old timer/veteran help
 

So ya'll know I am rather young (mid 30's) and am learning inshore salt fishing. I am not looking for places or spots as I know I have to put in the time and am learning the bay and surrounding marsh island. What I would love to hear from you vets is what should we be looking for in your experience? windward vs leeward shores, how do you spot slicks, what tips to find holes/spots for reds...locating trout schools etc..

Just want to have a discussion on tips and thoughts and tricks and techniques to learn from you vets and older guys for us younger folks. Again not trying to potlick spots or even talk about the where in VBay...just learning the area and the ins and outs of inshore fishing. Looking forward to your thoughts...

Go and buy the Troutsupport.com DVD's they are great! They will tell you more detail than you can comprehend.

Great will look it up. I know most of learning is experience. Just thought it would be cool to hear the thoughts of these trout warriors. No prob.


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You aint gonna get too much specific information on these forums. People don't like sharing their secrets, which some of them are hard earned. Its funny you mentioned the specifics you did because the troutsupport DVD's answer those basic questions and a lot more.

That and its different for each time of the year. I use a monthly guide suggestion to kinda gauge where I THINK fish might be, but there are many factors you have to figure in, Tide, wind, water clarity, water salinity, water temperature, available REAL bait to the fish, bla bla bla

Now I don't know shizznit about V bay so I wouldnt be much help other then the basics, and just from what I have read the specs are more temperamental about condition over there as well.

Wouldn't it be cool if there was a fishing forum where outdoor men/women across south Louisiana could get together and actually share information and help each other out in a community atmosphere?

You could break up the conversation into hunting, freshwater fishing, and saltwater fishing.

We could have premium memberships to talk about sports and politics... I think this is a wonderful idea.

The sad part is that it will never happen because we are all about the "ME" generation on social media and internet forums these days. People are only concerned about saying "LOOK AT ME... LOOK WHAT I DID"... "No, sorry I can't tell you any specifics because someone else might catch MY fish"

We forget that sharing the outdoors with our friends is about people and helping your fellow sportsman. If I knew Vermillion bay I would offer some advice buddy... unfortunately I don't even fish Big Lake enough to keep up with it.

As someone in a similar situation, this website (particularly the blog) has some great info for people learning the basics (slicks, birds, tidal movement).
These guys mostly refer to SE LA, but for learning saltwater fishing, their fundamentals are out there for everyone to read and learn.
http://www.lafishblog.com/

That is a great site... thanks!

I agree with you, as well disagree. I think Satly is a good place to talk fish and discuss whats and wheres, just gotta weed through a lot of the flack, actually kinda like "fishin". Just the other day peps were talking about Holly beach making a killin, I have never been to holly beach so I made the run, I now know. As well the wash out was hitting too, I my self have posted a few details about black lake.

NOW am I or anyone else going to tell you where my honey holes are? NO. I have spent $1000s and 100s of hrs finding theses spots. Spent money with guides getting educated. 100s of hrs looking at charts, maps google earth, bing imaging. $100s on lures, artificials, and using each one and honing on what works and what dosent. Hell I just found a new bait that's works GREAT and its not a salt water bait. It looked good and from what I know is a preferred artificial in BL is seemed to fit in. So I bought it and it worked! Although I have many that don't. I actually enjoy the "HUNT" and this is part of it. I have been fishing BL well over a year now I go in the spring summer fall and winter (ask W about our ride back in the winter to the peir one evening with 4ft waves) and have FINALLY gotton to a point I can do "ok" Now if you go fishing with me we both may learn something from each other. Granted there dosent seem to be a lot of chatter about V bay, and it seems most peps here fish BL. Hell I roll by Iowa every time I go to BL Ill have to stop and pick you up!

Read up on article on the web, heres a nugget for ya, its information I use as well just as a general month to month guide http://texasweekendangler.com/lake_c..._louisiana.htm

I still go hunting/scouting around even though I know a few spots that produce. This weekend Ill check out a few new places that I have never been.

Have fun my friend, go burn some fuel and go drown some "shkrimps" (hahaha inside joke)

Good article in Texas weekly except Calcasieu trout limit is 15 with only 2 over 25

That's a great website lots of information on the fundamentals of locating fish and their habits. Exactly what the original poster and myself have been looking for not coordinates on honey holes. No respecting angler wants someone to outright give them the coordinates of their honey holes.

I guess I don't see the problem with sharing information without "giving away the honey hole"...

This is my example:
(THIS IS A FAKE REPORT SO DO GO TAKE MY SPOT!!!)
We have been catching a good bit of trout lately. When the tide is incoming which it has been in the mornings this week we have done pretty well along the flats of the ship channel. Mostly using darker colored artificial and also under a popping cork with live shrimp. Water was pretty calm early but the wind has been picking up around 10am making spotting the slicks a little tougher. Water temp was around 70° and salinity was at 5.2ppm.

DONT GO STEAL MY SPOT!!!

I agree, and it happens thus the holy beach and wash out example, but on the other hand, holy beach the boats were so packed you could almost walk across them, as well the last time I was at the wash out well before sun rise there was just I and another boat, just as the sun rose there was about 15 boats in a matter of 30 mins...........

I have a few friends on the lake that if Im having a rough day Ill call and see if they know anything as well, they will call me if they know Im there, sorta networking with friends

not sure what else I can say or help with, just take what you can from reports and do a mental copulation and make your best judgment call with what you know, it will come, with time.

I know some of you guys do give excellent reports... thank you for that.

I'm not making my statements for myself... I don't usually have a problem on big lake... sometimes I catch fish and sometimes I don't but I don't fish enough for it to really matter to me. I mainly go out there to boat around and enjoy nature.

