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This week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report features host Andre’ Savoie with two looks at the developing fall pattern across southeast Louisiana. Andre’ starts in Shell Beach with Capt. Rory Rorison of United Charters, who says cooler mornings and a major push of shrimp out of the marsh are beginning to pull speckled trout closer to inside waters. The bite is improving around Breton Sound, Black Bay, the MRGO, and nearby interior areas, with bull reds and sheepshead adding to the action.
Andre’ then heads south to Venice with Capt. Louis Rossignol of Venice Guide Service. Louis breaks down a redfish pattern built around clean, moving water and grass beds, explains why big flounder have become an important fall target in the river system, and shares why anglers should pay close attention when manta rays show up around the Delta because cobia may be swimming underneath them.
The overall theme is a fishery moving steadily toward fall. Shrimp are leaving the marsh, trout are pushing closer inside, Venice redfish remain productive for anglers willing to move, and the next rounds of cooler weather should accelerate the seasonal transition.
Conditions Recap
Early October is beginning to feel more like fall across southeast Louisiana, even though warm water is still influencing where fish are holding. Around Shell Beach, Capt. Rory Rorison says the slightly cooler mornings are putting fish in more of a feeding mood, while large numbers of shrimp are moving out of the marsh. Speckled trout are following that forage toward the edges of the interior system, and more fish are showing up closer to the launch each day.
The trout transition is not finished. Rory is still seeing female trout carrying eggs, which tells him the final stages of spawning are still underway. Once that winds down and stronger fronts begin lowering water temperatures, he expects the inside bite to become much more consistent.
In Venice, Capt. Louis Rossignol says water temperatures remain warm enough that redfish are often favoring grass beds rather than rocks. He is concentrating on clean, moving water, especially where a flowing cut meets grass that can provide cooler habitat. The fish are not always stacked in one place, so moving and picking up a few fish at each stop has been important.
Shell Beach Fishing Report: Capt. Rory Rorison of United Charters
Capt. Rory Rorison of United Charters says the fall transition around Shell Beach is starting to become noticeable as shrimp pour out of the marsh and speckled trout move closer to inside waters. Trout are already showing in the interior, but the larger concentrations have been around Breton Sound, the rocks along the MRGO, and Black Bay.
The basic trout pattern remains similar to summer, but anglers no longer have to push as far into open water to find fish. Rory says the trout are moving toward the edges because they are following shrimp leaving the marsh. That should continue to shorten runs as October progresses and more fish settle into their fall locations.
Live shrimp remain one of Rory’s standard presentations, often fished beneath Four Horsemen popping corks. However, artificial shrimp have been especially effective lately. Rory has had good success with the Matrix Shrimp and smaller Marker 54 shrimp-style lures. He likes the durability of the artificial baits and the ability to get them back into the water quickly when the fish are feeding aggressively.
The catch has been more than just trout. Sheepshead are showing up regularly, and bull reds have been extremely common around rocky areas. Rory says schools of bull reds can temporarily disrupt a trout bite, so anglers may need to move when too many oversized reds take over an area.
Rory also pointed to pompano as a possible fall bonus for anglers willing to make a longer run. In previous Octobers he has found large schools stacked around offshore rig legs near Pass Central. He does not expect most anglers to need those longer runs once the fall trout migration reaches full strength, but pompano can become an interesting secondary option around the rigs later in the season.
The biggest change should come after the final trout spawn and the arrival of stronger cold fronts. Rory says more trout are already appearing in nearby interior waters, and he expects that movement to accelerate over the next couple of weeks. As the fish move farther inside, Shell Beach anglers should be able to spend less time running and more time fishing.
To book a trip with Capt. Rory Rorison, visit United Charters.
Venice Fishing Report: Capt. Louis Rossignol of Venice Guide Service
Capt. Louis Rossignol of Venice Guide Service is still putting together solid catches of redfish around the Venice Delta, but the fish have required some searching. Rather than finding every redfish piled into one obvious area, Louis has often been catching a few fish at one stop, moving, and repeating the process until he finds the place where the fish are concentrated.
His main ingredients remain clean water and moving water. With the water still warm, Louis has been paying additional attention to grass beds. He believes the grass gives redfish a cooler place to hold compared with sun-heated rocks. A productive setup is a drain or cut pushing moving water toward a grass bed, especially when the water has good clarity.
Most of the redfish Louis is targeting are quality slot fish. His goal is to put together catches of thick, healthy reds in roughly the low- to mid-20-inch range. At the same time, large numbers of very small rat reds have recently appeared throughout the Delta, so anglers may have to work through smaller fish or relocate to areas that consistently hold larger reds.
Big Fall Flounder in the River System
Flounder have become one of the more interesting parts of the current Venice report. Louis says he is seeing more and larger flounder than he remembers from past years, particularly in the Mississippi River system and its passes. He pointed to beaches, passes, and other areas where flounder can settle onto the bottom even in strong current.
When fishing those deeper, current-swept areas, Louis uses 1/2- to 3/4-ounce jigheads with no cork and ties directly to braid so he can feel subtle bites more clearly. Recent shortages of live shrimp pushed him toward dead shrimp, and he found that the extra scent from dead bait could actually draw flounder effectively, even though it is messier and comes off the hook more easily.
Louis also noted the importance of the annual Louisiana southern flounder closure, which runs from October 15 through November 30. Anglers should plan around that closure as the fall migration develops.
Manta Rays Can Point Anglers Toward Cobia
One of the most unusual parts of the Venice report involves manta rays. Louis says he commonly sees them around the Delta during September and early fall, including surprisingly shallow water. For anglers, the important detail is what may be swimming underneath them.
Louis has seen groups of cobia traveling beneath large manta rays, sometimes with several fish under a single ray. When a manta ray appears, he will often take a closer look to see whether a cobia is using it as moving structure. The biggest fish in the group can be substantial, making a passing manta ray something Venice anglers should not automatically ignore.
Tripletail remain another bonus species. Louis recently put clients on tripletail during a good weather window before storms forced him back to redfish the following day. Sheepshead should also become more active around rigs as water temperatures continue to fall.
To book a trip with Capt. Louis Rossignol, visit Venice Guide Service.
Looking Ahead
The next several weeks should push both fisheries farther into their fall patterns. Around Shell Beach, the combination of cooling water and shrimp leaving the marsh should continue moving speckled trout toward interior lakes, channels, rocks, and other areas closer to the launch. Once the final spawn ends, Rory expects the inside trout bite to become much more dependable.
In Venice, redfish should remain a strong option, but anglers may need to keep moving until they locate concentrations of better slot fish. Clean, moving water around grass beds remains one of the best clues while temperatures stay warm. Flounder are an excellent short-term opportunity before the October 15 closure, while cobia, tripletail, and increasingly active sheepshead give anglers additional possibilities as fall progresses.
For Louisiana anglers, the transition is clearly underway. Follow the shrimp around Shell Beach, look for clean current and grass in Venice, and expect each meaningful cold front to move more fish toward their traditional fall locations.
