[Devin]

Hell yes! A V-Bay report! I’m glad to see the variety.

“Color didn’t matter.”

I read that and know you were nailing the presentations. Awesome. Makes me stoked.

Also sounds like a morning bite.

What I love about this report is that, through the details you provided, I can tell that you did the most important thing:

1. find fish to begin with

2. put a lure in front of them

Excellent work. I appreciate you taking time to post a report, thank you!

[Devin]

“Throwing matrix craws on flashy swimmer hook.”

I was a huge fan of this until I got tired of bent spinners, clearing the hook of grass and not having enough weight to throw in wind.

Falling back on the Texas Rig has radically improved my sight fishing experience. It’s all I use now. Tungsten weights are nice, too. The T-rig is slicker and doesn’t snag milfoil or snot grass as much.

“I don’t have enough time to make a run for trout now that they are further out, so I figure I will look for redfish.”

Cool. I like it.

“Ideally I would try Venice, but time is a challenge.”

It is a haul. The payoff is there, but it is a haul.

“Hopedale/Biloxi marsh have not produced for me at all when it comes to reds.”

Same here. Honestly, I’m not sure that Delacroix will be much better, but I do think it could be better. Dead shrimp/cork guides have put a hurting on the redfish there. They will literally sort through rats and bulls to clean up the slots.

All my favorite ponds have been gated off by DLC and Ida wiped out my favorite grass mats. Maybe they’re coming back now.

I do think you can find something good in Delacroix, but you will be covering water.

“Rather than picking small ponds, I am looking for shorelines adjacent to bigger bodies of water that will have more moving water.”

Now we’re cookin’ with gas!

Those shorelines in Lery and Grand are absolutely pillaged by local guides. You’re welcome to try.

With your boat I would push back into the stuff they can’t/won’t get into. Bayou Duhe (which is just a pond) off of Lery is a good example. Caskett Bayou (again, a pond, not really a bayou) off of Spanish is another. Get back into the skinny/grassy stuff a popping cork won’t work. That’s what you’re looking for: anything off limits to a cork. LOL

You’ve got good wind to drift the boat, but it won’t be ideally sunny. That’s a hard pill to swallow, so go slow and make good approaches. If you do find some, consider anchoring down and waiting for them to swim to you.

Good luck!

[Devin]

Excellent report. Very detailed.

The spots you fished are places I would try during fall, if I were going to fish that area at all to begin with. I’d be down in Venice or Pointe a la Hache, especially if the river is down.

If I were you, and if the wind allows, I’d look hard at the rigs and reefs in Lake Borgne. Or, if time allows, get out to East Biloxi Marsh and fish islands there like in this post, and/or hit rigs/reefs in Bay Eloi.

I’m not sure how much you are into trailering, but there’s probably a big pay off in Port Fourchon, specifically at the Timbalier Rocks, Belle Pass and Fourchon Barges.

Thanks for posting, and good luck!

[Devin]

Hey, you had a short window and did what you could with it. Good to go.

Did you try jigging at all? Like with a baitcaster in the style of Chas Champagne?

Whatever broke off your bud’s line was probably a jack. Who knows?

Sounds like Green Hornet was the color in question.

This time of year I would definitely be out in Lake Borgne. The Trestles more or less fizzles out by now.

But you caught fish and had a good time, that’s what counts.

Thank you so much for posting a report, I really appreciate that!

Let us know if you want to hit Lake Borgne, we can give some pointers. Good luck!

[Devin]

Dang, how did I just see this?! A Venice planning trip and I somehow overlooked it!!!

“What is the preferred bait for Snapper?”

Some guys use cut squid or frozen mullet. I just throw a jig with a thicker hook. Red snapper are the stupidest fish alive, jig something in front of them and they’ll hit it. Just be sure you’re using something strong enough to handle them.

The tackle you listed ought to work great.