I'm just speaking in general terms... I am of the opinion that guys that fish the lake regularly could give more information than they do. I like the pictures on the site but I love to read the fishing reports... even if I don't plan on fishing. Makes you feel more like you belong to a community and like you are "in the loop"

Marty... what is Mental Copulation??? I know the definition of Copulation and its usually on my mind but I'm not sure it has anything to do with fishing... hahaha :D

Hahaha I ment mental computation

Love the conversation. My prob is lack of time. 3 small kids. But I don't mind paying my dues and learning as well. I'd love to learn bl. Just don't know anyone who goes out there. Anyone need an extra let me know whatever. Vbay sucks in summer for me as my boat is too small to hit tiger shoals. But it is what it is. Alphaman, Marque etc have been great helping out as they can and I have put those tips to use. I am at the point of mapping on my own parts of marsh island and learning the reefs. Love the outdoors, love introducing my boys as they age and love making new friends. Thanks for the resources fellas. I'll be out of Lafitte going after reds with some friends.


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This weekend


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VBay is a harsh mistress and there is no simple answer. If you are looking for redfish they are there for the taking but I am not a good enough fisherman to find any trout there until the salinity is up and has been there a week or so. The bay can get stirred up quick so its important to note what direction the prevailing winds have been out of for the previous 72 hours. A Southeast wind is a buzz kill and will wreck the entire bay but if its out of the South or Southwest for a few days you will notice the water south and west of redfish point start to clear up. Where I fish is usually dictated by what the tide is doing. Falling is generally the best but not always. Although most of the spots I catch on a rising tide are closer to the pass. If the wind has been out of the east or southeast Fearman is a good place to start as well as the leeshore of Mudpoint in the Little Bay. General rule for redfish is if the tide is falling fish drainages, points, cuts where the water is moving, when its rising get as far back in the marsh as your boat will allow you to go. If you can find a place that is a mud flat at low tide and has a foot of water at high, chances are you will find some fish. This time of year beating the banks for reds can be productive. But they don't stack up especially if there is an incoming or weak tide. I hardly ever catch more than 2 at a particular spot. I also don't catch many reds where the bank is bare. Meaning they are in areas where there is marsh grass or shells visible on the bank. Pipeline crossings, bulkheads, pilings, and places where there are limestone are your friend, if you can find one that is not taken fish it until you are convinced the fish are not there. Most of the time if reds are there you will see them. The swirl they make is very distinctive as well as when they pop a bait on the surface and of course the V in the water is hard to miss. Bait is a good indication as long as its agitated. A lot of times I have come across hundreds of mullet in a cove with reds on the periphery and could not get them to hit anything I threw at them. Either there was too much competition for my bait or there wasn't any tidal movement and the fish were not feeding. I hardly ever use a cork rigged with market or live bait but I cannot deny that it will outproduce artificial 8 out of 10 times. If I am fishing dirty or stained water I like dark baits that produce vibration. My bait of choice is a Jenny Jig Redfish spinner rigged with either a Black/Chart or Purple/Chart Matrix Shad or Wedge Tail Minnow. I know thats 4 different baits but something with lots of action. If the water clarity is decent you can't beat a 3" Usual Suspects swimbait. Decent water clarity means you can see your bait 3 to 4 inches below the surface. It doesn't take too much clarity for them to see it. I think a red would rather eat a bunch of little fish as where a speck would rather eat one big one. If I am going to use a cork an H&H baby bull minnow in previous mentioned colors tipped with a shrimp. They have to see your bait for them to hit it and using a cork will allow you to keep it where they can see it a lot longer. That being said, casting as close to whatever kind of structure you are fishing is really important. They are ambush preditors and need something to hide behind/blend in with. I cast and cast and cast some more and catch 80% of my fish within 10' of where my bait hits the water, most of the time within 5'. But structure (grass,bulkheads,rocks) and cuts, ditches, and canals that drain marsh are going to be the places to find and catch reds in the bay. As far as specks go, I am no great expert in finding them. There are spots where they hang out, if I get there and the water is decent I will start casting till I find them or get fed up. Most of the time I get fed up. A lot of what I said is somewhat common knowledge and I hope I don't sound like Captain Obvious. I don't mind sharing a little knowledge because there's nothing I am going to tell you that can't be read elsewhere. I catch fish because I am persistant and not much else. I have burned 80 gallons of gas trying to find them or sat in on spot for 10 hours till they got hungry. I generally just go with my intuition, if it feels fishy I fish.

In your 30's. Okay. Fish the reefs outside Marsh island on either side like T-Butte to the West or Nickel to the East. Dry reef is another reef to get to know and fishing the radio tower complex is productive at times too. These are well known spots to fish...

• Vermilion area — Cypremort Point, N29º43’20 x W91º52’22
• Cote Blanche area — Nickel Reef, N29º25’10 x W91º42’ 27
• Cote Blanche area — Rabbit Island No. 1, N29º25’37 x W91º42’27
• Cote Blanche area — Rabbit Island No. 2, N29º30’ 34” x W91º 33’ 52

If I was 30, I'd buy a nice kayak like a Hobie Outback or a Pro Angler and familiarize myself with the entire region. I have learned fishing kayak tournaments how to be a better fisherman and have also learned all sorts of spots throughout the state. VB is TONS of fun in the Fall and early winter too. But you'll seriously limit yourself if you don't move around. I'm not saying to stop using your smoker... Get the lay of the land in the kayak and then take the smoker OR take them both. Mothershipping a kayak is the most fun I've had fishing in South Louisiana. For instance, fishing behind the weirs at Marsh Island is not possible without a boat AND a kayak. That's prime redfish and flounder territory that hardly anyone fishes. Just an idea...