UTERJanuary
Clear-water reds in the ponds; trout in the deep bayous
Sight-cast reds with a spinnerbait on calm days; slow plastics in the canals and at the trestles.
Sabine Pass to the Chandeleurs
Louisiana Coast fishing
What's biting in Louisiana Coast in October: pompano, redfish and spotted seatrout at their peak, with tarpon, cobia and king mackerel around too. Fish Scouter's season calendar follows 41 fish here month by month, from Lake Charles to New Orleans.
Birds over trout; bulls on the islands
Millions of acres of marsh, ponds and bayous — Calcasieu, Barataria, Terrebonne, Lake Pontchartrain, Breton and Chandeleur sounds — fringed by barrier islands at Grand Isle, Elmer's and the Chandeleurs, the Mississippi River passes at Venice, and thousands of oil and gas platforms from the beach to blue water.
Lake CharlesCameronCocodriePort FourchonGrand IsleLafitteVeniceHopedaleNew Orleans
Updated
Now · October
Birds over trout; bulls on the islands
Follow the gulls in the bays; flounder harvest closes for the fall run — check LDWF.
Spotted seatroutRedfishFlounderSheepsheadYellowfin tunaWahoo
This month here
From the season calendar, best firstPeakSpawningPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingLeavingAroundAroundAroundAroundAroundAroundAroundAroundAroundAroundAround
Pompano
The fall run back through the surf.
Redfish
Bulls on the outer islands and at the jetties; slot reds blow up the marsh ponds as the fronts start.
Spotted seatrout
Birds diving on trout over the shrimp in the bays from Hopedale to Cocodrie.
Flounder
Fish move to the passes and outer islands; Louisiana closes harvest during the fall run — check LDWF.
Gag grouper
Whiting
Greater amberjack
Wahoo
Wahoo on the deepwater floaters.
Blackfin tuna
Yellowfin tuna
Tarpon
Cobia
King mackerel
Spanish mackerel
Tripletail
Jack crevalle
Ladyfish
Sailfish
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)
Blue marlin
Blacktip shark
Bull shark
Bonnethead shark
Atlantic sharpnose shark
Atlantic croaker
Atlantic cutlassfish (ribbonfish)
Gafftopsail catfish
Tiger shark
Atlantic spadefish
Sheepshead
Mangrove snapper
Black drum
Sand seatrout
Red snapper
Vermilion snapper
Swordfish
Little tunny (bonito)
Scamp
Gray triggerfish
Almaco jack
The water
The tide here
Diurnal, 0.5–1.5 ft
One high and one low most days and a small range — wind and fronts move more water than the moon. A moving tide matters twice as much here. The Mississippi and Atchafalaya push fresh water and color across the marsh — salinity and wind decide where the fish are.
Structure that matters
Grass flatOyster barChannel edgePass / inletBridgeDock / pilingsBeach / surfArtificial reefWreckMarker / buoy
After a cold front
Fronts blow the marsh out and clear the water: reds stack in the deep ponds and bayou bends, trout run to the canals, the Pontchartrain trestles and Big Lake's deep holes. The clear, low water after a front is the best sight-fishing of the year.
Month by month
What's happening, and what to throwFebruary
Big drum spawn at the passes; reds hold in the ponds
Cracked crab for bull drum at the river passes; sheepshead on the rigs.
March
Transition month: trout start moving out
Fish the bayou mouths and the inside edges of the outer bays as salinity rises.
April
Reds on the points; cobia hit the islands; Venice yellowfin
Shrimp under a cork on the marsh points; sight-cast cobia on the nearshore platforms.
May
Trout spawn on the barrier islands
Wade Grand Isle, Elmer's and the Chandeleurs at first light; red snapper on the rigs when open.
June
Island trout and platform snapper
Live shrimp at the islands and nearshore rigs; tripletail on the crab-trap floats.
July
Tarpon off Grand Isle; tripletail on every float
Run the crab-trap lines for tripletail; tarpon around the river passes; offshore for blues.
August
Peak tarpon; bull reds start at the passes
Early mornings in the marsh; bulls and jacks at the passes.
September
Bull reds spawn at the passes and the Chandeleurs
Cracked crab or cut mullet for bulls; trout move back into the bays.
October · now
Birds over trout; bulls on the islands
Follow the gulls in the bays; flounder harvest closes for the fall run — check LDWF.
November
The best month: trout and reds everywhere
Every drain on a falling north-wind tide; slicks over the reefs.
December
Trout to the trestles and Big Lake; reds to the ponds
Pontchartrain trestles and the Calcasieu wade flats; reds in the clear ponds.
Fish guides for Louisiana Coast
When, where and what to use, fish by fishAlmaco jackAtlantic croakerAtlantic cutlassfish (ribbonfish)Atlantic sharpnose sharkAtlantic spadefishBlack drumBlackfin tunaBlacktip sharkBlue marlinBonnethead sharkBull sharkCobiaFlounderGafftopsail catfishGag grouperGray triggerfishGreater amberjackJack crevalleKing mackerelLadyfishLittle tunny (bonito)Mahi-mahi (dolphin)Mangrove snapperPompanoRed snapperRedfishSailfishSand seatroutScampSheepsheadSpanish mackerelSpotted seatroutSwordfishTarponTiger sharkTripletailVermilion snapperWahooWhite marlinWhitingYellowfin tuna
Open the app for today's readFish it with the tide in your pocket
Fish Scouter scores every species for this hour on this water, draws every reef and wreck near you, and keeps your spots. $9.99 a month, 14 days free.
Start 14 free days