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In this week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report, host Andre’ Savoie heads to Louisiana’s Northshore for two different looks at the fall fishing transition. Andre’ talks with Ray Miller, better known as Cajun Ray, about the sac-a-lait fishing available on the Tchefuncte River, Tickfaw River, and Bayou Lacombe. Ray explains why the fish are holding relatively shallow during October and how his approach changes once colder weather pushes them toward deeper brush piles.
Andre’ also welcomes Capt. Ben LaVergne of Bentup Fishing Charters for a report from the western Biloxi Marsh and Lake Borgne area. Ben has been catching speckled trout, redfish, white trout, and flounder while watching the bait move ahead of the season’s first stronger cold fronts. He also discusses the remaining tripletail opportunities and why late November and December can offer some of his favorite big-trout fishing of the year.
Conditions Recap
October has brought more comfortable temperatures to southeast Louisiana, but both of this week’s contributors say the fishing is still in transition. On the Northshore rivers, Cajun Ray is finding sac-a-lait higher in the water column and farther upriver than he expects to fish later in the year. He describes October as a period when cooling surface water and seasonal turnover change where fish are comfortable holding. Rather than expecting the fish to be concentrated in their winter locations already, he is fishing shallow brush and tributary mouths and slowing down his presentation.
In the western Biloxi Marsh, Capt. Ben LaVergne says early October trips produced plenty of action, although anglers had to work through white trout to find better speckled trout. There has been abundant bait, including shrimp, throughout the system. Water temperatures have remained somewhat warmer than Ben would prefer for his favorite fall pattern, but cooler weather is beginning to move through, and another approaching front should help shift the fish toward their later-season feeding areas.
Wind direction will be important as the fronts arrive. Ben says stronger north or west winds can dirty the water and, especially with west winds, draw water out of shallow marsh areas. He expects the bite to improve as conditions settle, but anglers will need to account for changes in water level, visibility, and where the shrimp and larger baitfish are moving.
Northshore Sac-a-Lait Fishing Report: Ray Miller, Cajun Ray
Ray Miller, known to many local anglers as Cajun Ray, has spent years fishing the freshwater rivers that feed Lake Pontchartrain. His favorite target is sac-a-lait, the Louisiana name for crappie, and he primarily fishes the Tchefuncte River, Tickfaw River, and Bayou Lacombe. Ray says sac-a-lait can be caught throughout the year, but the productive areas change as fish respond to seasonal water conditions.
Right now, Ray is spending more time on the upper Tchefuncte system and its tributaries, including the Bogue Falaya, Abita River, and Little Tchefuncte. One access point he recommends is the Menetre Park boat launch near the end of Fourth Avenue in Covington. It provides access to several of the river branches he fishes and puts anglers close to productive freshwater habitat without requiring a long run down Lake Pontchartrain.
Finding Sac-a-Lait Around Brush Piles and Laydowns
Ray concentrates on underwater structure, including brush piles placed by anglers, naturally fallen trees, and submerged laydowns. He has marked more than 100 potential fishing locations over the years, but he does not fish all of them during the same season. Some are best during summer, others during fall, and the deeper locations become more useful after winter weather arrives.
On a typical outing, Ray may check 20 to 25 locations before putting together the catch he wants. He uses a trolling motor with a Spot-Lock-style positioning feature to hold the boat over a brush pile without dropping an anchor. That lets him thoroughly work a piece of cover, determine whether fish are present, and move along to the next location when the bite does not develop. He emphasizes that finding a school does not automatically mean catching a large number of fish; even experienced sac-a-lait anglers may need to work through many stops.
Soft Plastics, Bobby Garland Baits, and Shiners
Ray fishes artificial lures the overwhelming majority of the time. His main choices are minnow-shaped Bobby Garland crappie soft plastics, which imitate the small forage fish sac-a-lait feed on, along with tube jigs when the situation calls for a different presentation. He occasionally carries live shiners for fishing partners who prefer live bait, but he estimates that roughly 90 to 95 percent of his own fishing is done with plastics.
His approach is to identify the depth holding fish, position over the cover, and work the lure slowly enough to stay in the strike zone. During the fall transition, he pays particular attention to slowing the retrieve and being patient at promising stops. A brush pile that produced an easy bite earlier in the season may still have fish nearby, but Ray says they do not always respond as quickly when the water is changing.
Shallow October Fish and the Move to Deep Winter Water
The depth change is one of the most useful details in Ray’s report. In October, he is catching fish as shallow as approximately three feet below the surface, sometimes over brush in about 12 feet of water. He is also looking near the mouths of smaller tributaries entering the main river. For now, he says his deeper brush piles are not producing the same way those shallow locations are.
As colder weather continues into November and December, Ray expects to move farther south along the Tchefuncte and focus on much deeper structure. He notes that bends in the river can contain water roughly 25 to 50 feet deep, with brush piles in 21 to 30 feet becoming important winter targets. Last winter, he was catching sac-a-lait as deep as approximately 28 feet. The important adjustment is not simply fishing the same October brush piles more slowly; it is following the fish as they relocate into deeper water.
Ray particularly enjoys fishing the rivers during quieter weekdays when boat traffic is lighter. With patience and the right conditions, the cooler months can provide excellent fishing without the crowds of the warmer boating season.
Preparing and Eating Sac-a-Lait
Andre’ also asks Ray about the eating quality of sac-a-lait, and Ray has little hesitation in ranking it among his favorite freshwater fish. He describes the meat as mild, white, and flaky, comparing it to flounder. On a recent trip, Ray and his fishing partners kept 18 fish, and he took six home to fillet.
