Winter Fishing Report for South Louisiana's Gulf Coast

This is Artificial Lure with your south Louisiana Gulf report. Along the coast from Venice to Cocodrie and over toward Calcasieu, we’re waking up to cool, clear winter air, light north to northeast breeze, and highs pushing into the upper 50s to low 60s by afternoon, typical for January down here. Skies are generally fair, barometer on the higher side after recent fronts, which has the water clean in the marsh and slightly off-colored in the open bays. According to Fishingreminder, sunrise for coastal Louisiana is right around 7:05 this morning with sunset near 5:20 this evening, giving a short, prime window at dawn and the last hour of daylight. Fishingreminder’s solunar tables are calling for a strong major feeding period mid‑morning, roughly 7:30 to 9:30, and another one this evening around sunset, so plan to be set up and fishing when that tide is rolling. Tides along the central coast are moderate today. Tides4fishing’s Calcasieu Pass table shows an early‑morning high around 2.1 feet, easing down toward a low just after midday and then climbing again into the night. That slow fall late morning into early afternoon is money for redfish and drum pushing out of the ponds and drains. In the Terrebonne area, NOAA and local tide charts show a similar pattern: enough movement to stack bait on points and shell. Louisiana Sportsman’s recent inshore reports say speckled trout have been steady out of Cocodrie and Dularge, with decent boxes coming off oyster reefs and deeper bayous. Anglers are bringing in 20–40 trout on better days, plus a handful of slot reds mixed in. Over toward Venice, guides are still picking off good redfish in the outer bays and a few bull reds along the river passes when the weather lets them sneak outside. Best lures and baits right now: Louisiana Sportsman has been highlighting soft plastics like the Gulp! Saltwater Ripple Mullet and other 3–4 inch paddletails in natural shrimp or glow under a popping cork for trout. In the clearer water, plain jigheads with a Matrix Shad‑style bait are doing work. For reds, it’s hard to beat live shrimp or market shrimp on a Carolina rig along current seams. Gold spoons, spinnerbaits, and scented soft plastics dragged slow on the bottom around drains are putting fish in the box when they get finicky. As for hot spots, Myrtle Grove Canal south of New Orleans is fishing like a winter classic for trout, with fish stacking in the deeper bends and along the ledges as those fronts keep sliding through. Louisiana Sportsman recently called it a top‑notch trout spot this month. Farther west, the marsh edges and interior cuts around Calcasieu Lake and the lower ship channel are good bets for mixed trout, reds, and some nice sheepshead on structure when the tide swings. Offshore, when the wind lays, the Louisiana Gulf Coast tuna bite has been solid on the east side; a recent Louisiana Gulf Coast Fishing Report on Spreaker talked about consistent yellowfin action out of Venice, with boats hanging This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.