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This week’s Louisiana Delta Fishing Report features host Andre’ Savoie with two early-fall reports from the central Louisiana coast. Andre’ starts in Cocodrie with Capt. Aaron Benfield of AB Charters, who says speckled trout are scattered between late-summer and fall locations but are still providing steady action, while bull redfish are already offering a dependable big-fish option.
Andre’ then moves closer to New Orleans with Capt. Ryan Vincent of Reel Cajun Fishing in Lafitte. Ryan is seeing redfish begin to school in extremely shallow marsh water, abundant shrimp throughout the system, improving flounder catches, and the first signs that sheepshead will become more consistent as cooler weather arrives.
The common theme is a fishery waiting on the first meaningful cold fronts. Cocodrie trout are spread from deeper summer water toward the interior, while Lafitte redfish are already pushing into shallow ponds and pockets. Both captains expect cooling water to make the fall pattern more predictable over the next several weeks.
Conditions Recap
Mid-September is bringing the first signs of transition across the central Louisiana coast, but the fall pattern is not fully established yet. Around Cocodrie, Capt. Aaron Benfield says trout are scattered because some fish have started moving toward interior fall areas while others remain on deeper summer structure. Recent rain and shorter days appear to be nudging the fish in the right direction, but Aaron believes a legitimate cold front is still needed to organize the bite.
That scattered pattern has not made the fishing poor. Aaron says he can run in several directions and catch trout, although putting together a larger box of keeper specks requires more time and local knowledge. White trout are providing an especially reliable backup when the wind blows or the tide does not cooperate, and bull redfish are already strong enough that Aaron considers them one of the most dependable options available from late summer through winter.
In Lafitte, the bigger challenge has been unusually low water. Capt. Ryan Vincent says persistent north winds have kept marsh levels down for much of the summer, leaving schools of redfish in water so shallow that anglers can sometimes see fish pushing, tailing, and breaking the surface without being able to get the boat close enough to reach them. When water levels rise even slightly, access improves and anglers can push farther into the marsh.
Ryan also reports an exceptional amount of shrimp throughout the Lafitte system. That abundant forage should support the developing fall bite as water temperatures decline. He expects redfish to remain a primary target in the shallow marsh while sheepshead become more common around rock and concrete structure after the first cooler fronts.
Cocodrie Fishing Report: Capt. Aaron Benfield
Capt. Aaron Benfield of AB Charters fishes out of Cocodrie, south of Houma and between the Dularge and Grand Isle areas. He says the late-summer fishing has been strong, but the trout are currently spread across a wide range of water as they begin shifting from summer locations toward their fall pattern.
On a typical day, Aaron says he can head in several directions and find enough speckled trout to catch 15 to 20 fish. Building a larger box of keeper trout is more challenging because the schools are not yet concentrated in the places where anglers expect to find them later in fall. Some trout have already moved toward interior lakes and bays, while others remain around offshore wellheads and deeper water near the coast.
Speckled Trout Are Between Summer And Fall Patterns
Aaron describes the current trout movement as a true transition. The fish are not simply leaving one zone and arriving in another all at once. Instead, anglers can find trout from the inside marsh all the way to deeper summer structure, which creates a wide fishing range but also makes it more difficult to predict where the largest concentrations will be from day to day.
The shorter days and recent rain are beginning to influence the system, but Aaron believes a real cold front will be the trigger that finally pushes more trout into a repeatable fall pattern. Once that happens, he expects the inside fishing to become much more consistent.
White trout are filling the gaps in the meantime. Aaron says they are especially valuable on windy days or when the tide does not line up for his preferred speckled trout areas. Many of the white trout he is catching are in roughly the 11- to 14-inch range, giving anglers another way to put fish in the box when the specks are scattered.
Fall Trout Tactics Around Cocodrie
As the trout move into their fall pattern, Aaron shifts heavily toward artificial lures. He says his fall trout fishing is almost entirely done with soft-plastic baits under a popping cork or with double-rigged plastics. That allows him to cover water efficiently and take advantage of schooling fish without depending on live bait.
The double-rig approach becomes especially useful when trout are feeding aggressively and grouped tightly enough for multiple fish to compete for the presentation. Under a cork, the plastic gives anglers a simple way to work shallow and mid-depth areas while using the sound of the cork to draw attention.
Aaron considers October, November, and December especially good months for anglers who want a mixed box. As temperatures continue to fall, trout and redfish become easier to target during the same trip, and the fish tend to become more active during daylight hours.
Cocodrie Bull Redfish
Although Aaron spends much of his time targeting trout, bull redfish are becoming a major part of his late-summer and fall fishing. He says the bull-red bite can remain strong from this time of year through winter and into early spring. On one recent trip, his group caught about 20 bull reds in roughly an hour after finishing the trout portion of the day.
Because these oversized redfish must be released, Aaron has begun offering trips specifically for anglers who want the experience of catching large fish rather than filling a cooler. He considers bull reds one of the most reliable targets available in the area and says the fish are particularly well suited for families, kids, and anyone who wants steady action from powerful fish.
When the reds are visibly schooling, anglers may be able to cast a variety of lures or baits into the fish. When they are not showing on the surface, Aaron falls back on one of the most dependable Louisiana bull-redfish presentations: cracked crab fished on the bottom. He targets deeper holes, points, and other areas where large reds naturally travel and feeds.
Aaron is also preparing to do more shallow-water sight fishing from a skiff this winter. The Cocodrie marsh can provide opportunities to locate redfish in skinny water and cast directly to individual fish, including with fly tackle when conditions allow.
