Here we are in the middle of September and still catching speckled trout on the beach near the barrier islands. I have been noticing the egg sacks are still full indicating the spoon is still in progress. We had a cool front last week and the water temperature was knocked down about two degrees. That is enough to trigger the beginning of the end of this year’s spoon. As we get a few more of these mild cool fronts and the water temperature drop’s a little bit more the egg sacks will begin to dry up more and more. Historically specking sometime in the beginning of October these speckled trout will school up and began their migration in towards the shallow lakes and pipe line canals for the fall fishing season. They will slowly move across Barataria Bay during the month of September and as we get closer to October they will start showing up in the lake right outside of the fishing village here. Just like the spring time ever year is such an exciting time of the year to fish for speckled trout because it is the beginning of a new season, I find the fall fishing season brings the same excitement for anglers all around this area. We never seem to be sure if the new season will repeat itself until we go out and catch trout where we think they should be at a certain time of the year. Once I make a trip to a certain spot and catch a box of nice trout then I can relax because I know it will be another normal fall fishing season. It never seems to fail the more we get into the month of October the better the fishing gets close to the fishing village. Of course, as we get into the month of November and the weather gets a little cooler and the water temperature drops a little more the fishing gets absolutely off the chart. By this time of the year it is fair to say that most of the live shrimp have left with each passing cool front we all stop fishing with live shrimp and swap over to soft plastics. I call this time of the year low hanging fruit because you do not have to travel for to get to the strike zone and you do not have the added expense of live shrimp. The air temperature is much nicer you are not spending any extra money on fuel and catching just as much if not more than you do during the hottest part of the summer. I always tell my clients that rent my log cabins is the best time of the year to come to Lake Hermitage and fish is October, November and December. Everything is in your favor to fish during these three months. Now one important condition to keep in mind during the fall fishing season regarding the weather is the cool fronts. During this time of the year we normally get a cool front to pass through here every seven to ten days. The way I tell people to fish these cool fronts is to watch the weather and once you determine what day the cool front is going to blow through you always want to be on the water before the cool front. You never want to find yourself on the water fishing during the time of a post cool front. Once cool front passes through the area you should wait at least two days after the front before you try to get back on the water. Sometimes depending on how strong the front is you may have to wait an extra day. You must wait until the north wind calms down and the water clarity cleans up. The tide will come back in once the wind relaxes and it will also clean up. Now once that happens the speckled trout will feed like crazy until the next cool front comes through. This cycle will repeat itself every seven to ten days throughout the fall season and well into the winter months. There is not a lot of feed for the speckled trout so they are not too particular about what they want during this time of the year. Some folks have their favorite colors and style of soft plastic, however the latter we get into the year I find the less it matters what color or type of bait you use. They will eat anything that so much as looks like a bait.
Remember this is the time of the year to bring your wife and kids because the conditions are so nice. You are not having to deal with ninety-five-degree super-hot conditions. The fishing is close and the quantity is plentiful. This is the time you want to introduce the outdoors to your children. The conditions are nice and both your wife as well as the kids will have a pleasant experience on the water. After all you do want them to enjoy themselves while on the fishing trip. That is a clever way for you to get permission from your wife when it is time to upgrade your boat. If she is happy with the fishing experience then your chances are much better to get her blessing when it is time for you to buy that new boat. Of course, that is not the only reason, you also want to build great memories while on the water with your family. I can tell you that some of my best childhood memories are when I was a very small kid fishing with my mom and dad. There is something about being on the water catching fish that sticks with a small kid for the rest of his or her life. They may get away from it as they get older but they will never forget it for as long as they live. What a better way to build memories with your family and enjoy the outdoors.
