"Fishing the Gulf: Trout, Reds, and Offshore Action Around New Orleans"

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Monday, May 26th, 2025, fishing report for the Gulf of Mexico around New Orleans. Sunrise this morning was just before 6 AM and sunset will be right around 8 PM, giving us a big ol’ stretch of daylight to work the waters. Weather’s been calm with light winds and warming water temps, perfect for drifting and casting, and we’ve got a steady falling tide on tap, which usually means fish moving and feeding[3]. Let’s talk about the action. The inshore bite has been sizzling this May with speckled trout showing up thick in Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, and out toward the Biloxi Marsh. Limits are being caught almost daily, mostly on live shrimp under a popping cork and Matrix Shad plastics in chartreuse or opening night color. Folks are still pulling in some solid redfish too, especially early in the morning along the grass lines and points. You’ll want gold spoons, soft plastics, or cut mullet to tempt them. Bull reds have been hitting out a little further, so if you’re up for a fight, head for the deeper passes or the mouths of the outer bays[2]. Sheepshead have started filtering back in, mostly around bridges, pilings, and oyster reefs. Get yourself some fresh dead shrimp or fiddler crabs if you want a mess of these toothy critters. Out in the surf and near passes, you can find pompano with simple pompano rigs baited with Fishbites or peeled shrimp. Black drum are also hot right now—live or dead shrimp on the bottom gets the job done[5]. If you want offshore action and the weather holds, late spring means mahi and tuna are both heating up a few miles off, with most boats reporting good numbers of both species. Trolling with bright-colored feathers or drifting live bait near rigs has been working best lately, especially now that the water’s warming up[1][3]. Hot spots for trout and reds right now include Lake Borgne close to the Rigolets and the south end of Lake Pontchartrain near the Causeway bridge. If you’re chasing bulls or a multi-species day, head out to the Biloxi Marsh or the outer edges of Breton Sound—less boat traffic and some of the best marsh fishing you’ll find this time of year[2]. In summary, bring popping corks, Matrix Shads, gold spoons, live shrimp, and maybe a few crab if you want to diversify your catch. Good luck out there, keep it safe, and tight lines from Artificial Lure. See ya on the water. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.