[Devin]

“On this Copernicus, is the darker areas where the water is clean? Or is that depth? My first time getting on it”

Same thing as on GED: darker means clear, but it could be shallow there. So follow up on GED to look for bottom texture to determine that.

I wish I saw this post sooner.

[Devin]

If you had “water moves here first” spots picked out, I could tell if I think water will actually be moving the most there or not.

[Devin]

I think you’re just gonna take a boat ride and enjoy some fresh air.

Plan Redfish is certainly your best bet. Evening bite could be good.

My problem with fishing crap conditions like a neap tide is that you could fish an otherwise “good” spot, not catch anything and think it’s not worth trying on your next trip during a good tide. So keep that in mind.

After that, fish where water moves first. Think “structure”, fluid dynamics, all that good to go, very basic IF101 stuff.

[Devin]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing! I’ll have to check it out soon.

[Devin]

Is this LAX Bennet? Or some other equally illustrious Bennet?

I fished R18 awhile ago. It was a ghost town. Good looking grass/water, so your homework is good. But check my last report for PLH. Saw 5 and caught 2 all day. It was bad. So I would stay away from Pointe a La Hache.

I do think the west and north shoreline of Grand Lake is worth looking at after a front passes through (like on the day of your trip). The redfish there may have to be blind cast or corked (sorry, but sometimes that’s just the case).

I do like R8, R10 and R11.

Good luck!

[Devin]

Also, Lake Decade could be a thing. Easiest fishing one could do, and I’m not so certain the fish there really eat shrimp or rely on a tide.

[Devin]

I personally feel that you’d be wasting your time with hard plastics. If you can’t catch them with the appropriate sized jighead, then fish probably aren’t there.

[Devin]

Your route through West BM looks good to me. I’ve taken that route many times, you will be fine.

I hope you have egg sinkers heavier than those jigheads, and that you have 3/8oz and 1/2oz jigheads. Otherwise, in some deeper holes you will never hit bottom in a meaningful way.

Honestly, your plan is great, but I would commit to one side of the lake or the other, or hit the Biloxi Marsh when the tide is falling first thing in the morning the scoot to Martello when it starts falling there later in the day.

But, you have a neap tide on that day. Bummer dude. That’s gonna make fishing a lot tougher.

So (and of course I would say this) I think that it’s a good idea to go learn Venice. At least that way you would come away with something meaningful (experience and safe routes) over simply learning the hard way that otherwise good spots aren’t that productive when there’s a neap tide.

So take my word for it to learn that the easy way. There. That’s your cheat code.

Venice is better because the river is moving anyway. Venice is gonna blow Biloxi Marsh out of the water anyway. That’s what it has been doing for years. Even if BM has fish, it will be more throwbacks than keepers, with fewer spots being turned on.

Your plan is good, I would just shelve it for a day with a better tide.

If you absolutely have to fish that area, then I would consider camping out at the Rock Dam. Either side works, but I would fish the south side. There’s probably hammers there on a fin fish pattern that don’t rely on the tide so much.

[Devin]

I like it but think you should include the mouth of Joseph Bayou. It’s about 25-30ft deep there IIRC and can be loaded with fish. Hit it with an HDS.

Good luck!

[Devin]

Yeah, R18 was the last spot we fished when we rolled out. Total ghost town.

[Devin]

I think fishing Lake P is a good idea. Rather than run to Martello I would run across the east side of Lake P to look for birds, as well as look for birds between Mandeville and Slidell. They gotta be diving by now.

[Devin]

Actually, it looks kinda windy there for the 2-3. Maybe just go to Biloxi Marsh and Rock Dam. The north shoreline of Lake Decade could be good on the 4th!

[Devin]

Or Lake Decade could be a good try. It’s pretty and y’all can stop to get boudin, too.

[Devin]

If they’re just interested in boat ride/experience then take them to fish somewhere protected and closer to home, like the Biloxi Marsh in this planning post.

[Devin]

Ha ha ha ha well I only fished those spots for 16+ years. Hopefully they’re loaded with fish and folks can have fun catching closer to home and don’t have to make the trip somewhere else.