I’ve been a lot of places, but I’ve never fished Louisiana. I’m planning a fall trip. I’d like to DIY big reds on fly in my EVO17.
I’m looking for all of the advice:
Help a guy get a 40+ red on fly!
Nothing pertinent to add, but I know it’s not as easy as it’s made out to be. I’ve had a few shrimp soaker friends strike out several years in a row. They were going end of Dec.
Then you’ve got the guys I went to high school with that, live there, and are tired of catching em..lol., But most of them guys soak bait.
Lots of good places to fish in the fall and winter in Louisiana. Hopedale, Venice, Grand Isle and Cocodrie. You can find a cabin, hotel or Airbnb close to all these places and most cater to fisherman with boats.
Weather is the main thing to worry about when planning a trip in advance, you want sunny days with winds less than 10mph. If you can catch that on with good tide movement you’re giving yourself the best chance.
I like mid October through mid February and have had some great days in March. If I was planning to pull my boat from Florida I would plan staying a week and book it on a week with good tide movement and hope the weather works out.
Might want to book one day with a guide like @Redchaser just to get a feel for things. Lots of big fish down there but not always that easy to find. I started going with guys that had been fishing down there for years.
Thank you sir! Sounds like good advice
A fishing buddy and I made our first trip to LA from NC a few years ago in December. Neither of us had ever been before, and we towed his Maverick down and got an AirBNB for a week. Our weather wasn’t great, but we had some decent breaks in the wind when the sun poked out. After doing a fair amount of research before the trip, we didn’t find navigating the marsh to be an issue. DO NOT head out in the morning without a full tank of gas, we made some very long runs (not sure if we needed to, but we did).
The first couple days were difficult due to the weather and vastness of the marsh, but we kept exploring and caught a few nice fish every day. The redfish down there look like goliath groupers tailing compared to what we’re used to in NC. We would have learned a ton from a guide, but we wanted it to be 100% DIY.
Tides- Tidal effect seemed minimal while we there. Didn’t seemed like it moved more than a foot either direction for the most part. Could have been a slack moon phase, but I can’t recall.
We launched out of Hopedale Marina every morning and it wasn’t bad on weekdays, but it was slammed on the weekend. It’s a well run ramp, and they have a guy directing the truck/trailer traffic which really helped keep things moving.
Duck Season- check when the duck seasons come in and out. We intentionally avoided being there when duck season was in. Not sure if it would have been an issue, but figured it’d be best to avoid it.
Weather- be ready for anything. We went the last week in December 2021, and it was pretty hot. Mosquitos were comparable to camping in Flamingo. Had to have a buff up to your sunglasses in the early morning until the fog burned off. We were arguing about who got to pole instead of fish, because they weren’t as bad on the poling platform.
Here are some pics from our trip, that’s my PB red on fly, and he happened to be a tailer which made it that much better. My friend saw that Sheepshead tailing behind the boat while he was poling, and sniped him with a VooDoo shrimp. Made for some good tacos. Feel free to shoot me a PM for more details.
Awesome intel! I think I want to keep it DIY as well. I know a ton of guides in the area and sold skiffs to quite a few people in the area I can lean on if needed.
There is something about the DIY approach.
What I really don’t know is how to pattern fish there. It all looks so fishy. It’s the marsh version of ENP!
Good notes on the squitoes. Seems like a bug suit is worth the space.
Beautiful fish! Congrats and thanks again
No problem, I’d 100% agree on the comparison to ENP.
As far as patterning fish, we really took a shotgun blast approach until we found fish. One day we saw 6 or 7 big tailers and could pole in their direction, some days they seemed to be hanging tight to the bottom out in the middle in 2-3 feet of water (look for big mud clouds when you’re poling), one morning they were tight to the banks, and one afternoon they seemed to be in small schools floating at the top in 6+ feet of water.
It’s certainly not easy trying to figure out, and the tough part was that we had no idea if we were even going to find fish doing anything we were doing. We did do a fair amount of “searching” with full size Zara spooks. Just looking for any kind of disturbances around it indicating fish.
The Mississippi River has a ton to do with the water levels and quality down there. Keep an eye on it.
There is no telling when the first cold front will hit this fall, but that is a good sign of the weather change that brings prevailing norths and some cooler weather, and that north helps clean up some of the water clarity.
If you need help on that trip hit me up…
We had the worst weather imaginable last January and still caught some nice ones. It’s not rocket science, get in an area with a lee shoreline, right water levels and clarity, and start poling. We fished as close to the front of the marsh as we could get with the conditions. I’m sure on good weather the inside stuff is a lot of fun too.
Definitely take the advice on a longer trip. Or if your schedule allows I would wait until the last minute for a good weather window and book a place for 3-5 days. I think I might try that route this year. That trip was the only time in my life I’ve ever gotten back in my truck to drive home and I was pretty happy I wasn’t fishing in Louisiana the next day.
Great information! Thanks!
DM me your email and I’ll send you a couple itineraries from past trips. These will give you some ideas.
This is the best place in the hopedale / shell beach area. Comes with an ice maker too. took my wife last year and it met standards. She would never stay in a “Fish Camp”
Late October and November will bring the most stable weather, but February is my favorite month because the water is much clearer out front and its still cool.
In Late October/November things start coming into the interior of the marsh to meet up with the white shrimp leaving, but can still be stellar on the outside barrier islands if its calm. The White shrimp will be heading offshore so falling tide in areas between bodies of water where there is some current flowing or where creeks empty in to Lake B or the Gulf can be epic for trout.
For big reds you are headed south to the barrier islands. Look for islands that have cut throughs in them where water flows faster. You tend to find oyster beds, cleaner water and bigger reds. Also keep your eyes peeled for frigate birds, they can still be found under them.
My experience is that once you get a taste of that marsh, you’ll want to go back as much and as often as possible 
Good luck
I booked a guide for my first trip. I don’t have a ton of time. I’m looking forward to slipping over there a few times a year!
I appreciate all the feedback.
We have a house booked in Coco for October 22-26. Still got room for 4-6 people at 300$ per person total. This will be our 4th year in that area.
I’d 
do that trip but I will be in the mountains for my wife’s birthday.
Don’t tempt me…
Come on down!
