Rain and wind and more rain and wind was the word for the day. Really tough fishing conditions out of Delacroix. I tried to talk my guests out of going this AM several times while we were sitting in the boat under the boat slip waiting out a down pour. They were itching to go, so we donned rain jackets and headed South East. My first spot was taken, so we ventured a little further out and glided onto a small flat off a deep river. It is usually very shallow and sometimes not navigable, but not today. The water is 2-3 feet above normal as a result of the strong NE winds the last few days. The water was surprisingly clear as the tide rolled up on the flat from the river. We set up above the current line and cast downwind into the current. The trout were hungry and awaiting our offerings of artificial cocahoes in smoke colors on 3/8 ounce jigheads and live shrimp and craokers 3 feet under corks. These were solid fish 14-20" with no throwbacks. The artificial put a whipping on the live bait again today. These fish wanted a steady retrieve just over the oyster shells. Things were going good until the live bait dredged up the hardhead catfish and the trout bite died. Did I mention rain? We hit another flat adjacent to a deep cut and set up upstream to work the current again. The wind made it difficult to cast into the deep and pull up on the flat so we cast down current onto the flat. With rod tips up, we rolled the baits along the flat ticking the oyster shells. It is difficult to catch fish pulling the bait up from their tails, but we were able to get another good bite going. Did I mention that it rained? The water was stained and getting dirier by the minute and it eventually killed the bite. We hit a small pond adjacent to a deep canal and set up several spots before we found the right presentation and got into another trout bite, but the tide was sweeping through the pond so hard, it was difficult to fish. We called it a day early after being rained on repeatedly. That really saps your energy. The weekend looks like a wash unless you need a good bath so my guests wisely rescheduled. Good luck out there!
Captain Jeff J. Dauzat
Fin and Feather Guide Service
www.finandfeatherguides.com
(504)818-2176