Living and fishing in SE Louisiana you learn one thing fast: It’s more fun and productive when it’s cooler. This was reinforced often during the 10 years I spent as editor of Louisiana Outdoors from 1995 to 2005. Just about every charter fishing captain I worked with or wrote about, had three or four months out of the year when they would prefer not to fish. It wasn’t because they didn’t want the money but more because they had to work harder to find the fish. They just hated to take a charter out and not come close to catching the limits of fish allowed.
For some, March and April were the months they vacationed. They figured it was a transition period between winter and spring when the fish were still sluggish and harder to locate. For other captains, they prefer not to fish during July and August simply because it is hotter. What they all like is fishing when the water temperatures start dropping, signaling to the fish that what passes as winter down here is approaching.
Now, a word of caution with the above information. The weather has a mind of its own and some years it starts cooling off in September and sometimes it doesn’t start getting cooler until November. Fortunately, this year we’ve seen it get cooler in mid-October this year.
What does this mean for fishing? Hopefully it has triggered the fish to start feeding in advance of cold water temperatures when they will move into their winter pattern. As the water gets colder, the fish will move out of open water areas and along shorelines and into canals or deep holes.
My first recommendation for fishing speckled trout, is to fish under a popping cork. I personally would use live shrimp but I’ve also had success using plastic bait on a 1/4-ounce jig heads. One of my old standbys is white beetle with a red spot or a glow-in-the-dark beetle.
I also like fishing a “tight-line” in canals or holes when chasing specks. Basically, I just use a jig head without the popping cork and bounce the bait along the bottom till I get it back to the boat. Depending on how deep the water is and the current you may have to use a heavier jig head.
Of course, redfish are bigger and more tolerant to cold water than specks, so you should still be able to find them near shorelines in open water. Reds will bite dead or live shrimp under a popping cork just like specks. They will also hit a plastic cocahoe fished on a tightline.
Places to look for reds is near small cuts, sloughs or canals going into the marsh. When the tide is going out the marsh drains and these become prime feeding areas for reds. Pay attention to which way the water is moving and make your cast so the retrieve is going with the flow.
On the coldest days, the reds will be sitting in these areas and waiting for the shrimp, crabs and minnows to come to them. Put your bait right in front of them, and they will take your hook.
My favorite cooler weather fish recipe: Redfish Stew
2 tbs. vegetable oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 large bell peppers sliced
1 rib of celery, diced
4 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 whole bay leafs
1 lb. Andouille or smoked sausage, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 lb. peeled and cleaned raw shrimp
2 lbs. redfish fillets cut into 2 inch cubes
28 oz. can stewed tomatoes
Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste
(I typically use a 7 quart cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe.)
Put the oil in the pot, add the smoked sausage and start sautéing over medium low heat until sausage starts to brown. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic and celery along with the oregano, thyme and bay leafs. Cover and cook over low heat until the onions and bell pepper soften and are about half the volume they were raw.
Add the raw shrimp and stir. Layer the red fish cubes on top and try not to break them apart. Add salt, black pepper and red pepper. Pour the can of stewed tomatoes into the pot and stir gently.
Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.
(Variation: Instead of using a can of stewed tomatoes, make about 3 cups of brown gravy and use it instead.)
