Fishing Report for June 11, 2009

• By JOE MACALUSO
• Advocate Outdoors writer
• Published: Jun 11, 2009 - Page: 10C

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After battling winds and heavy swells in April and most of May, you’d think we’d welcome those light, 5-10 knot winds anytime.

Not this weekend, and only because a southwest wind is predicted, a direction that shoves dirty water from the high, but falling fast, Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers into some of the top speckled trout and redfish areas along the central and southeast coastlines.

Finding clear water will be a must this weekend, especially when we’re into a last-quarter moon phase, a time when trout and reds feed for shorter periods during the day, and you likely will have to work harder for limits.

With light winds and seas in the offing, it looks a perfect time to get offshore.

Weather
Expect smooth to light-chop conditions into next week for inshore areas and slick-to-2-foot seas offshore with a bump to 1-3 footers by Monday afternoon.

There’s a 10 percent chance of daily thunderstorms with lows in the low 70s and highs in the low 90s through next week.

Saltwater
Red snapper, mangrove snapper, cobia, blackfin and yellowfin tuna, amberjack and triggerfish are showing up in big numbers from the West Delta oil platforms west into the Grand Isle, Timbalier and Ship Shoal platforms. Snapper are coming from rigs in 60-140 foot depths. Grouper action is best in the 140-200 foot platforms around the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Yellowfin tuna up to 140 pounds are coming from areas within 8-20 miles from the mouth of the river. As usual, they’re taking small live hardtails and pink trolled baits. Bull dolphin and school dolphin are around floating grass (rip lines). Folks are casting into the grass with jigs and taking bulls up to 40 pounds along with some migrating cobia. Adding squid to the jig helps, too.

Live bait will help cure the moon-phase malaise when it comes to trout and redfish.

These two species are very active in most  areas. There’s action in Vermilion Bay inside of the dirty water line (from the Atchafalaya River outflow).

With light winds lingering on the coast, baitfish and shrimp are school up, and hungry specks, white trout, bluefish and smaller reds congregate under the schools. This is the time to look for laughing gulls and fish under the birds.

If you’re having trouble finding fish near Grand Isle and Elmer’s Island — there were hundreds of boats in that area last weekend — run east towards Four Bayous Pass and work the islands and the shell reefs for 1-3 pound trout. There’s a bonus of flounder laying in shallow water.

Freshwater
Lake Cataouatche continues to be a hot spot for bass on spinnerbaits and Senko-like baits and for bluegill on crickets. Find the bluegill in the northwest corner of the lake. Work the heavy grassbeds for bass.