Fishing Report: Reds, Trout, and Drum Bites Hot in New Orleans' Fall Marsh Fishing

Artificial Lure here bringing you the latest fishing report for the Gulf of Mexico, right out of New Orleans, on this fine October 26th, 2025, straight from the docks and the marsh grass. Sun rose this morning right around 7:12 AM and will tuck away at 6:24 PM, giving you a good stretch of daylight for chasing fish. Weather’s been classic fall—cool start in the high 60s, warming midday into the mid-70s. Skies are mostly clear with a light southeast breeze tickling the surface. We had a passing front earlier this week, and that’s worked out great for the bite, stirring up oxygen and dropping water temps a notch. Water clarity’s up, and the air’s carrying that salty tang that says fall fishing is firing off. Tide-wise, today we’re working an early morning incoming that’ll peak late morning, then swing out in the afternoon. That means prime time for reds and trout is right around sunrise and again as it flushes out before sunset. The evening outgoing will have bait on the move—always a trigger for gamefish dialing in for their dinner. Let’s talk what hit the coolers lately: local captains and dockhands are all buzzed about strong speckled trout numbers coming off the Lake Borgne and the marsh drains near Hopedale and Shell Beach. Folks are limiting out—most are healthy 15 to 19 inches, a few pushing up around 22. Redfish are schooling thick, more toward the inside marsh, especially as the tide pulls shrimp and mullet out of the grass. Expect mixed sizes: plenty perfect for the skillet, and a few bulls tearing up drags. In the passes and deeper rigs, reports are good for slot-sized black drum and sheepshead—those inshore reefs are loaded, especially if you anchor up and chum a bit. Best baits this week: live shrimp is king, hands down. If you can, pick up some small finger mullet or croaker for the reds. Artificials are working—matrix shad in “lemonhead” or glow, tightlined or bounced off shell flats. Vudu shrimp under a popping cork gets the attention of both trout and reds. For the sheepshead—fresh cut shrimp on a light jig head is unbeatable. Hot spots? For specks, try the west end of Lake Borgne around the marsh cuts and the mouth of Bayou Biloxi. Hit the Biloxi Marsh itself for both reds and specks—the grass edges and broken marsh are hot on the early incoming. Shell Beach, specifically the MRGO rocks, has given up limits every morning. If you want to chase some big red action, head up to Hopedale Lagoon or work the marsh drains off Bayou La Loutre. Activity’s best as the tide swings; daylight hours with moving water have been magic. Early birds with a topwater walk-the-dog are catching bonus blowups before switching to plastics. By mid-morning, skip the live shrimp under a cork along deeper shorelines or near oyster beds. Those looking for a little offshore splash—snapper and mangrove bite is fair around the rigs, but most folks are sticking inshore while the marsh is producing like this. In sum: weather is prime, tides are in our favor, This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.