Louisiana Gulf Coast Fishing Update: Trout, Reds, and Bulls Biting!

Artificial Lure here with your Friday, October 10th, 2025, on-the-water report from the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Sunrise cracked at 6:54 this morning and you’ll see sunset right around 6:39 this evening, giving us just shy of 12 hours to target the prime fall bite. The north winds are pumping in clearer water across the salt marshes, with big swings in tide thanks to a lunar boost—perfect scenario for predatory fish to feed heavy. Tide charts from Slidell show a strong falling tide for much of the morning, with low around midday. That means moving water and lots of current, which is always what we want for active fish action. Cooler October air’s been magic for turning on the bite across coastal bays and marshes. According to Louisiana Sportsman and FishingReminder, speckled trout are stacking up hard on the oyster reefs and bridge pylons from Lake Pontchartrain down to Calcasieu. Topwater lures right at first light were dynamite this morning, but as the sun gets up, soft plastics under popping corks or a suspending twitchbait will get more attention. Redfish are everywhere, especially around marsh edges, points and mouths of inlets—watch for them pushing wakes in the shallows. Gold spoons and live shrimp are a local favorite, but those big bruiser bull reds out at the jetties from Grand Isle to Venice aren’t turning down a fresh chunk of mullet or cut blue crab. Flounder action is quietly heating up in the current-swept drains and pockets inside the bays. Anglers are slow-rolling paddle tails and getting good thumps by crawling baits along the bottom. Freshwater-wise, bass in the Atchafalaya spillway and upper bays are popping shad on windblown banks, and a crankbait like the Rapala DT-4 is getting it done. Blue catfish are active in the deeper bends of the larger rivers when cut bait is on the menu. As for what’s getting bit, this week’s catches have been all about numbers. Limits of 14-18 inch speckled trout have been coming steadily from the eastern Pontchartrain bridges, with tankers mixed in closer to Delacroix and Hopedale. Slot-sized redfish, lots running 18-22 inches, are showing up throughout the Biloxi Marsh and inside Barataria, making a quick family trip likely to fill a box. Down at Venice, the big bruisers—bull reds north of 30 lbs—are cruising the jetties and chasing schools of mullet. Flounder numbers are on the rise around LA-1 bridges and Fourchon passes, especially as the tide falls. For baits and lures, here’s what’s hot: - Topwaters at dawn for trout: Spook Juniors, She Dogs, or old school Zara Spooks. - Mid-morning: Soft plastic paddle tails or shrimp imitations under a popping cork. - For redfish: Gold spoons, Gulp shrimp rigged weedless, or the new Live Target Croaker swimbait, which is getting loads of attention for how well it fools both reds and trout. - Cut mullet and blue crab for bull reds. - Flounder: 3" paddle tails or scented jigs, slow and steady. Couple of hotspots to put on your list today: - Lake Pontchar This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.