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Welcome to this week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report, the weekly local fishing report for New Orleans, Venice, Grand Isle, Shell Beach, and everywhere in between. On this episode, Andre’ Savoie talks with Carmen Gonzales of Dysautonomia Louisiana about a family-friendly fishing rodeo at Campo’s that helps fund awareness efforts across the state, then checks in with Capt. Louis “Rok” Rossignol of Venice Guide Service for an inshore update shaped by rising river water, dirty conditions, warming trends, and the early signs of a stronger spring trout pattern.
Conditions Recap
South Louisiana is in that classic early spring transition where water conditions can change fast and force daily adjustments. In Venice, the Mississippi River has come up from late-winter levels and is pushing colder, dirtier water into a lot of the surrounding marsh. That means anglers need to spend less time looking for perfect water and more time looking for water that is simply a little cleaner and a little warmer than everything around it.
Water temperature is a major factor right now. Capt. Rok says some areas are seeing cold river influence strong enough to shut fish down, especially when incoming tide brings in that chilled water. The better pattern has been finding shallow water that warms quickly on sunny days, especially along sand banks that reflect heat back into the water. Those little temperature advantages are enough to hold redfish and keep them active.
The overall picture is improving, though. Sheepshead are stacked up and easy to find in some places, bull reds are grouping in deeper marsh holes, and April should bring a stronger beach trout pattern as bigger fish move toward the Gulf-side spawning areas. Conditions are still changing, but more spring opportunities are opening up.
Campo’s Community Report: Carmen Gonzales and the Dysautonomia Louisiana Fishing Rodeo
Carmen Gonzales joined the show to talk about the upcoming Dysautonomia Louisiana fishing rodeo at Campo’s Marina and the mission behind it. Her story gives this episode a different kind of weight. After years of medical uncertainty and repeated hospital visits, she was eventually diagnosed with dysautonomia, a disorder involving the autonomic nervous system. That diagnosis changed everything, but it also gave her direction. She helped launch Dysautonomia Louisiana so more people could find answers, support, and awareness much faster than she did.
The annual rodeo has become one of the group’s biggest events because it raises the money needed to support awareness efforts across the state. Carmen explained that this one fundraiser helps carry the organization through the rest of the year, funding educational materials, outreach, and support for people who are still trying to understand what they or their family members are dealing with.
Just as important, the event is designed to be welcoming. It is not only for hardcore tournament anglers. It is a family-friendly, kid-friendly gathering built around fishing, music, food, raffles, and community. The rodeo takes place at Campo’s Marina, which is a perfect fit for an event like this because it gives anglers access to a wide range of Louisiana fisheries while also offering a comfortable setup for people who just want to come support the cause and enjoy the day.
There is a Friday kickoff party with jambalaya and live music, followed by a full Saturday event with weigh-in, awards, seafood, bands, and activities for families. Kids can fish off the dock, and Carmen said that has become one of the best parts of the whole event. What started as a simple way to keep kids occupied turned into a real draw, with youngsters catching fish in the bayou and getting exposed to both fishing and the cause behind the rodeo.
The competition itself includes redfish, trout, sheepshead, flounder, and bass, plus an overall five-fish trout stringer category. Anglers can fish anywhere in Louisiana public waters and bring their catch back for the weigh-in. That flexibility makes the event easy to join whether someone is fishing close to Shell Beach or making a bigger run elsewhere.
To learn more about the cause, support the event, or register, visit Dysautonomia Louisiana.
Venice Report: Capt. Louis “Rok” Rossignol, Venice Guide Service
Capt. Louis “Rok” Rossignol of Venice Guide Service said the biggest challenge in Venice right now is the river. Late winter gave anglers relatively low water, but now spring runoff has started pushing the Mississippi up and sending colder, dirtier water into the marsh. The fish are still there, but they are not always willing to bite in the coldest water, so the job is to stay mobile and keep looking for slightly better conditions.
Rok said the best redfish pattern has been tied to warmer shallow water, especially along sand-lined banks that soak up sunlight. On calm, sunny days, redfish will slide up extremely shallow and settle onto the bottom to warm themselves. In some cases, they are so shallow their backs are nearly out of the water. He noted that these fish are not always aggressive right away, but once they are stirred up and start moving, they can become much easier to catch.
He is also making long runs toward the outer edges where the Gulf influence helps stabilize conditions. Closer to the Gulf, the water can be cleaner and warmer than what is pouring down from the river, and that has helped keep the inshore bite going. Another interesting pattern he mentioned is big bull reds stacking in unexpectedly deep holes in the marsh. Some of these spots are around 25 feet deep, and when the boat is positioned correctly, anglers can drop baits down the edge and hook oversized fish in places most people would never think to check.
Sheepshead are thick right now too. Rok joked that they are almost getting annoying, but it is a good problem to have because they are plentiful and they eat well. Most are running solid sizes, and they are providing steady action while anglers wait for the spring trout pattern to strengthen.
Looking ahead, he expects April to bring more big speckled trout to the beaches near the Gulf as fish move in to spawn. Those beach patterns are some of the best opportunities of the season for larger trout, and they become even more interesting when warming trends line up with the right moon phase and clean enough water.
Book a trip with Capt. Louis “Rok” Rossignol at Venice Guide Service.
Gear and Bait Notes
For the current Venice inshore pattern, the biggest edge is not one magic lure but understanding where the warmer water is setting up. Rok is looking for shallow areas that heat up quickly, cleaner water around the edges of the dirty river flow, and deeper marsh holes that can hold schools of larger redfish.
On the bait side, the approach stays simple. Live bait, including live shrimp when available, is a strong option for redfish. Around deeper structure and for the current sheepshead bite, dead bait can be just as effective. For the deeper bull red pattern, dropping baits tight to the edge of those marsh holes is the key move. And as the beach trout bite develops, anglers should expect the focus to shift toward targeting larger fish on cleaner Gulf-side water during the best warming trends.
