5 secrets to catching fish at Seabrook

After getting skunked at Seabrook on our second excursion, we set out to find the secret to catching fish there. We found five.

Photo by Bruce McDonald

Hunter McDonald with a 45-inch black drum at Seabrook Bridge.

Imagine a location 35 miles from Boutte where you are able to catch big redfish that stretch 24 to 27 inches long, nearly two-feet trout, black drum weighing in at 30 to 40 pounds and limits of puppy drum.

I’ve been telling St. Charles Herald-Guide editors Ann Taylor and Jonathan Menard how easy of at trip it was to fish the Seabrook Bridge.

And by the end of last week, I had convinced Taylor and her son Anthony to come fishing with me, so I could try my luck a second time.

After launching the boat, we fished numerous spots around the bridge without catching any keepers.

I noticed the water was moving back into the Industrial Canal, which was the opposite direction from what we fished earlier in the week. We also tried buying live shrimp at Seabrook Harbor and they were closed.

Sundown forced us to pick up the boat and head for home. My thoughts were, why hadn't we caught any fish?

It stayed with me the whole ride. We had struck out. I guess this is why they call it fishing and not catching.

Like I said, this was only my second time fishing in this area and I wanted to know more about Seabrook, so I called Captain Eric Dumas.

He had filmed numerous Louisiana Sportsman television shows with Kevin Ford at Seabrook.

He had great advice and a few tips for making the best out of a fishing trip to the Seabrook Bridge. Here they are:

1. Always fish an incoming tide. This is when the water is flowing from the Industrial Canal into Lake Pontchartrain.

2. If specks are what you're after, have live shrimp on hand - and remember that Seabrook Harbor is only open on weekends. So you’ll need to stock up else where during the week.

3. Find the drop offs and current lines.

4. Move around. Don’t stay put in one spot.

5. In a slack tide or strong tide the fish will roam the area.

A patient fisherman will catch fish. and following these five directions will allow anyone to catch fish.

This week Dumas caught a 7-pound speckled trout and says that the 24- to 30-inch redfish are stacked up around the bumpers.

Black drum will also fill your ice chest with a limit and Dumas’ reference points for tide change is two hours prior to change according to WWL tide information.

For guided fishing trip to Seabrook, you can call Dumas at 985-705-1244.

GRAND ISLE

According to Pete Chaisson, the crabs are crawling the beach in Grand Isle. Specks are running in the surf and over the reefs on the backside of the island.

Best baits have been live bait, the Blue Moon Terror Tail, and the chartreuse beetle. Bull reds are in the passes biting best on cut mullet and cracked crab.

LOCALLY

Crabs are still abundant in Bayou Des Allemands and Mud Lake.

Pier 90 is still renovating their building from a fire earlier this summer, but George Garcia reported the bass are hitting the Ribbit Frog in the melon, red and pearl.

Plastic worms, white spinner baits, and shad-colored crank baits have worked well.

The goggle-eyes are schooled up around the cement block at the tank ponds.

In Lake Salvador the redfish are showing up on the south shore in the stumps.

Best baits are pogies, gold spoons, and black and chartreuse with a gold spinner.

How to get to Seabrook

We crossed the Greater New Orleans Bridge and took I-10 over the Industrial Canal Bridge.

We then exited onto Morrison Road, and made a left at Downman Road.

Heading towards the lakefront, we turned left and crossed the Ted Hinckey Bridge, known as Seabrook Bridge.

On the downside of the bridge be ready to exit to the right.

Circle back to the bridge and the launch is on the left.

You can see the big round bumper at the end of the bulkhead from the launch.