Catching Springtime Redfish in Louisiana

 

Springtime Redfish in Delacroix is on Point!

Right now in Delacroix, Louisiana the redfish are more aggressive than the security team on a United Airlines flight. The annual transitional movement of bait around the marsh has these fish fired up. The water is clean in many areas due to a strong Southeast wind last week and that makes the fishing a whole lot easier. This is the kind of Louisiana charter fishing that we live for.

We are finding fish along the broken edges of large bays and lakes. Since it has been so windy lately we are positioning our boats so that we can cast with the wind. I like to find a good windblown island and have my customers cast out about 10-15 yards off the island. We are using Boat Monkey Float corks because they create so much action on the water’s surface. Sometimes the fish like a lot of popping action and sometimes they like for the bait to sit still. You will just have to try different techniques until something works better than the other.

The key to locating the fish is obviously clean water. Another thing I am looking for is patches of milfoil grass. Redfish love to use the milfoil as an ambush point for minnows,crabs, and shrimp. Once you find an area you are confident in be sure to sit for at least 10 minutes. I have noticed that it’s been taking a while for the schools to notice the action of the popping corks. Once they do however, we have been catching on average 10 redfish on each island, so be sure to fish for a while once you get a few bites.

Another thing to consider if you’re coming to Delacroix this week is that gnats have made their annual appearance. be sure to bring a good gnat repellant such as Cajun Mist or Amber Romance. The typical OFF for mosquitoes is really not the best spray for gnats and those little suckers can ruin a fishing trip in a hurry if you don’t protect yourself against them. New Orleans red fishing can be a lot more enjoyable if you take this into account.

As the wind continues to lay down, fishing should stay consistent. If you’re coming down to Delacroix and need lodging be sure to check out our Pelican Roos Lodge and Fishing Cabins. Our accommodations are unmatched by any other place in Southeast Louisiana. And if you want to try a redfish guide Louisiana style, we can help you with that as well.

Captain Randall Shaw

Louisiana Fishing Charters

www.la-charters.com

504-669-1263

Off the Hook April Fishing


The Red Drum Fishing in 2017 is Off the Hook!

I think there’s a common misconception that Louisiana charter fishing has it’s best months in May and June. While May and June are just about sure bets, this year March and April have been beyond expectations. It most likely has something to do with the warm winter we had. Since water temperatures never really dropped to really cold levels, the fish have started their transitions early this year and they are actively feeding as they do that.

What’s driving the redfish boom right now is the big influx of schools of mullet into the marsh. They are leaving the open Gulf and heading into the marsh. The hungry redfish follow behind. We recently caught the biggest redfish on my boat ever. The fish came in at 42 inches and weighed over 30 pounds. This is no doubt a fish that spends most of its time in the open Gulf, but has followed schools of mullet into the marsh. If you are coming to Delacroix to fish, look for the big schools of mullet and you will find the redfish.

Although the fish are making it easy for us, we never get too comfortable. We actively track and follow these schools of fish to give our clients the best chance possible at having a successful day of fishing. We have noticed that schools of trout are already on the outside edges of where the marsh turns into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. You can come to New Orleans redfishing but we can also target trout when they are biting. That’s why we stay so active on the water- so we can be tuned into what the different fish are doing at any given time.

It’s a good time to be a Louisiana fishing guide. The weather is still mild and it hasn’t gotten to be brutally hot yet. Fish are actively feeding and higher salinities have many areas with very clean water right now. Delacroix is on fire and we can’t wait to take you.

Captain Randall Shaw
Louisiana Fishing Charters
Delacroix, LA
www.la-charters.com
504-669-1263

April Memories of a Lifetime Fishing Report



Memories that last a lifetime, Redfish that never disappoint.

Do me a favor please. Slow down your thinking for a second. Stop worrying about the tasks ahead of you. Stop worrying about your job, your obligations at home, your social media news feed. Stop thinking about all of that just for a few seconds. Now. Picture yourself on a boat. Not just any boat, but a nice, clean bay boat with plenty of room. You are out in the Louisiana marsh on a with a Louisiana charter guide from Louisiana Fishing Charters.

