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This week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report features host Andre’ Savoie with two early-fall reports showing improving fishing from Grand Isle to Hopedale, Delacroix, and the Biloxi Marsh. Andre’ starts with Capt. Joey Lemoine of Cast on the Other Side Charters, who says the Grand Isle bite is getting better as water temperatures begin to cool, with larger speckled trout showing up and strong nearshore opportunities for mangrove snapper and cobia.
Andre’ then talks with Capt. Shawn Mitchell of SaltyFrog Fishing Charters, who is already seeing a typical fall transition around Hopedale and the Biloxi Marsh. White shrimp are beginning to move out of interior ponds, trout are working their way closer to the inside, and redfish are setting up around drains, shorelines, and lagoons where that bait is moving.
The common theme is that fall fishing may be arriving before the weather feels like fall. Around Grand Isle, cooling water and the end of the recent full-moon period have Joey seeing better-quality trout. Farther east, Shawn says unusually salty water is helping keep a wide range of species in the marsh, while the first cold front capable of dropping water temperatures four or five degrees could accelerate the seasonal movement of trout and redfish.
Conditions Recap
Water temperatures are beginning to trend in the right direction around Grand Isle, and Joey says the bite should continue improving as the water cools. Following the recent full moon, he is seeing better-quality speckled trout and expects September and October to be especially productive. Fishing pressure can also ease during the fall as some anglers turn their attention toward hunting and football, even while the fishing itself continues to improve.
Around Hopedale, Delacroix, and the Biloxi Marsh, the major environmental factor is the combination of high salinity and moving white shrimp. Shawn says trout are transitioning from the outside toward the marsh while redfish are locating the places where shrimp are leaving ponds and interior water. He has also seen salt-dependent species farther inside than usual, including small mangrove snapper on an oyster reef in the Biloxi Marsh.
Shawn expects the first legitimate cold front to be an important trigger. He says the water does not need to become dramatically colder; a drop of only four or five degrees can be enough to start pushing trout and redfish farther into their fall pattern. Once cooler temperatures become consistent, he expects the fish to continue progressing deeper into the marsh rather than repeatedly moving back and forth.
Grand Isle Fishing Report: Capt. Joey Lemoine
Capt. Joey Lemoine of Cast on the Other Side Charters fishes the Grand Isle area for inshore species such as speckled trout and redfish while also running nearshore trips for mangrove snapper, cobia, and red snapper. His outlook for early fall is simple: the bite is getting better, and he expects that improvement to continue as the water cools.
Joey says the summer produced plenty of fish, although some of the trout ran smaller. That has started to change. He is now seeing better-sized trout from week to week and believes the period following the recent full moon should produce more aggressive fish as the early-fall pattern develops.
Where to Find Grand Isle Trout and Redfish
Joey is still fishing the beach at times, but he is also working bays and looking for the type of structure that naturally concentrates fish. Artificial reefs, oyster reefs, rock piles, and areas with moving current are all part of his current rotation.
Artificial lures have been productive enough that Joey usually does not feel the need to depend on live bait. One of his primary setups has been a Four Horsemen popping cork paired with a Marker 54 shrimp-style bait. He has also been fishing Matrix Shad beneath a cork. When he does bring live bait, croakers fished on the bottom, freelined, or on a Carolina rig are his preferred option.
The important point is flexibility rather than one mandatory bait. Joey may grab a handful of croakers depending on the day, but most of the time he has enough confidence in plastics to start and finish the trip with artificials.
Grand Isle Mangrove Snapper and Cobia
The nearshore report may be even more impressive. Joey says mangrove snapper have been both plentiful and good-sized this year, and the cobia bite has been unusually strong. The closest rigs around Grand Isle begin only a few miles from shore, and Joey generally works rigs in roughly the three- to 10-mile range when targeting these fish.
For mangrove snapper, Joey switches to live or cut bait, including cut pogies, and uses chum to draw fish away from structure. He tries to bury the hook in the bait and allow it to drift naturally with the chum. Because mangroves can be line-shy but have to be turned quickly before they reach the rig, he balances that visibility with heavier line and fluorocarbon than he would use for typical inshore trout fishing.
Cobia have been especially thick. Joey says some rigs may hold several fish at once, and he has caught multiple cobia in the 50-pound range this year. For anglers who associate Grand Isle primarily with summer fishing, his report is a reminder that September and October can provide excellent nearshore fishing with fewer people on the water.
Hopedale and Biloxi Marsh Fishing Report: Capt. Shawn Mitchell
Capt. Shawn Mitchell of SaltyFrog Fishing Charters fishes from Hopedale, giving him access to Delacroix, Shell Beach, the Biloxi Marsh, Breton Sound, and surrounding waters. He says the area is already showing what he considers a typical fall pattern even though daytime temperatures still feel like summer.
