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We usually start our day at first light, travel down
the Mississippi River to the area we'll be fishing and head back to the Venice Marina, Cypress Cove Marina or Yellow
Cotton launch between 1pm and 2pm. The Mississippi River delta is truly a unique and fertile fishery,
and offers great fishing 12 months a year. In Spring, we typically find ourselves fishing the outside
bays and beaches searching for the Redfish and Speckled Trout. April, May, and June are some of the best months for a chance
to catch a wall hanger Trout. This is the peak of their spawn when these large female Trout mingle with the smaller male Trout,
and they are easier to target. The Redfish are there as well. We use a variety of artificial lures in a cast and retrieve
technique to draw strikes from the fish. Some of my favorite lures are topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, soft plastics under a
popping cork, and a soft plastic with a lead head. It is very much like Bass fishing, except it is not as difficult,
because the saltwater fish are usually much more aggressive. This type of fishing is definitely not like Snapper fishing,
where you are just dropping the bait straight down and waiting for something to come along and hit the bait. As
the Summer months come I find that the huge Redfish are running along the outside beaches. July, August, and September are
great months to target these line stripping brutes. When you get these big Redfish hooked you find yourself walking to the
front and back of the boat while your fishing rod is bent over and the drag on your reel is screaming. It's called light tackle
fishing at its best. You have to wear the fish down before it can be netted. You can't just stand in one spot on the boat
and fight these Redfish, because the boat is probably in 2-4ft. of water and the Redfish will get the line wrapped around
the engine or something. Usually, we will catch Speckled Trout along with these Summertime Redfish, especially if we are fishing a
petroleum platform.These platforms act as terrific vertical artificial reefs.
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Good Job!↓
Getting busy!↓
Summer Redfish can be pretty big!↑
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↓Cool weather brings in nice size Speckled Trout for Capt. Shawn to catch!
As the fall months
come, the water temperature drops, the days get shorter, the baitfish that the gamefish eat move into the marsh, so that is
when mother nature lets us know to concentrate our fishing in the interior bays of the delta and the main channel of the Mississppi
River. Depending on the river stage, the Redfish, Trout, and Flounder move into the river and mingle with the freshwater fish.
October, November, and December are an excellent time to target Speckled Trout and Flounder. The fish are very predictable
during this time of year. The Reds are there as well. It's the time of year that is comfortable to fish as far as the mild
temperature, and not much boat riding time, because the fish are "in", and they are usually ganged up. As the winter months come we are still fishing hard, and between the strong fronts is some
very productive fishing. Capt. Shawn does not hunt, so I am fishing 12 months a year. For those of you that might be living
up North somewhere, where you are snowed in, let me let you in on a pleasant surprise:February. For some reason, February
is an outstanding month for Redfish action. For shear numbers of Redfish, February produces. Maybe, they like Mardi Gras or
something, but they are there in force. I also have some great trips in March throwing topwater lures for the big pre-spawn
Speckled Trout, and , as you might expect, a big Red will hammer that same topwater on the next cast.
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Nice Speckled Trout for a nice lady in pink!↓
Alec with an October Redfish. They both put on a good
fight...But Alec won!↑
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