By Frank Davis
Posted Monday, September 12, 2005
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When my fishing team and I got back from our trip to Lafitte and Grand
Isle this Thursday, we could tell everyone that without one iota of
exaggeration we were up to our necks in thousands upon thousands of
speckled trout all morning long.
And while we’ll admit up front that not all the fish we caught were
"keepers," the ones we hauled out of the Lower Barataria Bay System
indeed provided way more action than most fishermen we know could ever
hope for.
“Good Lord, Frank, do we have some fish down here!” Capt. Phil Robichaux
boasted as my TV team stepped onto his boat just after 5 o’clock this
morning. “And right now just about every one of those fish is trout—it’s
the trout that are most aggressive.
“What the weekender has to do—and none of this is negotiable if he wants
to guarantee a catch!—is be on the water way before sunrise. Then head
directly to the Lower Barataria System and target the water between Four
Bayou Pass and the beaches of Grand Isle. This is where just about all
the fish are, and the most aggressive fish right now are speckled trout!”
Robichaux emphasized that early morning fishing accomplishes two things:
(1) it allows you to fish when tidal action is at its peak, and (2) it
allows you to get back to the marina long before the midday heat begins
beating down!
“Don’t minimize the effects of the August sun!” he added. “In
combination the two factors are brutal, especially when there’s high
humidity and no appreciable wind. Consequently, I seriously suggest that
as a counter-measure every angler on your boat drink large volumes of
cold water at every opportunity. Truth be told, it’s the only way to
stay hydrated and prevent heat stroke. Beer and soft drinks just don’t
cut it!”
Now as far as techniques are concerned, Robichaux hinted that the best
way to catch your share of specks this Saturday and Sunday is to tie on
a cork about 15-inches above an unpainted, quarter-ounce, lead head jig,
which you've baited with a white plastic beetle with the red hotspot.
Then fish the shallow flats about 20 yards off the grassy shorelines,
using your trolling motor to keep the boat moving so that you can cover
lots of water.
“You’ll need to make long casts, let the cork settle, then double-pop it
twice on the surface,” he noted. “Don’t take your eyes off your cork—I
promise that the minute you do, it will invariably disappear from sight.
Continue to work your way along the shorelines, drifting, drifting,
drifting. Stop only when everyone aboard gets a strike and all of you
are actively fighting fish!
The bait can be slowly retrieved, or it can be fished “hard out” to
provoke the trout into a kamikaze-type attack on the plastic. And as a
word to the wise, “strive to be gentle” with the little schoolies you
catch. Keep vs.Throwback ratio is approximately 80 percent or higher.
“That means that wherever you intend to go fishing,”Robichaux
interjected, for every 100 you hook you’ll throw back at least 80. So
don’t rough ‘em up—unhook them easy-easy and gently scoot them back into
the water. Remember, that these are the fish that will become legal
catches come late September and early November. I urge you to measure
everything!”
In yet another direction, early morning is the best time to go after
these trout because the tide moves stronger in the a.m., which evokes a
positive feeding response (and, besides, it really doesn’t get stifling
until about 11 am or so).
Finally, the distance from Lafitte to the fishing grounds above Grand
Isle is about 37 miles. Keep in mind that a large portion of that
includes lots of open water. So if you don’t know the area, if you don’t
have the right kind of boat, and if you’re not that good at reading a
map or using a GPS, I don’t recommend you go it alone—this is not an
area you can go exploring cold: too many underwater reefs, sunken
islands, and sand bars.
Novices and first-timers might consider calling Robichaux at
985-689-2006 and booking a charter. A couple trips with the “Old Master”
and you should know exactly where you came from, precisely where you’re
going, and confidently how to get there. But don’t wait too long to make
the call—as good as fishing is this time of year, reservations are
always hard to get and are on a first come, first serve basis.
Now, next week we’ll continue our summer quest for speckled trout. I’ll
have the latest updates posted immediately for you the minute we return
to the wharf. Till then, be safe and courteous out there. . .
Article courtesy of - Frank Davis
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