2-foot Grand Isle tides produce speckled trout, redfish in Four Bayous, Coup Able and Caminanda passes
This past weekend you needed to be along the coast to catch specs and reds. Grand Isle experienced a rare weather treat. A cold front came through the state of Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico. Anticipating the cooler weather we headed to the island Saturday afternoon.
On arrival to Grand Isle at 4 p.m., I checked-in with Bridgeside Marina’s owner, Buggie. He informed me that fishing was going to be tough Saturday afternoon, but in the morning, the tide had been changing around 9 a.m., with a 2-foot tide range.
So, we tried our luck at the rocks in Caminada Pass and struck out.
Sunset forced us to prepare for the next morning’s fishing trip.
Buggie also told me that the rocks had produced good numbers of specks in Caminada Pass, but better catches had come from the reefs behind the Island on live bait, shrimp and small croakers.
For even better catches, he told us to head to the Coup Abel Pass and Four Bayous Pass.
Plastic beetles, Chartreuse, glow, avocado, black and chartreuse, and Purple and white worked the best.
We made our way back to the camp for supper and to rest for a while. Some members in the camp wanted to hit the nightlife, but Hunter, Gretchen and myself went back to Bridgeside Marina to fish under the lights at the dock.
Around 10 p.m. that night a cold front sweep across Grand Isle with winds out of the north.
The cool 63-degree temperatures felt the like air conditioners were on out side.
Fishing under the lights at Bridgeside Marina made me put on a long sleeve t-shirt.
The cool temperatures must have excited the fish because everyone was catching small white trout and specs on a 1/8 ounce white curly tail. We called it a night around 1 a.m.
The next morning Hunter and I left the camp at 7:30 a.m. We knew the tide was not going to change until 9 a.m. with a strong 2.0 tide range.
My son and I launched at the Sand Dollar, which is located at the eastern end of Grand Isle.
We made our way through Barataria Pass and headed east.
Boats lined the southern shoreline of Grand Terre Island. As we neared Coup Abel Pass, we noticed birds hitting the water near the eastern end of Grand Terre.
The wind was blowing out of the north, which made the south side, the gulf side, calm.
We coasted into the birds with the motor off. Once in the middle of the birds, Hunter started casting the old traditional shad rig, and I threw the tandem 2-inch chartreuse sparkle beetle and 3-inch avocado.
Only a few cast produced speckle trout. Around 9 a.m., the tide changed. Water began pouring around the point with shrimp jumping everywhere. The birds were diving all around the boat.
If we saw a shrimp swim by, one of us would throw by it and catch a double. This action went on for several hours.
Many of the speckle trout were 11 ¾ inches and had to be thrown back. But when we caught a legal fish, they ranged between 14 and 20 inches long.
We put 50 fish, two limits, in the ice chest and made a scouting trip to Four Bayous Pass.
We cruised 4 miles east of Coup Abel and fished Four Bayous quickly and called it a morning.
We contributed our success to catching speckle trout on several factors; 1. A strong 2-foot tide range in the morning, 2. Clear water, 3. Fished a tide change from high to low, 4. A calm windless morning, 5. The sky was overcast, 6. Shrimp or plenty of bait.
While fishing for speckle trout, Hunter hooked a large redfish. Gerard Danos, my nephew, had caught a 30-pound redfish on a previous fishing trip to Four Bayou Pass.
The tide range for the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo will start to lessen this week. Fishing will be good Wednesday and Thursday. Friday and Saturday the tide is under a foot, which is indication of poor fishing.
Be the first to comment