Devin
Forum Replies Created
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Okay, so we can learn something interesting here, and it’s what we can only do if we are all posting detailed reports:
@johnawill was out there the same day on 9/28 and found the mother lode under birds at the gap in the rocks.
Did you head that far south?
What did you see?
That report is linked here.
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Also, thank you for cleaning up. Very kind and forward-thinking of you!
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“It was predicted to be a very slight breezy day, mostly sunny, and best of all a predicted falling tide range from 1.7′ down to .6′ from 04:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Also, there was no reason for it not to fall because of the condition’s days prior.”
I love this. This is actual planning according to the conditions. It sure set you up for success, huh?
But if a flock of birds is that big, I’d definitely try it anyway, even after only catching smalls under another (or gafftops).
Sometimes different flocks of birds have different prizes under them. Just gotta keep going.
I suspect we will see the same pattern in Lake Borgne as we did a couple years ago.
I would also expect to see these fish push in Robin/Two Trees/Coquille.
Excellent report, thank you for posting!
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Ha ha ha anglers communing at the community hole.
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Yeah, lots of small triple tail, but at least we are seeing them and the numbers are there.
I only fished briefly for them the other evening, and to see three right off the bat was a good sign. Your report is an even better sign.
Good job on the trout, too.
And thank you for taking time to post a report! Good things are coming!
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“Main follow up question would be what do you do when your predictions or planning seem to be correct but you’re not finding fish or bait? Especially in a limited speed boat for traveling further distances.”
Very good question.
I see that the prediction for wind direction was accurate, but not wind speed.
The wind was stronger than predicted. See attached screenshot of Shell Beach buoy for yesterday.
Your original prediction was 6-8 knots W and NW for reference.
If you picked out fishing spots with that original prediction in mind, you would have some that are in the lee of the land and others that aren’t (because you’re banking on the wind being calm enough that getting out of the wind isn’t a priority).
And if the wind blows harder than predicted, those spots in open water are off the table. With few exceptions, you’re not fishing them.
So then you’d fish the spots that are out of the wind.
So your spot at the mouth of Unknown Pass at Lake Catherine is off the table, but you can still do the mouth of Unknown at Lake Borgne, because it’s perfectly facing away from the wind.
It might have been a little choppy at the mouth of Unknown/Borgne, but that would still be “doable”.
As for actually finding fish: if you fish all the spots in that area, if you get good presentations at all of them (and you know it), while you have moving water and presence of bait, and you don’t catch fish, then that’s probably because there’s no fish there.
Congratulations, you just learned where not to go. (that’s why we post those reports anyway, because they still help others)
Of course, in the context of your fishing trip I wouldn’t chalk it up to that because I’ve fished that area a lot and I know that the majority of fish just aren’t inside yet.
They’re about to be.
So don’t write off those spots yet.
After that, I would do an area change. And a change I would make is focusing on major tidal highways like Bayou Thomas, Chef Pass and Martello Castle.
Those are gonna load up with shrimp moving out on a falling tide, and the trout will be there.
I would also hit more shoreline in Lake Borgne on the west side when the wind is right.
I hope that answers your question.
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“it may be a little early for specks but I’m thinking it’s worth a try.”
It’s nice to hit the water if you need to scratch that itch, and it’s always good to try.
I know some decent reports have come from the Long Rocks, but I think it would be prudent to try fishing places that are actual fall spots closer to the dock.
We start seeing air temps in the 60s on 10/5. So whatever you find at the Long Rocks will be old news by then.
The trout are coming inside. If I were you, I’d get some tracks for inside spots.
Lake Robin, Lake Coquille, Lake of Two Trees are all good areas to begin looking. And I’d look at spots that are protected from the strong winds that are predicted.
If you’re not familiar with community holes like Martello Castle, The Wall, Bayou Bienvenue, then now is a good time to go look at them so it’s not completely new when they turn on here in the next 10 days.
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Also, look out for this obstruction by “Falling Tide Deep” at Unknown.
It’s at N30.10640 W089.73816
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I bet the tide was falling then?
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Sounds like a good scenario for the HDS.
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Yes, it is very warm.
Typically, whenever I caught trout on the inside at Biloxi Marsh, Martello Castle, Lake Pontchartrain grass beds, etc. the water temp was ~78 degrees.
But 87 is way too dang hot.
Speckled trout have several cues to bring them inside, but I feel that water temperature is the boot in their ass that they need.
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“I figured I wouldn’t get a responses in time for feedback for the trip but wanted to post for my first trip planning as an exercise and to get post trip feedback.”
Ultimately a good choice.
“On a positive note…”
Then it was a success.
Hear me out: do not get stuck in the endless loop of trying to find limits and only judging a fishing trip as being good or bad because a limit was caught or not.
You will end up chasing your tail and failing to learn the things that will ultimately take you to the next level.
It’s kind of counter-intuitive, but when you mentally let go of the fish is when you catch more of them.
I would rather learn something that will give me an edge, and the best way to do that is to not even be concerned with catching fish in the first place.
For example, sure, I caught a “limit” in this report, but I really don’t care because it was just catching trout on a cork under birds.
That’s nothing new or difficult.
To me, that trip was just scratching an itch and I won’t remember or cherish it as much as other trips where I learned something that will aid me greatly in the future.
So, I think you had a great fishing trip. Getting your “head in the water” is far more valuable than catching a bunch of dumb cork fish by accident.
That and the fish are kind of in limbo right now. There’s some in Lake Borgne (somewhere) that you can grind out right now, but fall is coming and it’s just going to get better.
So keep doing what you’re doing, you’re on the right track.
Everything I see here about a checklist, boat positioning, noticing water levels, wind, etc. are the absolute right things to do.
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But it’s Sunday now. Sorry I didn’t see your reply sooner. I hope you found the fish and had a great time!
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I didn’t say it would be better in the marsh. I pointed to the beaches. I’d fish those if I were gonna fish Port Sulphur. I think there could be some good shrimp and trout action out there.
