New Year, Same Pattern
The mild winter has kept fishing patterns closer to late fall than mid-January. Above-normal temperatures have translated into above-average speckled trout action across Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne, the Intracoastal Waterway, and MRGO. Anglers continue to find solid numbers of specks in the marsh and along the bridges, with the same areas producing big bull redfish mixed in. Adding to the action, blue catfish have been showing up in good numbers, with both live and market shrimp producing steady catches for anglers working baits along the deeper edges.
Big Fish Limit
Danny Hunter of New Orleans Best Charters has been dialed in on the big trout bite, and a recent trip on Lake Pontchartrain was a perfect example of how strong the action has been. Fishing with one of his repeat clients, Eric Baumgartner, Hunter said the bite was fast and decisive from the start. “He absolutely smoked the big specks,” Hunter said. “Eric caught his limit quickly without having to measure a single fish, then we played catch and release with another 30 plus fish.”
According to Hunter, the trout were aggressive and not locked into one specific presentation. The pair caught fish on live shrimp, a new salt and pepper plastics from Lost Coast Baits, and the new Matrix Shrimp, which Hunter said he was excited to finally put to the test. Most of the fish came while working drop shot rigs with 1-ounce cannonball weights, but jigging the bottom with 3/8-ounce jigheads without plastic produced just as well. “It didn’t really matter what we threw at them,” Hunter said. “They were starving, and we were feeding them.”
Green Trout Limit
Nick Reviere of Slidell spent some time in the marsh recently and put together a nice box of fish while fishing the Rigolet’s Marsh. Reviere said the trip was a memorable one, starting with his son landing his first bass before the action picked up. “Another good day on the water in the marsh,” Reviere said. “My boy got his first bass, then I followed it up with a quick 10 more.”
Reviere grew up bass fishing the marsh around Bayou Lacombe but said he has recently shifted his focus closer to home near the Rigolets. By running into the marsh and targeting cuts and grass lines, he was able to consistently find fish holding shallow. Reviere said the bass were aggressive and tagging a 3 1/2-inch Yo-Zuri jerkbait worked along the edges of the grass.
Fillet Rule Proposal
For anglers who make weekend trips to the camp or make overnight fishing trips, you may soon be able to keep more fish. At its recent meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved a Notice of Intent that would establish allowable size ranges for filleted speckled trout and redfish while still on the water. The proposed rule is aimed at licensed anglers making multi-day trips who launch south of U.S. Highway 90 and remain on the water or at remote camps accessible only by boat for two days or more.
Under the proposal, qualifying anglers would be allowed to possess up to twice the daily bag limit of filleted fish, with strict size guidelines in place. For speckled trout, fillets would be required to measure between eight and 13 inches, with an allowance of up to eight fillets over 13 inches to account for legal over-slot fish. Redfish fillets would be limited to between 10 and 18 inches, with proposed possession caps of 60 speckled trout fillets and 16 redfish fillets.
Anglers who wish to comment on the proposed rule can submit written feedback once it is published in the Louisiana State Register on February 20. Comments will be accepted through March 27 and may be mailed to LDWF Finfish Program Manager Jason Adriance at P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898, or submitted by email to [email protected].
Upcoming Tournaments
Pearl River Team Trails will hold its next tournament at Crawford Landing on February 13. For more information, call Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
The Pearl River Challenge 2026 season kicks off on January 24 at the East Pearl River. The season will run from January to November and will be held on every third Saturday of the month. For more information please contact Lee Hillman at 985-352-3522.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com. Contact Keith at [email protected].)
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