Speckled trout are beginning to move closer to the inside, particularly along the eastern side of the Biloxi Marsh. At the same time, redfish are in the marsh looking for white shrimp leaving ponds, drains, trenasses, and larger interior lagoons. As more shrimp leave the marsh, Shawn expects more trout to follow them in and the fishing to continue improving.
The transition follows an excellent summer for big trout. Shawn says fish over 20 inches were common enough to stand out, with 24- and 25-inch trout showing regularly and one customer landing a 27-inch fish. Another client lost what Shawn believed could have been a trout around the 30-inch mark at the boat.
Early-Fall Trout Tactics Around Hopedale
From mid-September through Thanksgiving, Shawn considers small shrimp imitations under a popping cork extremely difficult to beat. Two of his primary fall trout baits are the Mojo Shrimp and Marker 54 Shrimplets. The small profile matches the white shrimp moving through the marsh and gives anglers a natural presentation as trout begin feeding farther inside.
Shawn’s report reinforces the importance of matching the lure to the forage rather than simply fishing the same summer setup deeper into the season. As the shrimp migration develops, smaller shrimp profiles become increasingly important and should remain productive well into the fall.
Redfish Around Drains, Ponds, and Shorelines
Redfish are following many of the same bait movements but often require a slightly different presentation. Shawn is looking for fish around pond drains, trenasses, shoreline edges, and larger interior lagoons where white shrimp are moving out of shallow water.
His preferred setup starts with a popping cork. He mentioned Undertaker Corks, Harvey Tackle corks, and Four Horsemen corks as options, with the specific brand being less important than properly rigging the presentation. Shawn recommends using a shorter leader for redfish than he would for trout and making sure the leader length matches the actual depth of the water.
Below the cork, one of his preferred redfish combinations is a 1/8-ounce chartreuse jighead tipped with live shrimp. The chartreuse head gives the fish another visual target, while the shrimp provides the scent and natural movement needed to draw strikes from redfish working the marsh.
A recent trip into the outer ponds around Delacroix toward Black Bay produced white trout along with redfish cruising the banks, giving Shawn the opportunity to pick off reds as they moved along the shoreline.
Tripletail and Saltier Water in the Biloxi Marsh
Tripletail are adding another option to the fall transition. Shawn says he has seen them on the northern and northeastern side of the Biloxi Marsh, including areas around Lake Boudreaux and the surrounding marsh. Crab traps, lines of traps, poles, and similar structure are all worth checking.
The key is a slow approach. Shawn recommends easing toward the fish rather than running directly up to the structure, then freelining a shrimp or slow-falling shrimp imitation beside the fish and allowing it to rise and take the bait naturally.
The tripletail are part of a broader high-salinity story. Shawn says the marsh is holding more species that depend on salty water than anglers normally expect in some of these areas. He recently caught small mangrove snapper while trout fishing an oyster reef, another sign of how far saltwater influence has reached this season.
What the First Cold Front Could Change
Shawn says the first meaningful cold front can act like a switch for fall fishing. A four- or five-degree decrease in water temperature may be enough to get trout and redfish moving even if the water remains relatively warm overall.
The consistency of that cooler weather matters. If temperatures bounce back immediately, fish may move in and out. Once the cooler pattern holds, Shawn expects trout and reds to continue moving farther inside, setting up the classic late-September, October, and November fishing that makes fall one of his favorite times of year.
The Story Behind SaltyFrog Fishing Charters
Shawn also shared the story behind the SaltyFrog name. “Frog” was a nickname given to him by his father when he was younger. His father later battled Parkinson’s disease, and near the end of his life he asked Shawn to promise that he would eventually pursue what he really wanted to do: become a charter fishing guide.
Naming the business SaltyFrog became a way for Shawn to keep that promise and preserve the connection to his father. He also recalled a difficult fishing day when changing conditions had made the usual plan ineffective. Shawn decided to try one of his father’s old favorite spots, pulled up with three customers, and limited out within about 30 minutes.
Looking Ahead
Around Grand Isle, anglers should expect speckled trout quality to continue improving as the water cools. Beaches, bays, oyster reefs, artificial reefs, rock piles, and moving current all remain in play, while nearshore rigs continue to offer strong mangrove snapper and cobia opportunities. Joey believes September and October can be some of the best fishing of the year, particularly as crowds begin to thin.
From Hopedale through Delacroix and the Biloxi Marsh, the key is following the shrimp. Trout should continue moving closer to the inside as white shrimp leave the marsh, while redfish remain concentrated around drains, trenasses, ponds, lagoons, and shorelines. Tripletail provide an additional target around crab traps and poles, especially in the saltier portions of the marsh.
The first sustained cool-down could accelerate everything. A relatively small water-temperature drop may be enough to move trout and redfish deeper into their fall pattern, making the next several weeks an important transition period across the Louisiana Delta.
