The heat is here, and the spawn is pretty much finished. Just a few stragglers left that are finishing up. The biggest population of bass have pulled out to underwater structure off of the bank to rest, and recoup. The beginning of this month is going to be tough, but as we get closer to July you will find that the bass have started to position on their summer spots. Start the month off fishing isolated stumps, or rocks off of the bank on the drop offs. Fish them by crawling a jig across them, or slow rolling a spinner bait. Sometimes you will be able to get a few on a crankbait as well. As the weeks go on the bass will begin to move out further, and begin to school on pogies. Towards the end of month you will still get fish on the jigs deep but you will also start to find success on cranks, swim baits, and topwater baits that mimic pogies. Don't be afraid to throw that topwater over 14 feet of water. Especially when the sun is out. The bass school more when the sun is out because they see the shadows of the balls of pogies. You will get some of the best topwater strikes you have ever seen.
This is when the fishing gets tough for me. The trout bite at the bridges slows down and the Biloxi Marsh holds Reds if I can figure out where to start but that leads to a lot of traveling and long days. I don‘t know enough about the reefs to try to help someone catch fish there.
Start at the bridges with live or dead shrimp. Reds, flounder, drum, trout and sheephead are always looking for a easy meal, plus the shade of the bridge is a plus in the 90 deg dead calm summer months, the entire length of the Twin Span is good for drum, reds,sheep head, and of course the dreaded gaff tops and hard heads so don’t skimp on the amount of bait you collect.
Rocks along the south shore between the Chef and Irish Bayou are a good try, bottom and popping cork, when the tide is incoming the water flows from Bayou Savage thru the marsh into the lake. Where this is happening the fish in the lake congregate in the tide lines waiting for food to be delivered.
Salt Bayou at the lake, Point at treasure Island, the hospital wall and the pilings along the eastern end of lake P are spots to try if the crowds will allow, one good report of FISH CATCHIN will cause a traffic jam at any of these spots, just arrive early to get the spot you want .Again live or dead shrimp, bottom or under a popping cork is the best.
The bridges in the Rigolets are good all summer even for nice trout, BUT, the conditions have to be just right to fish them successfully. Light wind, and a light falling tide make it easier to get down the 25-30 feet where the fishes hide. The more you have the opportunity to fish them the better your chances are to hit the perfect wind /tide combination. The Hwy 90 Bridge is usually fished from the north shore of the rigolets out to the center. Try to anchor out 20-30’ east of the pilings, there are remnants of the old bridge down there and make for good spots for fish to avoid the current and ambush. Fish the bottom with live or dead bait on your favorite bottom rig, Yep the snags are there waiting.
L&N Train Bridge at lake borne is the other Rigolets Bridge. Need the same conditions as the car bridge, and the Reds seem to congregate there more so than the hwy 90 car bridge. From one end to the other is worth trying, the north end out to the second Big piling is the most popular but fishing the fenders have produced some really good red and drum boxes. Easiest way to fish at the L&N is to have a rig hook or a line throwing ball and tie off under the bridge. Be careful with ropes to the cross braces under the rail bed, if the rope works it’s way to a corner might have to cut it to leave.
(TIP of the spot) Tie off three boat widths from the first big piling from the north shore, get live shrimp the day before and get there way before daylight. Falling tide, drop straight down or cast toward Lake borgne, by daylight the bite will start and last a short time, but nice fish to be had there. OH YEAH, you will be able to shake hands with the fisher people in the boats on both sides of you, so If you are not into close quarter fishing stay away. I only fish there once a year if I can go during the week. Feeds my big trout appetite.
Flats and drop offs on the north shoreline of the Rigolets Pass are worth a try. Big reds and trout are a possibility from bridge to bridge.
All the rigs in lake borgne are good all summer, really early or really late in the day. Live bait is a must. Carolina rig or sliding cork is the weapon of choice from what I have witnessed.
Western shoreline of Lake Borgne is always worth a try from Bayou Bienvienu all the way north to Polecat Bend where the east Pearl ends at Lake Borgne. Find points and cuts where the tide is moving. There should be a few hundred spots to try along this path, don’t be concerned about just hitting the spots where others are already stopped, try spots that look good, I don’t know how many times I have explored and run across an unused Honey Hole along there. The pocket behind alligator point is fun if the conditions all fall into place, light wind and high tide, water gets really shallow way out from shore, so take your time getting to the grass beds, there ain't nothing more fun than a school of 20-24" reds in 18” of water. Hardest part of Lake Borgne fishing is the wind, all summer the wind has an easterly direction which makes planning a fishing trip on the western shore a gamble. I think that place is a vacuum for thunder storms.
All of the shorelines and passes in Lake Catherine are good; one area that mostly goes un-fished by boaters is the western shore along hwy 90. Thousands of pilings and clam beds along there, all the way from sawmill pass to Marques canal. Really good night fishing at the camp lights if you are lucky enough to find one that the camp owners are not using (they get kind of protective of the area around their lights), so don’t take it personal if they TURN UM OUT when you arrive. Loud cussin and throwing trash overboard tends to amke them mad, so BE COURTIOUS and see what happens. Keep an eye out for diving birds in the lake, it’s fairly shallow and doesn’t take a lot of trout to run the bait to the surface.
Summer months are my least favorite to fish, but, got to feed the addition, so I might see you out and about some times. I will be trying all these areas till September, then back to the marsh.
Good luck catching,
Start at the bridges with live or dead shrimp. Reds, flounder, drum, trout and sheephead are always looking for a easy meal, plus the shade of the bridge is a plus in the 90 deg dead calm summer months, the entire length of the Twin Span is good for drum, reds,sheep head, and of course the dreaded gaff tops and hard heads so don’t skimp on the amount of bait you collect.
