August Fishing
 Keith Lusher Jr
It isn’t too often I can say that fishing is picking up in
the month of August but that seems to be the case this year. All summer we have
been dealing with low salinity and winds out of the west, but the recent shift
in wind direction to the east this past week seems to be pushing more salt into
the interior marshes. Anglers are
reporting more salt in the water with every day that goes by. Jelly fish,
shrimp, and ladyfish are also showing up with more consistency which is a sign
of high salinity. Early cool fronts are forecasted which should help quell the
normally brutally hot water temps that render the fish virtually unfishable. Captain
Chas Champagne says that he expects to see trout returning to the Twin spans
and Trestles when the temperatures fall. “Water temps need to get to around 73
degrees for the fish to come back to the bridges. We need to see pogies and
white shrimp to make a surge into the lake and we have yet to see that but it
can happen overnight.” As far as redfish go, this summer has been fantastic but
Champagne says he expects the red fishing this fall to be even better. “It
looks like we will have a spectacular year for reds in the marshes and trout in
the East and West Pearl.” Until then, anglers are catching redfish, flounder,
and drum on a consistent basis in Lake Borgne.
L&N Bridge
 L&N Bridge over Lake Borgne
Just past Rigolet’s pass you’ll find this August
hot-spot! Fishermen are finding a large variety
of fish along the Easter end of the L&N Bridge in August. The deeper,
cooler waters of the Rigolets are the main reason for this. Because of the
difficulty of getting your line to stay on the bottom you’ll need to pick days
in which the tidal range is less than 1 foot. Use live shrimp Carolina rigged
on the bottom when targeting trout. It’s a good idea to bring some market
shrimp along if you want to broaden your chances of putting a variety of fish
in the boat. The speckled trout should
be there early and tapper off throughout the morning but don’t give up. Redfish,
drum, white trout, and sheapshead make their way along the Eastern shoreline of
the pass and you’ll be able to pick up a few to help your box as the day goes
by.
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Biloxi Marsh
If you are willing to make the run across Lake Borgne, you’ll
almost certainly put a limit of redfish in the boat. Enter the marsh through
Bayou Biloxi then search for moving water around points and cuts that drain
into the Bayou. Clean water is the key to finding fish. Look for grassy areas
with bait-fish cruising the surface. If the sun is out you should have no
problem sight fishing them. Gold spoons, Top Dogs, and bladed soft plastics
work best, but if you prefer to use a cork, use Matrix Shad Shrimp Creole on a
jig head rigged 21” underneath.
Bayou Lacombe
Reports of speckled trout in the marshes are starting to
trickle in and John Farley of Bayou Adventure Bait Shop in Lacombe says he’s
expecting a fantastic fall speckled trout bite for the area. “People are
already catching specks in the marsh around here but they are small. You’ll
have to move around to find them but it’s definitely picking up. I’m seeing
more and more shrimp in the area and as the month goes on I expect the quality
and quantity of fish to go up and a few patterns to develop.”
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Lake Pontchartrain speckled trout may be in survival mode.
Speckled trout season off to slow start on Northshore
Beat the crowds, find less stressed waters!
Got your backup plan?
Finally some stability on the Northshore!
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