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 – 7/30/2016

Perfect fishing weather for a usually hot summer. We got out early to the edge of Breton Sound and set up on an outer point. We had good incoming tide and light winds out of the Southwest. The speckled trout were hungry and we started filling the box on the first cast. The fish were smaller than usual 12-14″ and we had to throw a lot of small trout back this morning. The fish were hungry for live shrimp Carolina rigged on the bottom and they ate up artificial cocahoes on 3/8 ounce jigheads. We continued to wade threw smalls to get a good box full and we decided to switch gears and head toward the Delacroix marsh for some redfish. We worked a windward bank that is lined with oysters and picked up a bunch of reds in the 20-24″ class. These fish wanted live shrimp 2 feet under a cork very close to the bank. We ended the day early and took it back to the boat slip before the rains started to build up around us. Good luck out there this week!

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 – 7/7/2016

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

Delacroix Report 7/3/2016

Another day in paradise! We hit the edge of Breton Sound bright and early to find near perfect conditions. We found a spot that had deep water adjacent to an oyster lined flat. Shrimp were jumping out of the water everywhere and schools of speckled trout were on them quick. We got into a good bite on nice sized trout 14-16″ and really good eaters. The fish were aggressive and would maul anything we threw at them. We mostly used live shrimp Carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes on jigheads. It did not matter, the bait was getting crushed. We had a box full of trout and my guests wanted to try for some redfish. I called in a buddy fishing nearby to work on the trout we were leaving biting. When he arrived and got on the “spot on the spot”, we headed further inside to get on some reds. We worked a shallow cove with a couple of small sloughs that lead into marsh ponds. The reds were stacked up in the mouths of the drains and we boxed them on live shrimp 2 feet under corks. The sky darkened and thunder boomers started to build up so we headed to the dock early. Another great day of fishing out of the Delacroix marsh. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report 7/2/2016

Brisk west winds greeted my guests as we hit the big water of Breton Sound. The seas were only about 2 feet so no worries for the MAKO! We hit several submerged islands and reefs only to catch Gafftopsail-Hardhead catfish and sheepshead. Very disappointing because I have heard some good catching reports coming in from the outside. Time to regroup and we headed back to the edge of the Sound. We worked a marsh point adjacent to a deep bayou and found plenty of bait spraying everywhere. We set up to fish the flat in front of the boat and the deeper water in the back. Soon nice speckled trout in the 14-18″ class were hitting the ice chest. We had them going good on live shrimp carolina rigged and artificial cocahoes on 3/8 ounce jigheads. Good fishing action continued, but it got real hot quick and by noon, we were cooked. We took it in early with a nice box of fish. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report 7/26/2015

Had a group of kids this morning and the stiff breeze out of the Northwest kept us in protected waters. We hit the same protected shoreline with adjacent oyster reef and proceeded to work on some redfish and black drum. We worked dead shrimp on plain jigheads along the bank to catch most of the fish. One lone trout fell victom to our offering of live shrimp carolina rigged in the deeper water. The redfish and black drum have been our go to fish of choice due to the rough weather the last few week. Hopefully, the weather will stabilize and allow us to get out into Breton Sound to catch more speckled trout. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report 7/19/2015

Winds are still out of the West, but a little lighter this morning. We headed out into the sound to look for speckled trout. We hit a submerged reef that is always good this time of the year. We worked live shrimp carolina rigged, 3 feet under corks and artificial cocahoes to produce a few nice sized trout. We never hit the mother load and it got hot quick so we decided to work up some reds and black drum in the marsh. We hit the windward side of a cove and started pitching dead shrimp and live shrimp on the bottom. We used carolina rigged live shrimp and plain jigheads with dead shrimp to produce a box full of redfish, black drum, a couple of sheepshead and a few more trout. Things are getting better….

Captain Jeff

Fishing Rodeo Winning Fish

Fishing rodeo winning fish was the order of the day out of the Delacroix marsh. We started bright and early armed with live cocahoes and an assortment of artificial lures. The boat hit Black Bay at dawn to find dirty water and rough seas. We ventured deep into Breton Sound and found the clean, salty water that we were looking for. I set up on the lee side of a rig to get out of the rough seas and worked the edges with plastics and live cocahoes deep under a cork. Nice size trout fell for the artificial cocahoe with a slow roll presentation. The hot color was once again the smoke with a red tail on 1/4 and 3/8 ounce jigheads. The trout were all 2-3 lbs. Good fish, but these fish were not going to win first prize in the rodeo. The seas subsided and alowed us to get even further out into the sound. We worked several rigs and wellheads until we found the fish we were after, Bull redfish up to 30 lbs! These fish were hot and were mauling the live cocahoes carolina rigged on the bottom. My guests were all hooked up as soon as the baits hit the water. This repeated itself over and over again until they cried uncle. We released all but the potential winners to fight another day. We hit a few more spots on the way back in and picked up a few more trout and a nice sized flounder which may also make the prize board. The water outside is good, but the water at the close in rigs and the islands is dirty and fresh. I did not see any bird action in all our running today. Go long for the best results right now. Good weather and tides are predicted for the rest of the weekend. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Beautiful Fishing Conditions Today

Beautiful fishing conditions today out in Breton Sound. Brisk early winds gave way to light winds and seas which allowed easy access to the outside waters and rigs. The water was a little stained, but had a good green color and was very fishable. A strong rising tide had the water moving well and the fish bite responded. The trout wanted live shrimp and artificial cocahoes on the bottom. The best action had the boat positioned up current of structure and required casting up current away from the structure. The fish were hitting the bait as it was slow twitched back on the bottom in 12 feet of water. The trout were 15-22″ with no throwbacks. The live bait presentaion was on bottom carolina rigged or on a jighead. The hot color for artificial was smoke w/red tail and the 1/4 ounce jigheads worked better than the 3/8. We had a couple of schools of bull reds work through and gave us some exciting double hookup action. That is alway a firedrill! Round and around and around we go! The reds were 30-36″. The tide shut down early which ended the run. Onward to the exterior bays to get some slot limit reds. The red action was slow for us as we encountered plenty of bait stealers, a few nice reds and the same dead tide. The action improved as the tide started to fall, but we were running out of bait and the day was getting hot. That cool front was a nice change of pace, but it was hot at noon! It looks like we may get a couple of choice fishing chances the next few days. The fish are starting to show up in numbers in Black Bay/Breton Sound. Good tidal ranges and light winds so get out and get some fishing in!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat