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Welcome to this week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report, the weekly local fishing report for New Orleans, Venice, Lafitte, Hopedale, Grand Isle, Fourchon, and everywhere in between. This episode features Capt. Jimmy Corley of Waterfowl Specialist Guide Service in St. Bernard Parish and Capt. Hayes of All-Fins Fishing Charters and Fourchon Marina. The conversation covers a meaningful marsh cleanup effort in South Louisiana, a fast-improving speckled trout bite around Shell Beach and Campos, and an offshore daytime deep drop swordfishing trip out of Fourchon that produced a 242-pound fish. This is one of those episodes that blends practical fishing insight with a reminder that healthy fisheries depend on people who are willing to take care of the places they fish.
Conditions Recap
South Louisiana is showing more early-spring signs this week, with bait pushing back into the marsh, trout feeding harder in St. Bernard, and redfish beginning to show a little better around moving water. The marsh remains shaped by recent weather swings and longer-term storm damage, and that is part of the story in this episode. Offshore, the Fourchon side is offering the kind of deepwater opportunity that only takes one bite to turn into a memorable trip, especially when captains are working shelf edges in 1,000 to 1,500 feet of water for daytime swordfish. Across both conversations, the big theme is momentum: spring life is building, fish are responding, and local captains are adjusting to the conditions in front of them.
St. Bernard Report: Capt. Jimmy Corley, Waterfowl Specialist Guide Service
Capt. Jimmy Corley spends his life in the marsh, and that perspective comes through clearly in both his fishing report and his cleanup work. Corley has been organizing an annual bayou and marsh cleanup in St. Bernard Parish after seeing firsthand how much debris, storm wreckage, and everyday trash gets pushed into the marsh. What started as a response to hurricane damage has turned into a growing community effort that brings volunteers together to help clean areas around Shell Beach, Hopedale, and Delacroix. One of the best parts of the event is that people do not need to own a boat to participate. Volunteers can still get involved and ride with someone who has room.
That local stewardship is paired with a very timely fishing report. Corley says the trout bite has turned on in a big way, with speckled trout showing up aggressively as southeast wind pushed bait back into the marsh. After the colder stretch pulled much of the live bait out and left the marsh unusually dry, conditions shifted and the fish responded quickly. Around Shell Beach and the Campos area, trout are feeding heavily where bait is present, especially south toward East Lake Borgne and in parts of the ship channel. His advice is simple and useful this time of year: find the bait and you will usually find the fish. Birds working, bait flicking, and electronics showing bait bundles are all strong clues that it is time to stop and fish.
Redfish have been a little more hit or miss, but Corley says they are there if anglers focus on moving water around points, pockets, and cuts. If you can get live shrimp, that is a strong option. He also mentioned fishing Matrix Shad “54MR” style plastics and Vudu Shrimp as productive artificials when working for redfish and trout around those marsh features. Those lure mentions fit the pattern he described in this section of the episode: match the bait, pay attention to water movement, and stay around signs of life instead of forcing dead water.
For anglers who want to book a trip in the New Orleans and St. Bernard area, learn more at Waterfowl Specialist Guide Service.
South Louisiana Marsh Cleanup
One of the most worthwhile parts of this episode is Corley’s description of the cleanup event itself and why he keeps doing it. The marsh is full of more than just plastic bottles and floating trash. He is seeing lumber, metal, rooftops, crab traps, netting, abandoned watercraft, and storm debris that has been sitting in the marsh since major hurricanes. This is the kind of damage that can be easy to ignore from a distance but impossible to miss when you are on the water every day.
The cleanup is scheduled for April 26 and is designed to be approachable for regular people who just want to help. Volunteers meet in the morning, sign in, get a safety briefing, and are divided into groups by area. After the cleanup, the event shifts into a community appreciation gathering with food and music. It is a smart, local model for conservation because it lowers the barrier to entry and makes participation feel welcoming instead of complicated.
For more details, anglers can follow Capt. Jimmy Corley through Waterfowl Specialist Guide Service and his social channels.
Fourchon Offshore Report: Capt. Hayes, All-Fins Fishing Charters and Fourchon Marina
The offshore side of this week’s report comes from Fourchon, where Capt. Hayes shared one of the better fish stories to come through the show recently. On what was supposed to be a 24-hour charter, the crew went straight to swordfishing and quickly found themselves hooked up to something special. After boating a smaller sword on the first drift, they reset and came tight to a fish that ended up weighing 242 pounds. It was Hayes’ personal best on his boat and the kind of catch that instantly makes an offshore trip memorable.
What makes this section especially strong is that Hayes does not just tell the story. He explains how the daytime deep drop swordfish program works out of Fourchon. He is targeting the ledge where the shelf falls from around 1,000 feet into 1,500 feet of water, dropping baits into the zone where swordfish hold during daylight hours. Instead of the dramatic bite many anglers imagine, he describes a much subtler game of watching the rod tip for movement that does not match the rhythm of the boat. That can mean the fish is slashing at the bait with its bill rather than fully eating it.
He also shares useful tackle context for anglers curious about the setup. Hayes says most sword anglers are fishing 65- to 100-pound braid, and he likes 80-pound braid on his sword setups. On his side of the Mississippi, he is usually able to fish with 3- to 5-pound deep drop weights, which is lighter than some anglers might expect for this style of fishing. He explains that lighter line reduces drag and helps keep the bait positioned better in manageable current. He also mentioned that he likes to free-spool briefly after an initial strike to let the bait act injured and give the fish a chance to come back and commit.
Another gear note from this section is bait rigging. Hayes says they sew their baits onto the hook so they stay in place after a strike, which gives them confidence that the bait is still fishing even if the first contact is just a swipe. He specifically mentioned using pre-rigged baits from Broad Baits, a detail that helps show just how specialized and refined this daytime swordfish program has become.
The fish itself took a little more than two hours to bring to gaff, with customers rotating on the rod throughout the fight. That is part of what makes daytime swordfishing so appealing and so punishing. Hours can go by with nothing dramatic happening, then one bite becomes the whole trip. Hayes also makes a good case for Fourchon as a launch point. Boats there can fish some of the same general waters associated with Venice while also reaching productive areas farther west that do not get discussed as often.
Anglers interested in booking a trip or learning more can check out All-Fins Fishing Charters and Fourchon Marina.
Fourchon Marina Notes
Hayes also highlighted what makes Fourchon Marina convenient for anglers planning more than a quick run. The marina offers the kind of full-service setup serious fishermen appreciate, including bait, fuel, lodging, and the ability to stay on-site for longer trips. That matters for offshore crews who want to turn a swordfishing or tuna trip into a full weekend rather than just a one-day run. If you are looking at Fourchon as a basecamp for offshore fishing, it is worth spending some time on the marina’s website before the trip.
Learn more at Fourchon Marina.