Your best friends or your family is with you. They are smiling. In front of you the sun is rising over the tall marsh grass and the whole scene is resemblant of something from the African sahara, only in this sahara there is plenty of water to go around. Just as you are taking a deep breath to appreciate the beauty of this scene, the fishing rod in your hand bends over as if the top end is going to go straight in the water.

On the other end of your line, a mighty redfish is fighting for his life. He’s strong and mean and doesn’t want you to win the fight. The folks around you are also experiencing the same thing. Your captain is coaching you through this experience and everyone on the boat is grinning ear to ear. After a fun fight, you see your captain reach for his net. He dips it into the water and scoops up the biggest, bronziest Louisiana redfish you have ever seen. He lugs the big red into the boat and in that moment you feel complete. You thank your redfish guide Louisiana style with a high five and that beautiful redfish goes in the ice box for you to take home and enjoy at your dinner table.

Excuse my poetic license, but here at Louisiana Fishing Charters, this is an everyday occurrence. The thing about it is, we never stop appreciating scenes like this. That’s why we became charter captains. We love this stuff and the places we fish. We don’t ever take that for granted. And truly, seeing our clients experience this for the first time, or having them come back to experience this again, keeps it fresh for us and that’s why we do this. If you’re coming to New Orleans red fishing is just a phone call away. Give us a call and let us take you on the fishing trip of a lifetime.

Captain Randall Shaw
Louisiana Fishing Charters
Delacroix, LA
www.la-charters.com
504-669-1263

Incredible March Fishing New Orleans

Beautiful Redfish, Spring Fishing in Louisiana

Man what a Spring it has been so far. We had some prevalent Southeasterly winds for a while there. While it did raise overall water levels in the marsh and spread fish out, it also pushed in a lot of clean water with higher salinity. It’s so fun when you can get a good look at the redfish in that cleaner water and they turn a beautiful bronze color with the extra exposure to the sun.

I’ll be the first one to say that the spring patterns have started early this year. We seem to be running a month ahead of schedule. If you are coming to New Orleans fishing should be on your list of things to do for this Spring.

What typically happens in the Spring is that redfish start to transition from the interior marshes to the outer bays. Since we spend so much time on the water we are able to track them as they move around. They won’t be in one place for long but as a Louisiana fishing guide it is my duty to figure out where they are on any given day.

I recently had a father and two sons on board. We enjoyed some super comfortable weather and the redfish were coming in the boat all day long. To locate them I try to find pinch points where they might be traveling from one bay to the next. As is normal in the springtime, we get quite a few windy days, but our bay boats are built for comfort and fishing so we don’t have any problems dealing with the wind. Honestly, windy days can be awesome and some of the most comfortable of the year. You might even have to bring a jacket if you fish with us this Spring!

The bottom line is that you should not wait to book your trip. Now is the time. The fish have started early and it will only get better from here. If you’ve ever wondered what fishing trips New Orleans has to offer, give us a call and book yours now.

Captain Randall Shaw
Louisiana Fishing Charters
Delacroix, LA
www.la-charters.com
504-669-1263

Big schools of Redfish March Fishing

Focused on Exceptional Fishing Experiences

Now that my twin sons have been born, it’s time to get back to the business of catching fish. Having my first two children has been an eye opening experience and it has made me even more determined to offer the most professional charter service Louisiana has to offer. I look down at those two little guys and I know for sure that I have to work hard to make their lives great. I am very blessed.

Now let’s talk about redfish. I have been a Louisiana fishing guide for long enough now to know the habits of redfish. My favorite thing to do for my customers is to find big schools of redfish in the marshes of Delacroix. I like to fish schools because my customers can often catch a few at a time. It’s a cool feeling to watch people experience this for the first time. There’e lots of hooping and hollering as everyone’s rod is bent over fighting these mighty redfish. They really are at the top of the food chain when it comes to hard fighting inshore species.

