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“In years past bigger trout were being caught in Vermillion Bay.”
Well, in all fairness, they were caught everywhere in years past. The Freshening saw to the end of that.
If I were you, I’d look at where/how they did that in the past then look to replicate that now since the river has been behaving herself.
“My plan is to fish the docks this fall for the bigger ones.”
Where did you get this idea? Has that been done before? I think you should do it, but will probably discover there’s not much there. I could see some redfish, croaker and sheepshead coming out of there, but I don’t see it really being a game changer. Those docks are also exposed wide open to a northwest wind. Doesn’t seem like a good place for fish to hide from wave action after a cold front. Maybe I’m wrong, so go fish it anyway and learn.
Where I would look are those oyster reefs south of Marsh Island starting now. When it gets really cold I’d look at Shark Bayou, anywhere protected from a NW wind.
This will be a meticulous, unrewarding, kick-in-your-balls grind. You’re looking for a rare class of fish in a place not known to give them up more regularly than others (Lake Pontchartrain, Grand Isle and Venice, for example).
“The regular size matrix shad obviously doesn’t cut it because that is about all I fish and rarely catch anything over 20″”
They will 1,000% bite that 3″ bait. You’re just not on them. Find them then try playing with baits.
