Gulf Coast Fishing Report: Redfish, Drum, and Trout Bite Hot in Louisiana Marshes

Artificial Lure here, bringing you your Sunday, October 19th fishing report for the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, right as the marsh shifts into high gear with the true arrival of fall. First light came at 7:06 AM, and we’ll have just a hair over 11 hours of daylight before sunset hits at 6:28 PM. The early bite should be hot with that much sun pushing bait into the shallows. Tides around Cocodrie and Empire are running high—tidal coefficient at 83 today—so there’s plenty of push in the currents. That means moving water and actively feeding fish. You’ll see your first low tide around 8:36 AM at Cocodrie, with water rising again through midday, so those swinging tides should stack up redfish and drum right on the current breaks and in the marsh drains, especially as that north breeze picks up late morning. On the weather front, we’ve got a mostly steady pattern—winds starting light out the northwest then picking up to north at 10 knots this afternoon. Seas are running two to four feet offshore, choppy enough but still fishable for small boats if you keep tight to the coast, with scattered showers. Pack that rain jacket—most won’t cancel a trip, but they keep things lively. Fish activity is peaking in the marshes and at the outside bay points. Redfish are thick—18 to 21 inchers have been stacked up in the shallow grass beds, and locals are seeing bull reds pushing bait on the edge. The black drum bite remains strong on shells and deeper cuts, and flounder are showing more on points and hard-bottom transitions, with a few flat slabs caught in the last week. The speckled trout are still mostly making their way in; the big fall push isn’t quite full bore, but some nice trout are coming out of cleaner water pockets closer to the Gulf in Venice, Empire, and north of Grand Isle. According to recent guide reports around Empire, catches this week included solid boxes of reds, drum, and white trout, with the best numbers before noon and just after the tide swing. Your best bait this morning will be live shrimp under a popping cork, especially near the oyster reefs or on current edges. For artificial, the go-tos remain: - Soft plastic paddle tails in chartreuse or opening night, fish them slow on a 1/4 ounce jig head as the water’s got some stain. - Gold spoons and spinnerbaits for those shallow redfish—stirring up a wake in 1–3 feet of water will get explosive strikes. - Topwaters can still work early, especially Skitter Walks in bone or mullet color along grass lines. - If you want to get fancy, try a dropshot rig with live croaker or a gulp swimming mullet, especially around channel mouths and drains. Bladed jigs are picking up, particularly where the water is clearer and you can mimic baitfish fleeing in the grass. For hotspots, head down to the east side of the Mississippi Delta near Buras, where those big reds and drum have been hugging the current lines, or try the marshes around Pointe Aux Chenes where catches have been reported steady on panels This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.