What To Expect Around Cocodrie This Fall
Aaron expects the overall fishery to improve once the heat breaks and the first real cold front arrives. Redfish should become more active during the day, trout should become more concentrated in interior fall areas, and mixed-box trips should become easier to put together.
One change he is specifically watching is the movement of hardhead catfish and other unwanted bycatch out of areas he wants to fish for redfish. Once cooler conditions push those fish out, Aaron says it becomes much easier to target reds without constantly sorting through catfish.
For anglers planning a trip, the current period still offers plenty of opportunity, but flexibility is important. Trout may be scattered, white trout can save a difficult day, and bull reds provide an option that can quickly turn a short trip into a memorable one.
Lafitte Fishing Report: Capt. Ryan Vincent
Capt. Ryan Vincent of Reel Cajun Fishing fishes from Lafitte, about 30 minutes south of New Orleans on the northern side of Barataria Bay. His current report is centered on very shallow redfish, low marsh water, huge numbers of shrimp, and a fall transition that is beginning even though water temperatures remain warm.
Ryan says he is finally seeing redfish group together instead of finding only one fish at a time. The challenge is getting within casting range. Persistent north winds have kept water levels unusually low, and some of the reds are schooling in flats only a few inches deep. Anglers can see them pushing wakes, tailing, and breaking the surface, but reaching those fish may require nosing the boat into the shallowest water available and making the longest cast possible.
Very Shallow Redfish Are The Main Lafitte Target
The most productive Lafitte pattern right now is to work shallow marsh ponds, small pockets, points, and drains while watching carefully for signs of moving fish. Ryan says the reds are often visible before the boat reaches them, so the day becomes a combination of fishing and hunting for schools.
Because live bait is not readily available where Ryan fishes, he often keeps the presentation simple for charter customers with market shrimp under a popping cork. Local anglers are also catching fish on black-and-chartreuse minnow-style soft plastics fished tight-lined, while gold spoons remain a dependable shallow-water redfish option.
Ryan expects this pattern to continue into the next several weeks. If water levels rise, even temporarily, it allows him to push farther into the marsh and reach fish that have been difficult to access during the prolonged low-water period.
Abundant Shrimp Could Set Up A Strong Fall
One of the most encouraging signs around Lafitte is the amount of natural bait in the system. Ryan says shrimp are everywhere. The abundance is noticeable enough that shrimp are showing up around crab traps at the dock, and reports from other coastal areas describe similarly heavy concentrations.
Ryan believes that forage, combined with cooler water temperatures, could set up a productive fall. The low water may have also reduced fishing pressure on some of the shallowest redfish because boats simply could not reach them consistently.
He is also seeing an unusually large number of small redfish in the 13- to 14-inch range. Those fish are below keeper size now, but Ryan views their abundance as an encouraging sign for the future of the fishery. In the immediate term, slot and larger fish remain available in the same marsh system, especially when water levels allow access to the right pockets and drains.
Lafitte Speckled Trout Outlook
Speckled trout have not been Ryan’s primary focus this season. He describes the bite as sporadic: one trip may produce excellent action, while the same area can be nearly empty the next day. Smaller trout are beginning to appear closer to the inside, but the more consistent quality fish are still farther toward the coast.
Rather than put additional pressure on a trout fishery that he believes is still recovering from previous cold-weather losses, Ryan has focused more heavily on redfish and the other species available in the marsh. Under a more typical fall pattern, trout would begin moving into closer bays and become easier to reach from Lafitte as water temperatures decline.
For now, anglers specifically targeting trout should expect more inconsistency than those focusing on redfish. Ryan is waiting for cooler conditions and a more noticeable movement of keeper-size trout before making them a major part of his daily plan.
Sheepshead And Flounder Are Adding To The Mixed Bag
Sheepshead are beginning to appear, although Ryan does not expect the main fall bite until cooler fronts arrive. By October, he typically begins seeing more fish around the concrete walls, rock walls, and other hard structure throughout the Lafitte area. A few quality sheepshead are already showing up as incidental catches, giving anglers an early preview of that pattern.
Flounder are another bright spot. Ryan says they are usually bycatch while he is redfishing, but the size can be impressive. On a recent trip, his crew caught two flounder around 24 inches. He says this is traditionally the time of year when some of the biggest flounder begin appearing around the same areas where he targets redfish.
Ryan does not typically target flounder by gigging around Lafitte because the bottom is soft and muddy and the water is generally too stained for the visibility required. Instead, most of his flounder come on conventional tackle while working the marsh for reds.
Looking Ahead
Cocodrie and Lafitte are both entering the same seasonal transition from different starting points. In Cocodrie, the biggest question is when scattered trout will finally settle into interior fall areas. Capt. Aaron Benfield expects a meaningful cold front to improve that pattern while also making redfish more active during the day. Until then, anglers can rely on white trout and bull reds when the speckled trout bite becomes inconsistent.
In Lafitte, Capt. Ryan Vincent is focused on extremely shallow redfish and finding enough water to reach them. The abundance of shrimp throughout the marsh is a major positive, and the number of small juvenile reds is another encouraging sign. As water temperatures come down, Ryan expects the redfish activity to improve further and sheepshead to become more dependable around hard structure.
For anglers choosing between the two areas, the current report rewards flexibility. Cocodrie offers scattered trout, strong white trout, and dependable bull-red opportunities, while Lafitte is producing visual shallow-water redfishing with flounder and the first sheepshead beginning to mix in.
