A Bounty of Fish: Fall Fishing in the Louisiana Gulf

Artificial Lure here with your Thursday, October 23rd fishing report for the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana. Sunrise was at 7:06 AM and sunset’s coming up at 6:21 PM, so you’ve got about 11 hours of daylight to make the most of it. Over in Grand Isle, expect a mild fall morning turning into a fine day. Weather’s cool and stable—just what you want for a good bite, especially with high pressure hanging in after that last front. Tide-wise, it’s a solid set today. At Grand Isle, the first low tide rolled through around 9:19 this morning at 0.3 feet, and high tide’s lining up for 10:51 tonight, peaking at about 1.5 feet. This means plenty of tidal movement by late afternoon and evening, setting the fish on the feed and giving us good current to work with. Over at Southwest Pass, the swing is a squeeze lighter—tide range and current are moderate, so you can expect less churn, perfect for a finesse approach on the flats and channel edges according to Tides4Fishing. Now, let’s talk fish: The speckled trout blitz is on down around Venice and the passes. Mullet and menhaden have packed into the river with Gulf water on that falling river, and white shrimp are finishing their push out of the marsh. That brings in hungry schools of specks—right alongside white trout, redfish, flounder, black drum, and even the occasional striped bass. Local legend Kevin Ford says the trout bite is hard to top this time of year with water temps sliding into the low 70s. Folks are catching limits from South Pass to Empire; it’s a mixed-bag bonanza. Redfish catches have stayed solid on the inside marshes and around the oyster reefs—a good push of slot reds mixed with a few bulls for those chasing a drag burner. For bait, you can do no wrong with a Carolina rig tipped with live shrimp, or a mud minnow if you want to dodge pinfish. But artificial action is just as hot: Most local anglers are throwing 3/8-ounce jigheads paired with purple/chartreuse or black/chartreuse paddletails. Add a popping cork if you’re working the edges of cane-lined bayous, or bounce a jig along the deeper cuts and passes. Try downsizing your lures to match the fall forage; small swimbaits and compact jigs are deadly, especially when you slow your retrieve and work a steady, deliberate presentation. If you’re fishing deeper ledges or channel drops, don’t overlook a blade bait or vertical jigging spoon when midday rolls around. Top spots today: Venice Passes and around South Pass have been producing, especially where bait is concentrated. Grand Isle is holding trout and reds on both sides of the island—try the Caminada Pass in the morning and work toward the backside marshes as the tide picks up through the afternoon. Redfish fans—head to the shell flats and marsh edges in Delacroix or the Biloxi Marsh, where live or cut mullet is putting the bigger ones in the boat. For trout, the deeper holes in the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet are holding solid numbers, especially if you hit them during moving water. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.