Gulf Fishing Report: Winter Reds, Trout, and More

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your south Louisiana Gulf report. Along the lower Mississippi passes and east to Breton and west toward Calcasieu, we’re sitting on a good winter pattern. Tides4Fishing shows moderate winter swings at South Pass and Calcasieu Pass, with a decent morning fall and an afternoon rise, so that moving water around mid‑morning and again late afternoon is when you want to be posted up on drains and cuts. Sunrise is right around 6:45 a.m. on the southeast marsh edge and sunset just before 5 p.m., giving you a nice, tight daylight window with prime activity bracketing those times. Weather’s classic December Gulf: light north to northeast inshore early, swinging east–southeast by midday, cooler nights, and highs in the low 60s once the sun’s up. According to NOAA marine forecasts, seas are laid down inside the bays with just a light chop outside, so smaller bay boats can roam the inside rigs and nearshore platforms comfortably if you pick your window. Fish are acting like they should when the water cools and clears. Louisiana Sportsman’s recent inshore reports have redfish stacked in man‑made canals and deeper bayous off the Intracoastal and lower river passes, with plenty of 18–26 inch slots plus a few bulls roaming the outer bays. Speckled trout have pushed into deeper holes, ship channels, and around bridges; most folks are boxing 10–25 keeper trout in a half‑day when they stay put on the bait. Calcasieu and Sabine side have been giving up mixed bags of trout, reds, and a few flounder on the edges of the ship channel and weirs. Best producers right now are simple. For **lures**: - 1/4‑ounce jigheads with 3–4" paddle‑tail plastics in glow/chartreuse, opening night, or purple/chart. - MirrOlure MirrOdines and smaller suspending twitchbaits over shell in 3–5 feet. - Gold and copper spoons and spinnerbaits slow‑rolled along the grass and cane for redfish. For **bait**: - Live shrimp under a popping cork if you can get it; dead shrimp on the bottom for drum and reds around rock and rigs. - Cocahoe minnows or finger mullet on Carolina rigs in the deeper bayous. - Cut mullet or menhaden on the bottom for bulls and big black drum along the jetties and passes. A couple of hot spots to circle on the map: - **South Pass / Breton Sound side** – Work the drains and bayou mouths along South and North Pass on the falling tide for reds, then slide out to the inner rigs and shell pads in Breton for trout when the water starts to rise. Current lines where river water meets green Gulf water are holding birds and school trout. - **Calcasieu Pass and ship channel** – Fish the edges of the channel and nearby reefs early with soft plastics hopped slowly off bottom. On the stronger parts of the tide, anchor up on shell or rock and soak shrimp for mixed trout, reds, and drum. Overall feed has been strongest at first light and again late afternoon when that solunar bump lines up with tide movement, and most boats putting in the ti This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.