didn’t enjoy the extra attention (wHeRE diD u gO?) and learned not to do that to people. lol
The day I got a slip and could clean fish in peace was amazing. No more comparison.
Either way, thank you for posting a report. It’s helped and I appreciate that.
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“but after 3 hours it never did”
Man, I felt that. LOL You’re a beast. Way to stick it out.
It’s too bad, because further north it was *perfect*. No wind, no sun, just perfectly overcast. I’m sorry the rain was such a PITA in the ass for you, but I do think you were *this close* to an epic fishing trip. You are a machine for sticking it out as long as you did.
Tough fishing trip, but great report. Thank you for posting it.
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“a smallish white trout caught 20-ft. down with a chartreuse Sparkle Beetle on the drop shot rig, all by himself”
That’s brilliant! And, coincidentally, what I do. Just find a bunch of easy fish and let them have fun. It’s just a different fishing trip when kids come, and that’s just fine. No pressure.
I’ll also take my boys on long scouting trips, strictly to acclimate them to the environment and being on the water. They might poo-poo on it at first, but eventually love it. If it’s calm I’ll let them drive the boat in the lake.
Those spots you fished are gonna turn on even more with this cold front. The best days I’ve had in Geoghegan were the days water was freezing on the fishing line as it was reeled up.
Great report, thanks for posting!
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Did you ever edit anything?
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I also want to mention that we did not fish deep holes at all. We just never got around to it. There may be something to it, I just don’t know. When Ben told me he corked ’em yesterday that was enough for me to know what to try today. If there’s not a deep water game, that would surprise me. However, this cold that’s coming ought to send everything running deep.
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Ha ha ha ha ha!!! That had to have drove him bonkers. Nothing like a fish to prove you wrong. That hurts. lol
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“You were washing the boat and he was cleaning fish.”
I know my place. lol Yeah, that’s Ben. He bent my rod. lol I’ve known Ben since high school and we’ve fished together since we were kids.
Also, this post confirms my new reality: I must assume I am under observation at all times. I don’t recall a bay boat passing the dock. lol Gotta pull my head out of my ass.
“I think we should do this again sometime. Take an area we know holds fish, hit it from different angles, and compare notes.”
Yes, indeed.
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I think you can make do with either choice. Biloxi Marsh was doable when I fished there on the 30th, just lots of throwbacks and more boats than what I cared for.
Whatever you do, just make a planning post so I can help you on where to go and what to do. Wherever you’re going, I’ve probably been there before and can give pointers.
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Oh, and that feeling was correct. You picked out a lot of the same stuff I did. It was eerie seeing that. LOL You will see when that video goes live on February 10th.
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I think we can all agree that this last cold front moved the fish around. Maybe I’m just hard headed, but they have to be somewhere down there near the river water. If I get time I’ll look, but (if I do launch the boat anytime soon) it will be down off LA-1 somewhere.
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“but the mental game is more interesting to me”
That is “the way”. Everything is mental. The effort in inshore fishing reveals that.
Story time: long ago I was a RIP Instructor, and it was my job to screen, train and select Marines who wanted to get into Recon. The main thing we are looking for is mental strength. I know when everyone thinks of this kind of job they think of big, jacked dudes like John Cena who play the role on the silver screen, but that’s not real life.
What’s real life is not quitting.
Just to get into Recon Indoctrination Platoon, Marines would have to pass a rather basic screening, part of which involves a 25 meter underwater crossover. They must complete it on one breath in clothes. Wearing clothes makes it way more difficult due to the drag. Try it sometime in a pool.
One day I was the safety swimmer and as I was following a kid on his crossover I could hear him making those “umph” sounds just before he blacked out. I pulled him out of the pool, the corpsman resuscitated him and, when he woke up, he asked if he made it. We told him “no” but passed him anyway because he didn’t quit. He was going to die before he failed. We like that. It’s not his fault he’s not Michael Phelps, we can teach him to swim better. He went on to eventually graduate Amphibious Reconnaissance School and became a combat diver.
We would also psyche out Marines on ruck runs. The first one was three miles, and we built up to fiven, seven, ten, twelve and eventually fifteen miles. That’s miles and miles of running with a 50lb ruck, deuce gear and a rifle. But on the fifteen-miler we didn’t run 15 miles. We just let them believe that. And as the ruck run began, the fear/anxiety would set in and all of a sudden Marines are dropping out left and right. The ruck run was only about a half mile, but the quitters didn’t know that. They just selected themselves out.
We would also make a point to always end the ruck run at the same spot. Then one day the “rabbit” that the students have to keep up with just blasts through the end-point and the ruck run keeps going. For how long, they have no idea. Marines dropped like flies. It was a great trick. Anyone who didn’t keep up with the rabbit got kicked out and sent back to the fleet.
One of the reasons I love fishing is that this relentless kind of mind-f*ck is administered by the conditions and the fish.
Just let it roll off your back and keep going. The journey will reward you.
“I was getting my ass kicked and walked away with a limit of reds.”
Agreed, you did great. Definitely record those details for your personal report. Your future self will thank you.
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I know no one wants my suggestions right now, but I bet the south side of the Rock Dam is gonna be awesome. You’ll definitely be protected. If I were you I’d go straight there. I do think St. Malo is a good idea, too. You can do both. But if I had to do one I’d do the south side of the Rock Dam. Given the weather you will most likely have it all to yourself.
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Okay, I see.
Well, I’m with ya. For years during the Freshening the usual milk run I’d make in Biloxi Marsh dried up. That began in about 2015. It was just a suck festival. Hardly any fish. But one place that was banging that entire time was Delacroix. I think it just has more bait and that’s where fish in Pointe a la Hache/Buras go once the river rises. I could be wrong.
Those years I’d watch Jack Payne and others post incredible dockshots (100+ trout) and I caught jack. lol I’m still figuring it out, but this year was far more productive, finally catching that learning curve. I don’t think the bottom structure/composition of Delacroix is any different from that of Hopedale or even Biloxi Marsh, though Katrina definitely scraped the marsh away in a lot of areas. Fortunately we have older imagery to tell the tale.
The coming cold weather is going to make finding fish a lot easier. I’m sure trout are going to pile up, but they may not bite if it gets cold enough. Then it will be a redfish game.
I really want to get out there for it, but there’s so much maintenance and LAFB-work to do that I’m going to sit it out and get the fireplace and something warm to drink. lol
Just remember that inshore fishing is a journey, not a destination.
