Delacroix Report – 7/23/2017

We hit the water a little earlier this morning to try and beat the crowd to spot “A”. Well, we did not win the race. We passed by the spot and there was already another boat. The boat was not on the spot right, but was too close for me to slip in. We decided to head outside to work some submerged reefs that are typically good this time of year. The West winds were marginal for going out, but doable. We set up to take advantage of the rising tide across the reef. The West wind was complicating, but we were able to pick up some nice sized speckled trout, white trout and sheepshead. The fish were caught using live shrimp Carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes. The wind picked up to the point that it was overpowering the tide and we lost the right boat position so we headed back inside to check on spot “A”. It was again occupied by another boat and would not allow us a chance at it so we ventured further in and worked a point in large interior lake. We slammed the redfish, must have caught 30, but not one was over 14″. Good fun, but the fish box was getting lonely. We hit another spot on an adjacent large lake and hit speckled trout gold. The trout were smashing both live and artificial baits as quick as we could get them into the water. In scanning the skies, there was a significant storm closing in on us and the trout must have sensed the change in barometric pressure and turned on. We stayed as long as we could and took a slight beating getting across the lake. We made it most of the ride home in the dry, but it rained for the last few miles of the run. My guests put on rain jackets and I hid behind the center console and we took it like men. Proud of them! Good day again in spite of challenging conditions. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report – 7/22/2017

The weather was threatening this AM as we headed out into Breton Sound. It looked like we had a window to get around the storms toward the East, but we could not out run them and had to stop behind an island and ride it out. It did not last long and looked worse than it really was. After the delay, we continued on to spot “A”. Well unfortunately, the spot I have been working was already occupied and it was off to plan “B”. We hit another spot on the edge of Breton Sound with a small ditch flowing from a pond into a long shoreline. We worked the mouth of the ditch piking up a few reds. The action was too slow so we headed out in search of another spot and I noted that spot “A” was now available and we set up to work the point. The tide was rising and flowing across the point and dropping off into a deep channel. Speckled trout were in the deep crushing bait fish and shrimp. We offered up live shrimp Carolina rigged and were rewarded with a pile of specks in the 14-18″ class. The fish were also actively hitting artificial cocahoes on 3/8 ounce jigheads. Good eaters and a lot of fun to catch. The action slowed as the tide slowed and we headed back toward the inside to find the tide again. We hit few spots with limited success as the tide was waning. We decided to call it early and head back to the dock. It was a good day even though we had some challenges to deal with. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report – 7/19/2017

Early start in the Delacroix marsh this morning. We left the dock before daylight to cover much of the run before available fishing time was spent travelling. Good move as we hit the spot right as it was light enough to cast to the point. Not as much bait moving around as yesterday, but the action was soon hot. The trout were not quite as big either, but numbers count too! The fish did not want corks today and would only respond to live shrimp carolina rigged in the current. We worked over the specks until the skies started to loom dark and close. We decided to head out a little earlier this time to try for some redfish before we got soaked or run in early. We hit a cove with a small little cut that leads to a marsh pond. It typically holds a few reds. We worked the cut with live and dead shrimp 3 feet under corks. The redfish responded and we caught a pile of reds just over 18″. The weather moved in and finally we called it for a run back to the dock. Great day in a magical place – Delacroix! Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report – 7/18/2017

The fishing is fantastic right now in the Delacroix marsh. The only issue is that you have to be there at daylight to catch the speckled trout bite and avoid the lines of strong thunderstorms that have been covering up the sound. We found a good bite this AM along an outside shoreline. It had water moving around the point and plenty of bait. Big specks were awaiting our offering of live shrimp both carolina rigged and 3 feet under corks. The trout were in the 15-22″ class and were getting bigger as the weather deteriorated. We stayed as long as we could and hauled it out just as it started to pour on the motor. We were close to limits and thought that we could stop at other spots a few miles away, but the weather had other ideas at it basically ran us all the way back to the dock. We will be back after them tomorrow. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix fishing report – 3/31/2017

Been a while since I have fished for speckled trout and redfish. My guests hit the Delacroix marsh just before daylight to find a gentle falling tide and a slight breeze. It was actually a little cool as we were scooting down the Bayou! We decided to try a small inside lake and work the mouth of a small bayou that was emptying into the lake. Good choice as shrimp were jumping out of the water and getting crushed by fish. We worked live shrimp Carolina rigged, 2 feet under corks and tight lined plastics. All worked and speckled trout in the 12-15″ class were hitting the ice box. The action slowed as the falling tide quit. We decided to venture further out to find the incoming tide and set up where a bayou was draining into a larger lake. The action was fast and furious on everything we threw out and the crew quickly switched over to plastics to put a hurting on trout. These fish were in the 14-18″ class. We got close to full limits, but our fast action could not be hidden from the other boats driving by and eventually they were swarming around us with their trolling motors engaged and shut the bite down. We hit one more spot to finish the limit and worked a deep canal with an adjacent shallow oyster lined flat. Nice trout up to 2 pounds were hitting plastics in the deep water and crushing live shrimp 2 feet under corks up on the flat. It was great to be fishing again after a long hunting season! By the results of this trip, it should be a banner year for fishing in the Delacroix marsh! Good luck out there.

