L_S_2015_04_

242 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015

Southeast

fishing forecast continued

Delacroix Island/Reggio/

Pointe a la Hache

Capt. Nick “Fishaholic” Rando (504-281-8287) said April action

depends on what Mother Nature gives us, weather-wise.

“If March is mild and we get an actual spring, then the trout

action will turn on in the outer bays like Bay Lafourche, Grand

Point Bay and Oak River Bay,” he said. “Redfish will patrol the

shorelines and trout will hang in the same bays over the oyster

r e e f s .”

Rando said there’s a lot of trout out there, but they won’t be

schooled up this month so you’ll have to do a lot of stick-and-

move style fishing. But the effort will pay off with speckled

dividends.

“Use shrimp imitation lures under a cork, DOA’s, TKO’s, Vudu

shrimp, Gulp shrimp — all should produce,” he said. “And if live

shrimp are available, get those because live is always the best

bait. For reds the best bait has been live cocohoes under a cork.

That’s been out producing anything else by far.”

Rando said to cast your live minnow as close to the bank as

possible.

“The reds can’t resist them,” he said.

Shell Beach/Hopedale

Capt. Jackamo (504-303-1494) said the fishing action heats up

with the weather this month.

“April is a divided month, in that the first half you can still catch

fish in the same areas you’d fish in March,” he said. “I’ll make trips

into Breton Sound just about every decent day to tackle big reds,

drum and sheepshead at the rigs and wells. If you want to experi-

ence some great rod-bending action, this is it.”

Jackamo said the water is still a bit cool and fronts can still

cause fluctuations in the temperature.

“But by mid-to-late April our trout start to show up with the

gradually warming weather,” he said.

Jackamo said the Rocks at the end of the MRGO are generally

among the first places the trout show up, but also in areas like

Lake Fortuna, Bay Eloi, Bay Lafourche and Black Bay.

“We fish a lot of underwater structure like shell pads and reefs

in April, but also at small wellheads and around small islands

in those waters,” he said. “The best bait, live Campo’s shrimp

fished 3-4 feet under a cork.”

Bayou Bienvenue

Tony Cuccia at Fisherman’s Friend Bait Shop (504-577-1078)

said the Wall has been a steady producer of speckled trout all

season, and April should serve up more of the same.

“The trout action has been consistent along the Wall,” he said.

“You might not catch a limit but 15 trout or more per trip ain’t bad.

“The trout have been biting pretty good in the MRGO across

from Boh Brothers and around the Bulk Plant. It’d sure be great

to see that action start up again like it used to every April.”

Cuccia said both sets of Locks will produce fish this month,

along with areas like the Castle and the ICWW.

“Bass are hitting baits in the Pen, the Dike Canal and any

dead-ends along it,” he said. “And by April we should have a

good supply of live shrimp.”

Rigolets

Capt. Mike Gallo (985-781-7811) said April has always been

one of his favorite months to fish in southeastern Louisiana.

“Longer daylight periods mean warmer water temperatures,

Chase Derenbecker, 10, caught his first redfish

Hog Island in the Rigolets. He was fishing with

his brother, Cole, his dad Billy Jr. and his grand-

dad Billy Sr.

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