Rather than frying them in a heavy coating, Ray lightly battered and sautéed the fillets, then used them in burritos with refried beans, tomatoes, guacamole, cheese, and lettuce. It is a reminder that this fishery offers more than another species to target: Northshore anglers have access to a quality table fish that can be caught close to home throughout much of the year.
Western Biloxi Marsh and Lake Borgne Fishing Report: Capt. Ben LaVergne of Bentup Fishing Charters
Capt. Ben LaVergne of Bentup Fishing Charters has been fishing the western Biloxi Marsh and surrounding Lake Borgne waters, where the early October bite has produced a mixed catch. He reports plenty of bait, steady action, and a good number of speckled trout, although many of his stops have required sorting through smaller white trout. He has also put redfish and flounder in the boat, giving clients several species to target while the more dependable late-fall trout pattern develops.
Ben says the western Biloxi Marsh has historically treated him well during October. Recent outings included successful runs across Lake Borgne and time spent working drains and other places where bait can be swept through the marsh. He expects the next cold fronts to improve the situation, provided the accompanying wind does not make the water too dirty or pull too much water out of the shallow areas.
Speckled Trout, Redfish, and Flounder Around Marsh Drains
During one recent charter, Ben found a productive drain along the western side of the system that offered an unusual variety of fish. His group caught several stingrays on consecutive casts while other anglers were connecting with speckled trout in slightly deeper water nearby. The stingrays were not the target, but the activity illustrated how much bait and feeding life was concentrated around that small area.
That trip also produced a mixed box of speckled trout, white trout, redfish, and a quality flounder. Ben was carrying live bait but caught fish on artificial lures as well. His approach for now is to fish the areas holding bait and take advantage of the available species rather than expect every stop to produce only larger trout.
How Cold Fronts Change the Trout Bite
Ben considers October a transition month, not necessarily the peak of his favorite fishing. Cooler weather may bring more trout into the areas he likes to fish, but the first fronts can also change water clarity and depth. A north or northwest wind may require adjustments, while strong west winds can make shallow marsh water difficult to access. He is watching the weather closely rather than relying on the calendar alone.
Large numbers of shrimp are still present in the system, and Ben expects that forage to keep trout and other fish active. As colder weather pushes shrimp away from the shallows, he plans to concentrate more on larger finfish such as mullet and pogies. He believes that bigger speckled trout often become more interested in larger baitfish as the season progresses, which is why he is already thinking ahead to the late-fall artificial-lure bite.
Big Winter Speckled Trout on Jerkbaits and Topwater Lures
For Ben, late November and December are among the best times of the year to pursue large speckled trout. He especially enjoys throwing jerkbaits and topwater plugs rather than relying exclusively on live shrimp. His approach is to move into shallow areas, look for concentrations of mullet or other larger baitfish, and make repeated casts until he finds feeding fish. When that pattern lines up, Ben says it can produce some of his most memorable trips of the year.
He is particularly interested in the afternoon bite during winter. As shallow flats warm slightly over the course of a sunny day, he believes larger trout may move into those areas to feed. That gives anglers an opportunity to target big fish in relatively shallow water even when the mornings are cold. Ben also points out that winter in Louisiana does not always mean freezing temperatures; a mild December afternoon can provide comfortable fishing conditions and fewer boats on the water.
Ben still expects to carry live bait on many charter trips, especially when fishing with customers who want a mixed catch or may not be comfortable making repeated casts with jerkbaits and topwater lures. For anglers specifically interested in trophy trout, however, the artificial-lure approach is the style of fishing he is most excited about as the season moves forward.
Late-Season Tripletail in the Biloxi Marsh and Mississippi Sound
Tripletail remain another important part of Ben’s fishing, although he sees them as a more seasonal opportunity in the Biloxi Marsh and Mississippi Sound. He generally begins finding them during spring, with April, May, and June marking the start of the warmer-water pattern. He can sometimes continue seeing fish into October if temperatures remain mild.
Ben recalls finding several quality tripletail late in October during a previous season, but he expects repeated cold fronts to make those sightings less dependable. As a rough observation from his own fishing, he says fish become much harder to locate as water temperatures fall toward the mid-70s. He stresses that this is a pattern based on his experience rather than an exact cutoff. A warm October can still produce opportunities, and some of the fish remaining late in the season may be especially good-sized.
Looking Ahead
The next several weeks should bring meaningful changes to both fisheries discussed in this episode. On the Northshore, Cajun Ray expects sac-a-lait to move away from their relatively shallow October positions and concentrate around deeper brush as the rivers cool. Anglers who identify productive shallow cover now should also begin locating the deeper bends and submerged structure they can return to during November and December.
Around Lake Borgne and the western Biloxi Marsh, Capt. Ben LaVergne expects the fall trout bite to improve as cold fronts push the system toward winter. For now, fishing drains and bait-rich marsh areas can produce trout, redfish, and flounder, but the bigger shift will come as shrimp move out and larger speckled trout begin feeding on mullet and other finfish in shallower water. Ben is especially looking forward to jerkbait and topwater fishing during mild winter afternoons.
Whether anglers are fishing freshwater brush piles or searching the marsh for big trout, the message this week is to follow the seasonal changes instead of relying on summer locations. Slower presentations and shallow cover are important for Ray right now, while Ben is watching the bait, wind direction, and the first real cold fronts that should set up his favorite late-fall bite.
