"New Orleans Fishing Report: Reds, Trout, and More Biting Hard in the Marsh and Open Water"

Artificial Lure here with your Saturday, September 20, 2025, fishing report for the Gulf of Mexico in and around New Orleans—let’s get you dialed in for a prime September bite. The sunrise this morning painted the sky at 6:46 AM, and we’re looking at sunset around 7:18 PM. We’ve got about 12 and a half hours of daylight, plenty of time to hunt the marsh or stalk a big red in open water. The weather’s near perfect—according to the National Weather Service, high pressure is holding strong, giving us steady light to moderate easterly winds, a touch of breeze but nothing to blow your hat off. Seas are holding at a comfortable 1 to 2 feet close to shore, so even the small boats and kayaks can get after it. Now for the tides: over at New Canal Station, the tidal coefficient’s running high today—starting at 77, bumping up to 84 by noon, and finishing at 90 by day’s end. That means fast-moving water and major current, a textbook recipe for fish to feed hard around the movement windows. Plan to target moving water at drains, points, and passes—those gamefish will be stacked wherever there’s bait being flushed. Let’s talk about what’s biting. According to Louisiana Sportsman, just about everything’s turned on now that that first whisper of fall is in the air. Fish in the Buras-Venice corridor from the river’s mouth all the way up to Empire. Reports say redfish are unfazed by water clarity, but lately the river’s got that pretty marbled green-brown hue—perfect conditions. The redfish are thick and aggressive, with limits common—look for them prowling cane beds and current edges. Speckled trout are also chewing, stacking up along the outer bays and in river passes, especially as the tide falls. In addition, black drum, sheepshead, white bass, flounder, largemouth bass, and the odd jack crevalle are all fair play—one cast could mean anything. Best baits? You can’t go wrong with a classic spinnerbait or Rat-L-Trap for the mixed bag bite. For dedicated trout and reds, soft plastics on a 3/8-ounce jig head—think Matrix Shad, Z-Man MinnowZ, or a Gulp! swimming mullet—have been putting plenty in the box. If you prefer a more natural approach, a few pounds of fresh bait shrimp will get you bites from drum, sheepshead, and bull reds. Down in Venice, flipping a Texas-rigged craw into Roseau cane or working a buzzbait along the shallow edges at daybreak has been producing serious bass and redfish action—September’s a prime time for both, as expert tips from national pros like Brent Chapman remind us. Hot spots today: - **South Pass & Main Pass near Venice:** Fish the rocks, drains, and cane islands for trout, reds, and the occasional flounder. Tide lines here are alive with bait and predators. - **Empire to Ostrica Locks:** Focus on the first hour as the tide starts moving hard out—big trout and slot reds have been whacking jigs and shrimp under a popping cork. - **Lake Borgne Shell Points:** If you’re after mixed bags, target the broken shell reefs along the lak This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.