Looking down at the skies crystal clear reflection as I’m drifting over the marsh. Standing on my platform above everything, waiting. Waiting to see a wake pushing through the vegetation. Waiting to see a tail peak its way along the bank. Waiting to aim my lure towards a redfish that skipped breakfast and is dying for lunch. In the sight fishing world sometimes you only have one chance to make that perfect cast with the perfect lure. Sometimes the perfect cast just isn’t enough. 

Many sight fishing trips are left with questions and no answers. Lures play a significant role to how we fish in South Louisiana. We all have our favorite eyecatcher3000, but I’m going to shed a little light on a new lure made right here on the Northshore. It’s called the Marsh Craw by Shu-Shu lures. It’s a crawfish style soft plastic that has a small profile but very durable. Along with durability it has a high fluttering claw action that will bring out even the toughest redfish out of vegetation. It comes in a variety of colors but my favorite so far is the Victory Red. Traditionally a bass fishing bait, crawfish plastics are starting to break the saltwater scene and all because of one major similarity. Crawfish claws are similar to crab claws. Using the Marsh Craw can mimic a small crab working its way through the marsh alluring the strikes from redfish, marsh bass and even trout. Rigging this lure is very simple but using it with a weighted weedless hook is my favorite. If you are in to sight fishing like me or just like a great versatile soft plastic, Shu-Shu lures has a variety of different baits to choose from. They will help you conquer your fishing needs and from personal experience, all the baits deliver great results. Good luck and good fishing…

It’s safe to say that the sight life here on the Northshore has been as hot as the summer heat. All through July, Northshore anglers as well as myself have seen great numbers of redfish and also nice schools of reds along the Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain shoreline. Sight fishing can be tough when Mother Nature is always throwing Westerly winds in the picture but I’m here to tell you the only way to catch fish is to take a chance and wet your line.

No doubt the ideal conditions for sight fishing is slick water and blue skies but down here in South Louisiana the weather changes as much as an angler changes his lure when not catching anything. Wind direction can be a fisherman’s best friend as well as his worst nightmare and here is a breakdown of how to use it to your advantage with your next trip on the Northshore sight life. When fishing a west wind its more than likely the ponds that hold high vegetation that redfish love so much will be empty. Redfish love shallow water but also need enough water to ambush prey. 

So when these west winds occur I like to target two major areas, the Lake Borgne shoreline anywhere from Alligator point to Bayou Bienvenue and also the Lagoons deep in the Biloxi Marsh. Both areas seem to hold redfish and lately locals have seen a few schools passing through on the shore. When we get a break from the wicked west winds and begin to see east ones occur, that’s when the ponds deep into the marsh come alive. 

I like to fish the rising tide so that the ponds are easily accessible. This
insures that bait is flowing through 
and keeping reds on the prowl. As 
always, the key is to constantly move around until you find clean water with vegetation. Deep off the Chef Menteur has been a hot spot and soon the ponds off of the Pearl River, where it meets into the 
Rigolets will also heat up. If you haven’t tried sight fishing yet, now is the perfect time to get out, get elevated, and get hooked on the sight life!

The time has come for eager anglers to finally pole around the pumpkin patch in sight for those good-lookin’ Southern Louisiana redfish. It’s that time of year where the sun is blazing and the water is clear as gin. I’m talking about summer! If you fish Lake Pontchartrain frequently like myself, by now you know that the annual yellow mouth spring run is over.  Spawning specs are searching for cooler waters and higher salinity levels both which the lake does not have to offer. So as a Northshore angler, it’s important to learn the marshland just as much as those popular mile long reefs we love to fish so much. 

Sight fishing has made a name for itself the past few years and you might want to take note. It’s a style of fishing that takes work and practice but when you actually see your lure being set into a tailing red, the only thing that will be hooked is you! Sight fishing can be tricky but here are a few tips that will get you started in the right direction. When sight fishing, the first step is to get yourself elevated to see the redfish with the sun at your back. Platforms are nice to have but you can stand on an ice chest, ladder or homemade stand as long as its stable and you’re still in reach of the trolling motor. 

My second tip is gear. The areas I fish, and have great success from, are usually ponds with high vegetation. So break out the light jig heads, top water frogs or my personal favorite weedless hooks. If you want to spot those pumpkins before they spot you then polarized sunglasses are also a must. Without polarized glasses it can be extremely hard to spot fish unless they are tailing. The last and most important advice to get your sight life on is scouting. When sight fishing I look for medium vegetation ponds deep in the marsh with clear clean water. Too much vegetation can be a hassle to deal with and redfish don’t care for it also. Before I venture through the marsh I map out spots on Google Earth deep in the marsh off of canals and waterways that are dark blue. When you see a pond with that dark blue tint that means you are seeing the bottom of the pond and an excellent area to try. Fishing the Northshore area you have multiple options for sight fishing. Most common are the Chef Menteur, ICW, Carr Drive, Rigolets, and even ponds off of the East Pearl are great places to wet your line. The key is just to scout each area and move around. Throughout the summer I will be highlighting ways to become a better sight fisher as well as targeting this style of fishing specifically on the Northshore. The next time you decide to take on the marsh, take these tips and set your hook into the sight life.