Rocks along the south shore between the Chef and Irish Bayou are a good try, bottom and popping cork, when the tide is incoming the water flows from Bayou Savage thru the marsh into the lake. Where this is happening the fish in the lake congregate in the tide lines waiting for food to be delivered.
Salt Bayou at the lake, Point at treasure Island, the hospital wall and the pilings along the eastern end of lake P are spots to try if the crowds will allow, one good report of FISH CATCHIN will cause a traffic jam at any of these spots, just arrive early to get the spot you want .Again live or dead shrimp, bottom or under a popping cork is the best.
The bridges in the Rigolets are good all summer even for nice trout, BUT, the conditions have to be just right to fish them successfully. Light wind, and a light falling tide make it easier to get down the 25-30 feet where the fishes hide. The more you have the opportunity to fish them the better your chances are to hit the perfect wind /tide combination. The Hwy 90 Bridge is usually fished from the north shore of the rigolets out to the center. Try to anchor out 20-30’ east of the pilings, there are remnants of the old bridge down there and make for good spots for fish to avoid the current and ambush. Fish the bottom with live or dead bait on your favorite bottom rig, Yep the snags are there waiting.
L&N Train Bridge at lake borne is the other Rigolets Bridge. Need the same conditions as the car bridge, and the Reds seem to congregate there more so than the hwy 90 car bridge. From one end to the other is worth trying, the north end out to the second Big piling is the most popular but fishing the fenders have produced some really good red and drum boxes. Easiest way to fish at the L&N is to have a rig hook or a line throwing ball and tie off under the bridge. Be careful with ropes to the cross braces under the rail bed, if the rope works it’s way to a corner might have to cut it to leave.
(TIP of the spot) Tie off three boat widths from the first big piling from the north shore, get live shrimp the day before and get there way before daylight. Falling tide, drop straight down or cast toward Lake borgne, by daylight the bite will start and last a short time, but nice fish to be had there. OH YEAH, you will be able to shake hands with the fisher people in the boats on both sides of you, so If you are not into close quarter fishing stay away. I only fish there once a year if I can go during the week. Feeds my big trout appetite.
Flats and drop offs on the north shoreline of the Rigolets Pass are worth a try. Big reds and trout are a possibility from bridge to bridge.
All the rigs in lake borgne are good all summer, really early or really late in the day. Live bait is a must. Carolina rig or sliding cork is the weapon of choice from what I have witnessed.
Western shoreline of Lake Borgne is always worth a try from Bayou Bienvienu all the way north to Polecat Bend where the east Pearl ends at Lake Borgne. Find points and cuts where the tide is moving. There should be a few hundred spots to try along this path, don’t be concerned about just hitting the spots where others are already stopped, try spots that look good, I don’t know how many times I have explored and run across an unused Honey Hole along there. The pocket behind alligator point is fun if the conditions all fall into place, light wind and high tide, water gets really shallow way out from shore, so take your time getting to the grass beds, there ain't nothing more fun than a school of 20-24" reds in 18” of water. Hardest part of Lake Borgne fishing is the wind, all summer the wind has an easterly direction which makes planning a fishing trip on the western shore a gamble. I think that place is a vacuum for thunder storms.
All of the shorelines and passes in Lake Catherine are good; one area that mostly goes un-fished by boaters is the western shore along hwy 90. Thousands of pilings and clam beds along there, all the way from sawmill pass to Marques canal. Really good night fishing at the camp lights if you are lucky enough to find one that the camp owners are not using (they get kind of protective of the area around their lights), so don’t take it personal if they TURN UM OUT when you arrive. Loud cussin and throwing trash overboard tends to amke them mad, so BE COURTIOUS and see what happens. Keep an eye out for diving birds in the lake, it’s fairly shallow and doesn’t take a lot of trout to run the bait to the surface.
Summer months are my least favorite to fish, but, got to feed the addition, so I might see you out and about some times. I will be trying all these areas till September, then back to the marsh.
Good luck catching,
Bayou Bonfouca is a topwater hot spot during the month of June. Shad have finished spawning and began their migration from the backs of creeks to the main bayou. Bass will set up during low light conditions to feed heavily on shad before moving out to deeper water. Anglers who get out on the water early can beat the heat and take advantage of the heart pounding topwater action that Bayou Bonfouca has to offer.
Bayou Bonfouca has numerous feeder creeks and cuts that flow into the main river. Palm Lake Bayou, Coin Du Lestin, and Bayou Paquet are just a few good areas for June bass on Bonfouca. The mouths of these cuts are some of the most productive areas to intercept feeding bass during the month of June. A few keys to fishing these areas are to fish early mornings, or late afternoons and to fish with the tide. Bonfouca is a tidal system and fishes much different than most of the major river systems in the area. The water stays relatively clear in the creeks and slightly stained on the main bayou. This will sometimes cause the water to mix, and is exactly what an angler should be looking for. Bass will hold in these areas to corral and ambush schools of shad as they move out to open water. Look for surface activity early in the morning or late afternoons at the mouths of these cuts and creeks. Wildlife such as seagulls, cranes, herons, and grebes are also good indications that baitfish is present. If you find baitfish in June, you will find bass!
Topwater lures such as Storm Chug Bugs, Heddon Zara Spooks, and Rebel Pop R’s will produce vicious strikes on Bonfouca in June. The action on Bayou Bonfouca in June is second to none and is not for the faint at heart. If topwater fishing is one of your favorite ways to catch bass, then Bayou Bonfouca is the place for you to be in June.