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This week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report features host Andre’ Savoie with two summer fishing reports from Southeast Louisiana. The episode starts with Capt. Mike Gallo of Angling Adventures of Louisiana, who breaks down the Northshore, Lake Pontchartrain estuary, Lake Borgne, the MRGO, and Biloxi Marsh trout pattern. Mike explains how water temperature, salinity, spawning cycles, moon phases, moving water, bait, and summer oxygen levels are shaping the speckled trout and redfish bite.
Andre’ then checks in with Capt. Rory Rorison of United Charters, who shares a hot Shell Beach report from Breton Sound, Black Bay, the Biloxi Marsh, rigs, wellheads, platforms, reefs, and island structure. Rory says the trout bite has been excellent when the weather allows boats to get outside, with redfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, sheephead, drum, and triple tail also part of the mixed-bag action.
The big theme this week is that summer fishing is settling in across the Louisiana Delta. The best results are coming from clean, moving water with bait, early starts before the heat builds, and smart adjustments when wind keeps anglers from reaching open-water trout areas.
Conditions Recap
Across Southeast Louisiana, summer heat is now a major part of the fishing pattern. Capt. Mike Gallo says anglers need to remember that hot water holds less oxygen than cooler water, which makes early mornings, late evenings, moving tides, points, rain-cooled water, and current-washed areas more important. He describes his summer “Holy Trinity” as clean water, moving water, and the presence of baitfish.
On the Northshore and around the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, trout are moving toward saltier spawning water along the eastern edge of the Biloxi Marsh and toward the Mississippi Sound and Chandeleur Sound influence. Mike says Louisiana speckled trout spawning peaks around 77-degree water, and trout seek salinity in the 15 to 23 parts-per-thousand range for better spawning success. Because of that, fish are setting up farther east and outside through the summer pattern.
In Shell Beach, Capt. Rory Rorison says the outside trout bite has been excellent when the wind lays down. Breton Sound, Black Bay, rigs, wellheads, platforms, islands, and outer reefs are producing quality trout, but wind has still forced some trips back into the Biloxi Marsh and protected outer bays. When that happens, redfish become the better backup plan, while trout remain available on outer marsh reefs when conditions allow.
Northshore, Lake Pontchartrain, and Biloxi Marsh Fishing Report
Capt. Mike Gallo fishes the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne, the MRGO, and the Biloxi Marsh. He says the area is easing into the summer pattern, and the trout bite has been strong as fish continue shifting toward higher-salinity water for spawning.
Mike explains that trout do not all spawn at the same time. Younger trout may spawn more frequently, while larger, older trout may spawn less often but release more eggs because of their body size. He says experienced anglers often try to plan trout trips three to five days before or after a new moon or full moon, when fish may feed harder before and after spawning periods.
On a recent combination trip, Mike’s crew started early over oyster reefs along the eastern edge of the Biloxi Marsh, fishing popping corks with plastics beneath them. They caught a mix of undersized trout, keeper trout, white trout, catfish, and redfish, with one speckled trout measuring 20.5 inches. He says live shrimp is still the way to go when available, but plastics continue to catch fish, especially when used in the right water.
For gear and bait, Mike likes popping corks as search baits because they help call fish in. He uses shrimp imitations and pogie imitations this time of year because many trout are feeding on shrimp and pogies. He specifically mentions Matrix Shad in Purple Haze and Glow as productive colors. Those plastics fit his broader summer approach: find clean water, find moving water, and make sure baitfish are present before spending too much time in one area.
Mike also discusses redfish behavior and CCA STAR tagged fish. He tagged several redfish before the tournament, including fish near Wrigley’s Marina and in the Biloxi Marsh area. He notes that if a tagged redfish grows beyond the current over-slot limit during the tournament, anglers should take a picture and clip the tag rather than keeping an illegal fish.
Looking ahead, Mike says anglers should focus on oxygenated water as the heat builds. Rain showers, current around points, and moving tide lines can all help put oxygen into the water. Dead, still, hot areas with no mullet, pogies, birds, or visible bait are places he avoids. Safety also matters. He recommends watching the weather, keeping an eye on summer storms, and always having more than one escape route back to the dock.
Shell Beach, Breton Sound, Black Bay, and Biloxi Marsh Fishing Report
Capt. Rory Rorison of United Charters says the fishing out of Shell Beach has been off the hook when the weather gives anglers a chance to get outside. His area gives him access to Lake Borgne, the Biloxi Marsh, Breton Sound, Black Bay, and water down toward Point La Hache, which means he can adjust depending on wind, water, and the bite.
Rory says June should bring a more reliable summer pattern, with calmer mornings and wind building later in the day. When the outside water is fishable, the trout bite has been fast around rigs, gas wells, platforms, islands, and other structure in Breton Sound and Black Bay. On one strong trip, his group found trout so large that they had to leave fish because they already had their allowed number over 20 inches. A move to a smaller wellhead produced more 18- and 19-inch trout to finish the box.
Rory says much of that deeper structure fishing is in 15 to 20 feet of water. At times, the trout start on the bottom and then move higher in the water column as the bite builds. He uses Carolina rigs when fish are holding low, but popping corks can produce when trout move up. Around islands and shallower water, he often fishes corks in three to five feet of water.
Live shrimp has been especially important in Shell Beach because there is so much natural bait in the water. Rory says plastics will still catch fish, but live shrimp is difficult to beat in the current summer pattern. For anglers fishing similar water, the key is to stay flexible. Fish the bottom when trout are low, switch to corks when the bite rises, and do not overlook shallower island edges when conditions line up.
The Shell Beach mixed bag has also been strong. Rory mentions speckled trout, redfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, drum, sheephead, and triple tail showing up in the area. Triple tail are not usually his main target, but he always checks floating debris, crab trap buoys, and water hyacinth mats while running through the sound. If he spots one, he circles back and gets a bait in front of it.
When the wind makes it too rough to get outside, Rory runs back into the Biloxi Marsh and looks for protected water. The interior marsh is a strong redfish option, while the outer edges of the Biloxi Marsh can still hold trout on reefs. He says those reefs are loaded in the right conditions, and anglers can drift across them until they find fish, then hunker down once the bite shows itself.
Sheephead are also still part of the summer report. Rory says they spread out after the spring spawn, but plenty remain around rigs, outer marsh edges, and structure. He also shares a simple cleaning tip: do not fight the heavy rib cage. Start near the dorsal fin where there is a natural split and work down the bone.
For summer Shell Beach trips, Rory says the routine is simple: start early, beat the heat, beat the crowds, cover up from the sun, and drink plenty of fluids. Evening trips can work too, but most of his summer fishing is built around making the most of the morning bite before heat, boat traffic, and afternoon wind build.
