A couple of quick pointers:
1 - Since most of the trout coming out of Bay Eloi right now are certified “keepers,” you shouldn’t have to do much measuring. But remember...whenever in doubt, haul out the ruler. Better safe than sorry. But Hopedale and Shell Beach aren't the only two places to catch trout right now--try Delacroix, Lafitte, Timbalier Island, and even Lake Pontchartrain. you can probably find a lot of braggin' size reds up in the marshes, too. The trout want live shrimp under a cork about 3 feet down; the reds will take almost anything you throw at 'em.
2 - I know you might have a problem keeping them alive during these dog days of summer, but bring live shrimp with you on every trip whenever you can find them. And if you think 50 will be enough—buy 75. If you think 75 will be enough—buy 100. It’s really frustrating to get into feeding trout and find you’re running out of bait!
3 - Of course, while almost 90 percent of the trout you'll catch right now will want live shrimp, there’s certainly nothing wrong with bringing along your favorite plastics. It’s quite possible that after pitching “live” most of the morning you might could get them to “switch up” and strike artificial lures under the right circumstances.
4 - Again--don’t pass up the reds! General Rule of Thumb is. . .once you either get your limit of specks or generally get tired fishing specks, make sure you change spots and procedure and hit the shorelines for the channel bass! Catching reds after a morning of catching trout is like getting lagniappe: 25 trout + 5 nice bonus reds = 1 great day of fishing! Once again, the best place to pursue redfish is along grassy shorelines at all the inside islands.
5 - While you could get some sort of action all day long, your best bet is to be in place on the water for the so-called “sunrise bite.” Since time immemorial, fish have always gotten up early. They like to eat early. You should be there to fish for them when they feel like eating. But not only that, it becomes a scorcher by midday and usually even the fish will shut down in the heat. Early--go early!
If you want to get out into Black Bay (and its environs) or Bay Eloi to fish for some of the species I’ve mentioned throughout this manuscript, but you don’t have the right boat or the right gear or the talents to pull off a fishing trip like that, feel free to contact either Capt. Ahab at Delacroix or Capt. Kerry Audibert at Hopedale and book a charter for you and your friends with them. Just remember, bookings are handled “first come first served,” so you might want to get on the horn pretty quick. Ahab’s number is 504-914-6063; Kerry's number is 504-259-5304.
Oh. . .and for you Lake Pontchartrain affecianados, you can book a charter there with my primo lake TV guide--Kenny Kreeger. I'll fish with Kenny next week (August 11) so I'll feature the trip on next week's broadcast and write the account of it in next week's Channel 4 webpage. If you'd like to fish with Kenny in the meantime, just call him at 985-643-2944. Just don't catch 'em all, okay?
Tight lines and good times to ya,
Frank D