Louisiana saltwater fishing is legendary, both for its endless estuary and its offshore reefs and deep water. Inshore anglers enjoy high creel limits on redfish, speckled trout and other gamefish.

Offshore there are thousands of rigs and other artificial reefs that hold big-bodied snapper and grouper. In deeper waters, voracious pelagics such as tuna, wahoo and marlin are always ready to bite. Most amazing of all, you can access all of these fisheries in a single boat ride, though that’s a lot of fishing for just one day. We suggest you pick a spot, take your time and soak in the adventure. We’ve interviewed captains in six different regions to help you decide the best place to start.

Pontchartrain Basin—Capt. Mike Gallo
Angling Adventures of Louisiana
www.aaofla.com

Photo: Courtesy of Capt. Mike Gallo.

Top seasons and species: The speckled trout bite doesn’t pick up in the spring until water temps are over 60 degrees. When you hit 68 degrees, with longer days, specks will spawn and then eat anything in sight. That happens in late April to mid-May. Trout are hot from then to mid-June. Redfish are more durable and withstand a wider temperature range, so we catch them year ‘round. It’s similar for black drum. July through September, I’m making a lot of trips to the Biloxi marsh and catching redfish. That coincides with speck spawning until mid-September, which sets us up for tremendous fall fishing in October through early December.

Favorite tackle or technique: With the possibility of catching specks and reds in the same water, a lot of times we fish a plastic on a plain jig head—weight is dependent on depth or current. We fish anywhere from 1/8 to ½ oz. jighead. You can catch redfish on one cast and a speck on the next. Of course, we do fish with live bait as well.

What makes this region unique? We are about as far north as you can go and still be considered saltwater. Because of that, water temperature is a big deal for us. (Down in Venice, they haven’t seen 52 degrees in a long time, so they enjoy more aggressive fishing.) If we get a slow lingering cold front, the water temp goes down and specks slow down, but the reds will still bite, so you just watch the weather.

Conservation issues: One thing in our area is that the LDWF, in conjunction with LSU, started a telemetry program about three years ago. They got guides and recreational anglers to fish at specific times, then take their catch to a “surgery boat” where a transmitter is inserted in that fish. There are 90 something antennas around Lake Pontchartrain, so they can track both fish movements and local conditions. So far, the data has been very interesting for speckled trout, redfish and sharks, and we’ve learned a lot.

After the catch: I’m 5’10”, 240, and I keep my figure by going to Southside Café (wws.southsidecafe.net). It’s a relaxed atmosphere and great food—everything from seafood platters to po-boys.

Grand Isle/Fourchon—Capt. Daryl Carpenter
Reel Screamers Guide Service
www.reelscreamers.com

Photo: Courtesy of Capt. Daryl Carpenter.

Top seasons and species: Inshore, we chase speckled trout—but it’s weather and water dependent, but typically the hottest time is May to November. Redfish are year ‘round with the big bruisers and bull reds primarily a fall and winter fishery. Offshore, we have not just red snapper, but also abundant mangrove snapper. (They’re not stupid like reds; you have to fish for them.) We’ve got various reef fish and cobra right off the beach in the summer, too. We fish both natural bottom and wrecks. Swordfish are getting to be a big thing here, as well. You can drift deep daytime or night. We’re within just 30 miles of the canyon, so I can get to 1,700 feet of water or better.

Favorite tackle or technique: For big bulls, you want to fish cut bait in the passes. In the marsh, we catch slot reds. We do a lot of live bait cocahoe minnows, or mud minnows under a popping cork. Sometimes the reds will eat the cork first. For specks, we fish live croakers during spawning season; otherwise, we use plastics or live shrimp.

What makes this region unique? Grand Isle is the only inhabited barrier island in the state. In a 300-yard walk you can go from bay to beach. You get access to offshore and to the marsh and estuary that grow the shrimp that feed everything else. Most visitors also appreciate that we’re a fully functional coastal town, and the only one in the state of Louisiana. Bring the family! Mom can play on the beach, and dad can fish.

Conservation issues: Our biggest issue is dealing with the Feds. Red snapper is somewhat limited now because of ridiculous management. But other than that, the great thing about Louisiana is that we have an overabundance of fish. You can keep five reds per person and twenty-five specks. The state managed species are flourishing.

After the catch: Grand Isle’s got several great eating establishments. For upscale, I point people to The Hurricane Hole (www.hurricanehole.net). But if you’re still covered in scales, you’ll be welcome at Yum’s Cafe (3059 LA-1, Grand Isle) or Starfish Restaurant (3027 LA-1, Grand Isle).

Venice—Capt. Brandon Carter
Reel Shot Guide Service
www.reelshotfishing.com

Photo: Courtesy of Capt. Brandon Carter.

