Early Summer Bite: Moving Water, Trout, and Reds in the Louisiana Marsh

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your New Orleans coastal and Gulf fishing report. Light south breeze rolling off the Gulf this morning, muggy and warm, typical early summer pattern. Local marine forecasts are calling for highs in the upper 80s to low 90s, with scattered afternoon storms building inland and pushing out over the marsh by late day. Keep an eye on the sky and radar if you’re running outside. Tides around the Rigolets, Lake Borgne, and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet are running a medium range today, with a good moving window from mid‑morning through early afternoon. Over toward Empire, Venice, and Grand Isle, those same mid‑day moving tides will line up nicely on points, drains, and the outside edges of the bays. Moving water is the whole game right now: if it’s slack, so is the bite. Sunrise is coming early and fast, with first light giving you that prime topwater window in the marsh. Sunset offers a short but solid evening bite if the storms don’t chase you off. Low light plus moving water has been the ticket all week. Speckled trout action has been best at first light on the outside edges of Breton Sound rigs, around Grand Isle bridges, and along windward shorelines in Lake Borgne and Black Bay. Boats working live shrimp under popping corks have been putting together 20–40 fish boxes when they stay on clean, green water. Soft plastics on 1/8‑ to 1/4‑ounce jigheads in opening night, avocado, and shrimp‑colored paddle tails are producing for folks who like to cover water. Redfish are thick in the ponds and along broken marsh shorelines from Hopedale to Delacroix and down toward Empire and Venice. Slot reds are chewing on live or dead shrimp under corks, cracked crab on the bottom, and gold spoons slow‑rolled along grass lines. A lot of fish have been coming off small drains dumping into ponds on that falling tide. If the water’s got a little stain and some bait flipping, you’re in the right spot. Sheepshead and drum are hanging near rock piles, bridges, and shell banks in Lake Pontchartrain and along the MRGO rocks. Market shrimp on a simple Carolina rig or split‑shot has been putting good numbers in the box. A few flounder are showing on sandy points and passes; work a soft plastic slowly along the bottom and be ready for that “thump.” Best artificial lures right now: - Topwater plugs at first light for trout on calm mornings. - 3–4 inch paddle tails and shrimp imitations under popping corks in the marsh. - Gold spoons and weedless swimbaits for reds in the grass. - Natural colors in clear water, chartreuse or darker profiles when it’s stained. Best natural baits: - Live shrimp is king for trout and reds. - Croaker and mullet chunks offshore or around deeper rigs. - Cracked crab and dead shrimp for drum and sheepshead. Couple of hot spots to circle on your map: - Breton Sound and Black Bay rigs and reefs for speckled trout when the wind lays. - Delacroix and Hopedale interior marsh ponds and drains for consistent redfish action. If you’re running farther, Venice roseau edges and outer bays are loaded with reds when the river’s not too high and the water cleans up a bit. That’s your Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans‑area fishing rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn