Wanna Hold A Fish Fry? Catch What You Need At Lafitte!
Frank Davis / Fishing Expert

Little trout and big trout--they're both all over the Lower Barataria area between Lafitte and Grand Isle.

And I’m telling you that they're biting on both live shrimp on a Carolina rig and artificials worked under a chugging cork. Oh, and the best artificial color right now and this weekend is a chartreuse sparkle beetle or a glow-in-the-dark bull minnow.

“Now, if you’re one of those anglers who absolutely just has to know exactly where to find the fish. . .I mean, like pinpoint the spot for me,” Capt. Phil Robichaux explained, “then I’m gonna spill the beans and say under diving gulls and directly into fish slicks are the two prime areas to fish, at least until we get through the full moon stage.

“Our trout have been virtually everywhere! From C-Way Marina out to Four Bayou Pass, weekenders—and mid-week fishermen as well—can pick up near limits of specks ranging from 12-1/2 inches to 18 inches long almost every time out. And mixed into the mishmash are scatterings of white trout, a true lagniappe species with no limit at all.”

My charter guide on today’s trip to tape this week’s TV show was Capt. Mike Helmer, and before we even hit the water he was giving my crew and me the lowdown on the background.

“If you find 16-20 count white shrimp jumping out of the water, and the birds are actively diving on them with a vengeance, you can bet your bottom dollar that there are some decent-size trout clustered there, too.

“If you scout around and find the prettiest green water in sight and if the tide is moving well at that spot, either incoming or outgoing, then chances are you’ll find a bunch of feeding trout there too.

“And if you get into the fish, but suddenly they stop biting, then just sit back, get a cool drink, and wait a few minutes. The bigger trout, which seem to be congregated on the bottom, will roam the area but eventually come right back and start biting all over again. It’s just what happens every year at this time of year.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean you just pick out a spot on a whim and hang out there, doing nothing to provoke strikes, until the fish find you. You will need to have located them actively feeding to make the paragraph above actually work.

Oh—one more thing: Right now you’ll no doubt catch both legal size fish as well as seriously undersize fish. Measure, measure, and measure again! Don’t eyeball a legal length. The local game agent, regardless of how long your brother-in-law knows him, won’t accept the “eyeball procedure.” Use a ruler. An if you come up short, back in the water they go!

Now next Thursday I’m going to fish the Golden Meadow area with Capt. John “Hawkeye” Aucoin. And I’m thinking that John wants to show me his trout lairs too. So I’ll let you know what I come up with next week as soon as we get back on terra firma. Until then, tight lines and good times!

Frank Davis