Early Summer Lake Pontchartrain: Trout and Reds on the Incoming Tide

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your New Orleans Gulf Coast fishing report. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up along Lake Pontchartrain, the MRGO, and down through Hopedale, Delacroix, and Shell Beach. Light south to southeast breeze, warm and muggy, with scattered afternoon storms popping up inland and drifting south. Air temps are running mid‑70s at first light, climbing into the upper 80s and low 90s by mid‑day. Humidity’s thick, so plan on sunscreen, a buff, and plenty of water. On the tide, we’re seeing a modest moving tide this morning with a low before daylight and a rising tide through the morning into early afternoon, then easing off later. That incoming water is the ticket around marsh drains, bayou mouths, and the bridges. Moving water is key right now; if the water’s not pushing, slide a few hundred yards until you see bait flicking and current pushing around pilings or points. Sunrise is right around early breakfast time, with sunset in the early evening, giving you a solid low‑light window both ends of the day. The first two hours after sunrise and the last two before dark are prime for topwater trout and redfish action. Recent action in the area has been solid. Local guides and marina chatter from places like Hopedale and Delacroix report good **speckled trout** numbers on the outside bays and over shell and broken oyster bottom, with two‑person boxes of 25–40 trout not uncommon on calmer mornings when the water’s clean. Mixed in are plenty of **keeper reds**, along with a few bull reds hanging closer to the passes and deeper bayous. **Sheepshead**, **black drum**, and the odd **flounder** are coming off dock pilings, rock jetties, and the bridges. Best baits right now: - For speckled trout: 3–4 inch soft plastics on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads under a popping cork – anything shrimp or glow/chartreuse. Live shrimp under a cork is still king when you can get it. Topwaters like a bone or chrome walk‑the‑dog plug early over shell flats and along the Lake Pontchartrain bridges will draw bigger trout. - For reds: Gold spoons, shrimp‑pattern soft plastics, and paddle tails in natural colors along grass edges and pockets in the marsh. Cut mullet or live/cut shrimp on a jighead or Carolina rig along points and drains will keep the rod bent. - For sheepshead and drum: Small pieces of shrimp or crab tight to structure – bridge pilings, rocks, and dock legs. A couple of hot spots to put on your list: - **Lake Pontchartrain bridges** – especially the Causeway and the Twin Span areas. Work the up‑current side of the pilings with soft plastics or live shrimp under a cork, and switch to heavier jigheads if the current’s pushing hard. Trout, reds, and sheepshead are all in that mix. - **Hopedale and Shell Beach marsh** – look for clean, greenish water in the outer bays and along the edges of marsh drains dumping into larger ponds. Fish the mouths on the incoming tide with corks and plastics; on slack tide, push farther back and sight‑fish reds along the grass when the sun gets up. Water clarity is everything right now. If it looks like chocolate milk, keep moving. When you find clean, moving water with bait on the surface or on the sonar, slow down and work it over. That’s your Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans‑area report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next 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