Top seasons and species: Venice has so many species readily available all year, but the two top species that have made it famous are yellowfin tuna and redfish. Redfish are available 365 days a year and are not as affected by tough weather conditions as species such as speckled trout. Even in the dead of winter and heat of summer, anglers can catch 50 to 100+ redfish a day. Late summer and into fall is the bull red run, and fish from 20-40 pounds can be caught on light tackle until a fisherman literally gives up. Tuna are also available throughout the year, but obviously periods of calm weather are going to be more productive. Spring through fall is very popular, but winter can be excellent between fronts. Late winter also brings in a world class wahoo run with fish occasionally topping 100 pounds.

Favorite tackle or technique: As an inshore guide, I am very partial to light tackle fishing. We typically use seven-foot, medium action rods with spinning or casting reels. If we are throwing jigs, top water, etc., I prefer casting gear; but if we are throwing popping cork rigs, I much prefer spinning gear spooled with 30 lbs. Power Pro Braid. The absolute most consistent technique is a live shrimp two feet under a popping cork. This will produce both redfish and speckled trout. Since Venice typically has high turbidity waters, noisy popping corks are very effective, even if using artificial soft plastics instead of live bait.

What makes this region unique? Being at the mouth of one of the largest rivers in the world, Venice is where massive amounts of nutrient-filled freshwater meet the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The mighty river has deposited silt and built a bird foot delta over thousands of years. The delta has built out many miles from other locations on the northern Gulf Coast. This makes for much shorter runs to offshore fishing grounds and also hundreds of thousands of acres of prime and fertile inshore habitat. We can be sight casting to reds in two feet of water and with a 10-minute run be catching red snapper in 100+ feet of water. By the same token, we can catch speckled trout, redfish and largemouth bass in the same locations during the fall season.

Conservation issues: Venice, and Louisiana in general, is very lucky to have enough fish to allow for very liberal limits. With that being said, we always encourage the release of the many bull reds we catch throughout the year in order to preserve the breeding stocks. However, the biggest issue we face is that of coastal erosion. Many areas we fished just 5–10 years ago are completely gone. Channelization of the Mississippi River has increased current velocity and decreased the amount of sediment suspended in the water, thus resulting in a subsiding coastline as most silt is blown out into deep Gulf waters. Slowly, we are achieving some success in gaining projects to slow the loss, but we are a long way from where we need to be.

After the catch: The Crawgators Bar & Grill located at Venice Marina (www.venicemarina.com) will cook up your fresh catch for you while you enjoy a cold beverage from the bar.

Lafitte Barataria Basin—Capt. Theophile Bourgeois
Bourgeois Fishing Charters
www.neworleansfishing.com

Photo: Fred Garth.

Top seasons and species: Our season runs from mid-March into December, and that’s a pretty big window. The two main species are redfish and speckled trout. We do spin and fly fishing and we’re the only facility that offers seaplane trips to the Chandeleur Islands. Out there, we focus on a lot of topwater fishing for trophy fish. For the bucket list guys, we’ll also target jack crevasse and sharks.

Favorite tackle or technique: Almost all our fishing is done with plastics. A four-inch mud minnow in black and chartreuse is hard to beat. Personally, I’m topwater all the way and like to use the bone colored Badonk-A-Donk by Bomber.

What makes this region unique? We run out of Lafitte. For us, it’s 40 miles straight south to the Gulf and 90 miles southeast down to Venice, so it’s kind of a big triangle, but we have that whole area. You could fish 30 days and never cross your own boat wake. And we’re the only coastal area with this kind of bayou system—different from what you find in Florida or Texas or anywhere. It’s a big nursery that runs all the way to the Gulf.

Conservation issues: Our conservation issues are really the same as all of coastal Louisiana. We deal with erosion and saltwater intrusion, the big things that just go with having people live in this region and the levees that have been built to direct the Mississippi River. But on a local level, things are very good.

After the catch: I’m a fan of the Catch and Cook program. I can bag and tag a customer’s fish and they have 12 hours to get it to any restaurant in New Orleans, or to any location that participates in the program. They can have the chef cook it up any way they like. (For a list of restaurants: www.fishla.org/catch-and-cook.)

Capt. Olden Rodrique—Cocodrie/Dulac/Dularge Inshore
Coastal Charter Services
www.coastalfishingcharter.com

Photo: Courtesy of Capt. Olden Rodrique.

Top seasons and species: Redfish and speckled trout, but we have different ways to target each. We like to hit the shallow duck ponds to sight fish for reds while they are tailing; and, of course, we typically fish the deeper passes for bull reds. Speckled trout migrate right through our area each year and we also catch them in the Gulf and around the rigs in summer. In late winter months, we target sheepshead and catch the big 6- to 7-pounders.

Favorite tackle or technique: When sight fishing for reds, we use gold spoons and topwater lures. We’re usually fishing in two feet of water for reds. Occasionally we’ll use plastics, but there’s typically a bunch of grass. One thing that has caught on is bow fishing. It’s a challenge even for someone who is used to deer hunting or shooting targets. I have 35 LED floodlights on a big flat marsh boat and they light up everything. You see the redfish, drum, sheepshead, even giant alligator gar. A 7-foot gar fish is a pretty awesome sight, but redfish are the primary target. There’s no catch and release on a bow, but you can pick the size fish to shoot, so it works out pretty good.