“I’ve had success at Breton Island this time of year in the past”

Yeah, it turns on this time of year. But the inside of the island has been dredged and is no longer deep enough to hold trout. It just hasn’t been the same since CPRA “restored” the island. You gotta fish the outside.

Gosier Island can be good, too.

As for the sand beaches….if they’re exposed wide open to the wind/swell then it’s probably not worth your time. I would get protected from the wind, especially anything 10-15mph or more. If you can find a beach that’s not getting blasted by surf, that would be a good place to start.

The west side of SW Pass would be protected from a SE wind, too. Consider fishing around all the roseau cane there. Corking it with a soft plastic (or shrimp) will work well.

Also, welcome back. Thank you for visiting Louisiana!! Good luck, I hope you crush them.

[Devin]

What I like about this report is that we get to see conventional “saltwater fishermen” through the eyes of an inshore angler.

Yep, when the bait runs out they give up, turn, tuck tail and run for the dock. lol

“we sat there not catching anything other than the occasional throwback for close to a hour.”

And they were probably sitting, too. Man, as soon as I see a boat with people sitting in it, I know they ain’t catchin’ sh&% LOL

“We finished the day with 32 trout.”

I see that and know I can get in there with a jig and annihilate them. “But they were only biting shrimp!” Sure.

But what is great about those trips is that (for me, at least) they’re a chance to practice relaxing. Man, if you gave them a kind suggestion (and it’s not like you haven’t caught a bunch of fish) and they don’t wanna listen. Well, okay. Time to sit down and enjoy the view. lol

Great report, thanks for posting!

[Devin]

Sounds like a good shakedown run for the real event: Grand Isle.

Thanks for reporting and good luck down south! I hope you can get to the rocks at Timbalier.

[Devin]

Hey Ethan, welcome to the Community. Great first post.

So, tell us more. What’s the wind doing? What boat are you taking?

I doubt you’re gonna limit out on trout in those canals, but if you can fish the beach and the rocks on it, there might be something good there.

[Devin]

Yeah, I’ve had a Go 7 act wonky before and I eventually just replaced the thing.

But remember that its just a GPS. Not a bomb. You can get away with doing the following:

Look for simple/stupid stuff first: is it getting 12v? If it’s not, it will act more likely than not act wonky.

IF it is, try holding down the power button to reset (for at least 10 seconds). Maybe that will work.

Or disconnect the power cable and let the unit complete discharge, reconnect and then try powering it on.

Maybe you can get it warrantied.

[Devin]

+1 on the great sight fishing video

[Devin]

I bet you that he was doing exactly what you see here in this video.

[Devin]

+1 on this

I have backups for everything.

[Devin]

Okay, that’s good news. That’s a great boat.

Yeah, in wind like that I doubt I would try the beach.

But let me tell you something: you’re in a really unique place that I would love to help you explore and succeed in.

I have never been to that part of Louisiana (to fish) and always wondered about it. There has to be a good amount of unpressured fish out there. Or not. I just don’t know. But it does pique my interest.

This is where we begin: you need to know what I know. A thorough understanding is ideal, but being basically familiar is enough.

Because if you did, you would never have asked about trout with a 10-15 SSE wind in May. Ain’t no way.

I think you’d be good to try those dead end canals. That sluice gate looks worth a try.

And those rocks on the beach have to amount to something.

But the only way you’re going to figure all that out in the shortest amount of time possible is if you finish 101 and have a decent understanding of my process to find fish from scratch based on the conditions.

Then come back here and make a good planning post. Show me you’re serious and I will dig into this with you (as time allows).

Good luck.

[Devin]

I don’t want people anymore reluctant to post reports than what they already are. It’s a rare thing to have someone take time and to be so gracious as to post a fishing report to help others.

Here inside Elite it’s process > spots.

Thank you.

[Devin]

This is a great sign that things are getting back to normal. Thank you for sharing this. Excellent work!! Hell yeah!