One of the details I also pay attention to is the wear and tear these redfish put on my equipment. When you are a redfish guide in Louisiana you have to have equipment that can stand up to the long fights these fish put up. When my rods and reels get to the point that they can’t handle it anymore, I get new ones. The last thing we want here at Louisiana Fishing Charters is for a client to lose the fish of a lifetime because our equipment is not up to par.

The fishing will only get better from here on out. If you book now, you can still enjoy some of the milder weather before the heat of summer starts to kick in. We are ready and waiting and so are the redfish.

 

Captain Randall Shaw
Louisiana Fishing Charters
Delacroix, LA
www.la-charters.com
504-669-1263

History of Delacroix Fishing

Los Islenos Delacroix Island Louisiana Fishing History

No one ever said fishing in the month of February is easy in Louisiana. In fact, that feeling goes way back to the times when Delacroix, LA was inhabited mostly by Spanish migrants called Los Isleños.

These people came to Louisiana from Spain in the late 1700’s. Little by little they settled at Delacroix and came to view it as an island. Delacroix is not exactly an island but it is surrounded by some of the most fertile waters in the entire United States. So, since they came from the Canary Islands and they lived at Delacroix “Island” they called themselves “Los Isleños” which in Spanish means “The Islanders”.

These hardworking people first made their living mostly as cattle farmers, but as the cattle farms were bought out by large sugar cane plantations who were capitalizing on the proximity to the port of New Orleans, the Canary Islanders moved further east to the bayous of Delcaroix. It was here they fought themselves to fish and trap for a living.

One of the ways they held on to their heritage was to sing songs in Spanish called decimas. One of the most well known decimas is about how hard it is to be a crab fisherman during the month of February.

February in Delacroix can be a month of extreme weather swings. For inshore fishing this means the tide can drop out severely in some of our favorite redfish ponds. The water temperature can also make big changes in a matter of a couple days sending speckled trout to deeper water. This is why it is imperative that we scout on our off days. The last thing we want to do is to not be able to react to a weather change during our charter trips. While we also take some time to enjoy the things going on in New Orleans this time of year- Mardi Gras, king cakes, and festivals - we know that it’s also a time that separates the boys from the men on the water.

The valuable information that we find on our scouting trips let’s us better pattern the fish and share those results with our customers here at Louisiana Fishing Charters. We take our work very seriously, and that work is the business of catching fish, so we are not afraid to spend plenty days on the water scouting for fish- especially in the month of February.

Captain Randall Shaw
Louisiana Fishing Charters
Delacroix, LA
www.La-Charters.com

Mardi Gras February Fishing

Mardi Gras and Fishing in New Orleans

Lots of redfish are still biting here in Delacroix, LA. I guess the redfish are getting ready for Mardi Gras season too!

louisiana-fishing-reports-2-13-17b It’s always a magical season this time of year in New Orleans as the Mardi Gras parades kick off and backyard crawfish boils start popping up all over town. To top that all off it can be some of the most comfortable fishing days of the year. We will have many day stretches of temps in the 70’s due to our mild winters here in South Louisiana.

The early morning bite has not been much lately. The bite has been picking up later in the day as the water warms up. Because of all the dirty water in Delacroix right now I am using dead shrimp to attract fish. I find the dead shrimp emit more smell than the live shrimp do, so I am using the fish's sense of smell against him rather than his sense of sight. The water clarity has been too poor for fish to see very far.

If you're going to be heading to Delacroix anytime soon, try an afternoon if you can. The warm air temps and sunlight warm up the water and fish feed more actively during this time.

I recently had a fun charter with this couple. As usual the girl out fished the guy! She really had a knack for catching redfish. Charter fishing can be a great activity for married couples and a unique date to spice things up a bit.

After a full day of catching and a full cooler of redfish meat to take home, they left Delacroix in search of some fine New Orleans cuisine. Lucky for them I am a man of many tastes, so when you charter fish with me I can recommend a lot of good places to eat around town. Delacroix is just a short 30 minute drive from the French Quarter so you can finest cooking in all the world in the same day you experience our world class fishery.

Captain Randall Shaw
Louisiana Fishing Charters
Delacroix, LA
www.La-Charters.com

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