Title:

Jeff Bruhl's Marshbass Fishing Report for May 16, 2013

Report:

The latest report for the Northshore, Basin, Okhissa, and the Causeway areas.

The old saying is "Change the color of your lure and change your luck." I tried changing species this week but my luck stayed the same. With some mixed reports on the Causeway, My son and I headed out to the 24 mile long bridge.

Causeway
The Causeway trip was a bust because the tide was not moving. We managed four trout and one redfish for our trouble. The biggest factor for the Causeway is tide. It is the tide that positions the fish against the pylons. The water was stained. There was bait present. All indications suggest the fish should be there. The artificial reefs are producing better than the bridge. Tide will have no range this weekend but as the range increases next week, look for action to improve.

Northshore
The Pearl is at 16 ft for the rest of the week. Hopefully, if fishing the area is a must, the angler should have some back up spots away from the river. Other rivers across the region are beginning to clear up. The wind is back out of the south but not strong enough to override the tides. The weather is beginning to stabilize. Reports I am getting are things are better. More limits are coming to the scales but big fish are absent. The shad spawn should bring the bigger fish out of hiding so look for better sacks around the Tchefuncte and Manchac areas.

Basin
With high water across the Basin, reports are better for marsh areas like the Wax and Bayou Black. Look for protected pipelines and pockets where the water stays clean. With the reports I have gotten, spinnerbaits and frogs are top producers.

Okhissa
This seems to be the one bright spot across the area. Reports are stellar for this small lake in Mississippi. Anglers are catching fish in the six to eight pound range. It may be senkos one day and jigs another. The key is moving around the lake looking for cover like wood or grass. For shallow grass beds, try topwater baits or weightless offerings. As the sun comes up, move out to the ten foot range with plastics.

Overall
The reports are few and far between. With storm impacted areas like Segnette and Delacroix, high water in the Basin, Venice, and Pearl, and the up and down weather of this spring, the fishing has been very tough. However, the summer pattern is not far away.

Jeff Bruhl
jeff@marshbass.com
MarshBass.com

Title:

Venice Outdoors with Brandon Ballay - April 29, 2013

Report:

Updated - APRIL 29, 2013

Both the redfish and tuna went crazy the last two days.

Offshore: Saturday we were on the way back in with 20 tuna 20 to 30lbs.
Inshore: The Sunday we had a 5 man Limit of redfish and black drum. Then the wife and the two boys came down for a quick afternoon trip. We keep 15 more redfish and 1 black drum.

April 23, 2013 - The weather is absolutely fantastic this time of year. The early morning and daytime and temperatures stay relatively moderate. Spending a day on the water is relaxing without the extreme heat that you will have as we move further into the summer.

Inshore:
The redfishing continues to be great. We are still averaging 100 plus redfish a day. The best bait of choice for the redfish has been a cork and live shrimp. Most of the redfish have been In the 3 to 10 lb range with a few of the big one pushing 40lbs. We're catching some bull redfish along the beaches and sandbars when the wind is not to bad. With the weather and water starting to warm up, the speckled trout are showing up.

Offshore:
The tuna fishing also has been very good. Lots of blackfin, and school size yellowfin. The best method has been chumming around the deep water rigs.

Brandon Ballay
Professional Fishing Guide and Outfitter
Venice Outdoors
Venice, Louisiana
(985) 637-8901