Redfish hot after cold front

Bruce McDonald/Herald-Guide

Hunter McDonald with a redfish caught in Montegut.

If you’re looking for easy redfish action, head to Grand Isle along Highway 1.

Below Leeville, along Highway 1, is a series of small bridges, culverts, deep ditches and cuts into the marsh where redfish, black drum and speckled trout will congregate. These areas are all within walking distance from a parked vehicle and the best times to fish these areas are after cold fronts.

Many redfish will stack up in deeper holes. The best bait to use will be market shrimp on a ¼ ounce jig head. Redfish can also be caught on artificial lures such as the black/white tuxedo cocahoe, purple/white cocahoe, black/chartreuse cocahoe rigged with a ¼ ounce jig head and a gold spinner, and the ¼ ounce gold and silver spoons.

Another way to fish is to rig a cocahoe 16 to 20 inches under a popping cork and work it along a current line.

To find the best fishing spots drive along Highway 1 and look for moving water on a falling tide. Fish an entire area around each location, moving a lure or bait 2 feet could mean the difference in catching a limit. If a location does not produce, move to another one.

Make sure to have plenty of space to park along Highway 1 because it is a busy highway, and bring along along a handle landing net, ice chest and plenty of tackle. The limit is five redfish, 16 to 26 inches and only one of which may be 27 inches and over, per person. The speckled trout limit is 25 with a 12-inch minimum length. Black drum have the same restrictions as redfish.