What makes this region unique? We’re located right smack in the middle between the Atchafalaya River outlet and the Venice area. Terrebonne Parish has five main bayou areas that run out of it, so it’s a big mixing and breeding ground for everything. Our marsh is pretty endless. There’s a lot of opportunity.

Conservation issues: Coastal erosion is the biggest problem we have. An island that we’ll fish one summer may be completely gone the next. You’ve got to be out there every year and looking around to stay up on things. On the positive side, we have an ongoing tag and release program that anyone can get involved with it. Once you sign up, you do a little training and then if someone comes behind you and catches that fish it goes in a database. It’s been pretty successful. I’ve seen us catch three tags in one day, which is not common, but it happens.

After the catch: There’s a little restaurant my family owns called Classy Cajun. It’s seafood and mama’s cooking (10627 E. Main St., Houma).

Capt. Josh Ellender—Terrebonne Basin Offshore
Ellender Charters
www.ellendercharters.com

Photo: Courtesy of Capt. Josh Ellender.

Top seasons and species: Our offshore targets are red and grey snapper. The red snapper for the table fare and the grey snapper for the table fare and the challenge. Red snapper has a season that starts in June and closes whenever the Feds think we’ve caught enough. Grey snapper don’t have a season but are usually most active in the late spring and summer months.

Favorite tackle or technique: I generally target red snapper by bottom fishing. I drop a piece of squid or Spanish sardine down with a 6-oz. sinker and let them smash it. The exciting part is never knowing what you will catch. As for as grey snapper, I free line a live croaker or minnow into the legs of an oil rig and wait for them to slam the bait and then try to yank them out without getting cut off by the sharp objects on the rig’s legs. It can be extremely exciting when a 10 lb. grey snapper slams your bait and starts ripping off line like a tuna.

What makes this region unique? What’s unique about our fishery is the abundance and size of our stock, not to mention the amount of places we have to fish. There are certain places we can go where you won’t see a boat all day. This lack of pressure and healthy habitat make for big fish.

Conservation issues: The big talk in the Gulf of Mexico is the red snapper. The species is back and healthier than ever, but the federal government, NOAA, keeps mismanaging it.

After the catch: Two of my favorite places are Nancy’s Seafood Shack (www.nancysseafoodshack.com) and 1921 Seafood & Oyster Bar (1522 Barrow St., Houma).

Calctsieu—Capt.’s Jeff, Mary & Nick Poe
Big Lake Guide Service
www.biglakeguideservice.com

Photo: Courtesy of Capt.’s Jeff, Mary & Nick Poe.

Top seasons and species: March–December are our primary months for fishing the inland waters of Calctsieu Lake. We also venture to the oil rigs just offshore in June, July and August. Speckled trout, redfish, and flounder are the main targets, but cobra and tripletail are always a target when fishing at our nearshore oil platforms. We use light tackle, both spinning and bait casting, and specialize in topwater and suspending twitch bait fishing for both speckled trout and redfish. We also cater to fly fishermen, as well as paddle board fishing off our custom Dragonfly Boatworks paddle boards. This is usually how we target redfish in shallow marsh ponds.

Favorite tackle or technique: Our go-to tackle includes 13 Fishing’s Concept C on a Sarge Custom Rod in the 6’5” length. We spool these medium light actions with 15-20 lb. FINS WINDJAMMER braid with about 6’ of 20-25 lb. Saguaro Fluorocarbon.

What makes this region unique? Calctsieu Lake, also known as “Big Lake” to locals, is a 52,000-acre bay, which opens to the Gulf of Mexico. What makes this bay unique is the Calctsieu ship channel. The channel is 40’ deep by 400’ wide and runs inland all the way to Lake Charles, La. This offers plenty of salinity to our estuary. The largest speckled trout in the state of Louisiana are consistently caught in Calctsieu Lake all due to the ship channel. It offers protection from extreme cold and extreme heat due to the deep water.

Conservation issues: We have many conservation orders in place on Calctsieu, but our speckled trout limit was a big achievement. The entire state of Louisiana sets their limit of trout at 25 per person. Calctsieu is set at 15 per person and we are only able to keep two trout over 25 inches. This is to promote our trophy trout fishery. As far as any issues we see with the estuary, there has been a decline in oysters over the past several years. The LDWF is working feverishly to reseed those that we’ve lost, but we aren’t seeing much difference in oyster growth. This is our main area of concern at the moment due to the importance of oysters in every estuary.

After the catch: For something more upscale, a local favorite is Mazen’s Steakhouse in Lake Charles (www.mazengrill.com), and on the casual side, Darrell’s (www.darrellspoboys.com) is hard to beat. Both are within 30 minutes of Calctsieu Lake.