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report – 11/21/2016

Cool weather this morning for the boat ride to the fishing grounds. We hit the water early and worked the inside waters for speckled trout. We stopped at a small lake with a deep bayou entering into the lake. The falling tide had the water set up perfectly and we worked over the trout with live shrimp carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes. The wind picked up and swung the boat around and we lost the bite. We hit several other spots with minimal success. We moved back to the initial area and found another honey hole. These fish wanted artificial lures slow rolled near the bottom. We finished up soon after with quality trout in the 13-18″ class. The winter pattern is quickly approaching. It should be a good run. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report 11/1/2016

It has been a while since last post, the fishing has been poor at best and I have been rescheduling most trips to get into the better fishing times. Today’s trip was rescheduled twice to get to this point and I’m glad we finally made it out. My guests were treated to light winds out of the East and much better water conditions. We hit a spot where a deep bayou drains into a small lake with a moderate falling tide. As soon as we glided around the last curve in the bayou, shrimp were jumping out of the water everywhere in the lake. Hungry trout were smashing them and we quickly got set up to get into the action. My guests were throwing live shrimp Carolina rigged and under a cork. Both performed well and we worked on the trout for the next couple of hours. Unfortunately over half of the trout were too small and had to be returned to the water to grow up. The wind picked up and we got blown off the bite. We hit a couple of other spots with limited success. We made a move to a larger lake and set up along a current line well off of the bank. The bite was slow at first, but as soon as we figured out what the trout wanted, we started boxing 2-3 lb. trout. These fish were very large for this time of the year and a welcome change from having to measure every fish. These fish wanted live shrimp Carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes on 3/8 ounce jig heads. We worked on the big fish for a couple of hours until the tide started to slow. We decided to call it a day and took it back to the boat slip with a box full of beautiful speckled trout. It looks like the fishing is back and we are looking forward to a great winter season. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report – 7/16/2016

Another awesome fish catching day in the Delacroix marsh! My guests were treated to light winds out of the Southeast which made for a gentle glide out to the catching grounds. We set up on a coastal bay point with good incoming tidal water moving past the point and into a deep bayou. The fish were staged on the flat adjacent to the point and in the deeper water downstream of the point. We worked live shrimp both Carolina rigged and 3 feet under corks – both worked well. We also caught a bunch on artificial cocahoes on jigheads and under corks worked up on the flat. Most of the trout were 14-18″ with a few throwbacks mixed in. We also caught some redfish, black drum, sheepshead and flounder to round out the ice chest. We had a 40lb jack cravelle come in and crash the live shrimp cork party. We actually landed this beast after a 30 minute fight and released it to fight another day. The good times continue and the fishing has really been good in spite of the weather over the last few weeks. The weather has somewhat stabilized and the Mississippi River has gone down so the rest of the summer is looking up! Good luck out there this week.

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report – 7/9/2016

The speckled trout bite is still on! My guests were treated to a fantastic morning of trout catching. The winds were gentle out of the Southwest and the water was very low, but the fish were hungry. We hit a spot that had good incoming tidal movement and bait fish and shrimp jumping out of the water all around us. The action was fast and furious from the first cast. The trout were in the 13-18″ class with a good bit of too small throwbacks. The action faded as the tide slowed to a trickle and we headed to the dock early with an ice chest full. The fish wanted live shrimp Carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes on jigheads. The artificial out fished the live today by a long shot. The catching action should continue this week, but the weather may not cooperate with elevated rain chances all week. Good luck out there!

Delacroix Report – 7/7/2016

Excellent speckled trout fishing continues in the Delacroix Marsh! My guests were greeted with brisk winds out of the SW this morning. Usually a westerly wind is the kiss of death for fishing on the east side of the Mississippi river, but I found a spot where we were protected from the wind and the incoming tide set us up perfectly. The result was a full ice chest with fat trout in the 14-20″ class. These fish wanted live shrimp Carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes on jigheads slow rolled along the bottom. Most of the trout were caught in 8 feet of water, but some were pickup on the edge of the flat in 2 feet. The fish are on the edge of the big water right now and the action should continue until the next spawn is upon us. Good luck out there this weekend!

Captain Jeff