Bite Shifts as September Rolls In - A Louisiana Fishing Report for 09/03/2025

“Artificial Lure” here with your Gulf of Mexico Louisiana fishing report for September 3rd, 2025. We’ve rolled into September and while the bite is starting to shift from those relentless summer patterns, there’s still plenty of heat on—and I’m not just talking about the weather. As of today, sunrise kicked off at 6:29 a.m. and you’ll see the sun slip behind the marsh at 7:37 p.m. That gives us just over 13 hours of daylight. According to Tides4Fishing, we’re dealing with strong tidal movement right now, with a high tidal coefficient—a good sign for moving water and active fish. High tide around Cocodrie hits mid-afternoon, so plan your efforts for late morning into early afternoon for that peak push. Over at Empire Jetty, expect a similar pattern with high tide approaching sunset. Weather-wise, the National Weather Service out of New Orleans notes we’ve got a lingering weak front stalled along the coast, meaning scattered thunderstorms most afternoons. This can push NE winds up to 15 knots offshore and bring seas up to 3 feet. Watch for those squalls—it’s small craft caution till early evening, with things calming a bit overnight. Fish activity has perked up over the last few days as bait pushes in with the tides. Redfish are working the grass lines and broken marsh around Pointe Aux Chenes, and the shallow ponds by Leeville have seen limits most mornings. Speckled trout have been steady on the “island chain” outside Golden Meadow and the deeper holes around Fourchon Pass. Flounder and black drum are popping up around rocky points and the mouths of small bayous, mostly for those willing to slow down and bounce bottom. For baits and lures, versatility is the ticket. Wired2Fish highlights the effectiveness of jigs and Texas-rigged plastics for redfish—flipping a half-ounce jig with a craw-style trailer into flooded grass or pitching soft plastics like a Rage Craw or stick worm works wonders, especially in 2-3 feet of water. For specks, go-to baits right now are shrimp under a popping cork or a plain old Matrix Shad on a quarter-ounce jighead—chartreuse or opening night colors have been money. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits such as the KVD spinnerbait mentioned by Kraken Bass on TikTok are performing surprisingly well on those transition banks, especially with stained water. For live bait, you can’t beat finger mullet, cocahoe minnows, or live shrimp under a cork. If you’re working deeper water or the passes, freelined pogies are getting crushed by bull reds. Catch reports say plenty of redfish in the slot—most crews are getting their limits early if they fish the moving water. Trout catches are running mixed—keepers averaging 13 to 17 inches, and the bite really turns on in that last hour of incoming tide. Some nice flounder, up to 3 pounds, have been caught near the rock jetties and pass mouths, especially in the evening. A reminder from NOAA Fisheries: the commercial season for greater amberjack in federal Gulf waters just closed on September This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.