NEW ORLEANS (AP) — This is when you know you're a fisherman: The meteorologist on TV is warning that the peak of hurricane season is here, which only makes you realize that the last peak of speckled trout spawning season is upon us.
I wasn't worried about how those specks would survive should a storm come this way. I was more worried about how often I'd be able to get into the marsh while the specks were still gathering in those big schools.
True, you can catch specks 12 months a year in southeast Louisiana. But you never have a better chance for a limit than from May through September. That's because specks spend those fall and winter months spread across the estuaries in small schools or as loners.
But when the days start getting longer and water temperatures begin rising in the spring, specks respond to physical changes and begin gathering in suitable spawning locations around coastal beaches, passes, reefs and structures.
And that means the odds of even ordinary anglers catching a limit increase dramatically. Those favorable odds will be coming to an end in September during — just as the peak hurricane season draws to a close.
So keep an eye on the radar, and try throwing your bait in these locations, considered to be among the top end-of-summer speck spots:
BEACHES
Nothing is more certain in September than specks patrolling the long coastal shoreline west of the river from Empire to Fourchon. Prime spawning spots are around the passes that slice this shoreline. When that night-time ritual ends, specks spread out in adjacent waters looking for meals to re-supply their energy needs. And since this also happens to be a time when shrimp, menhaden and mullet are moving along those beaches, these areas become prime feeding spots.
Pick a day when the wind is not up from the south or west, and plan to be at your spot on a moving tide. Look for bait on the surface or birds working, and begin casting.
The easiest run for small boats is out of Empire or Buras, but this stretch can be reached from almost every marina west of the river.
Two notes of caution: If the wind is up from the south, look for another spot. And keep your eyes peeled for thunderstorms.
RIGOLETS BRIDGES
Another great bet for small-boat anglers, because it's less than a half-mile from the launching spots, and remains fishable in most winds.
Plus, it's been holding some of the biggest specks of the season.
Ideal conditions here include a tide between 4/10 and 7/10 of a foot — anything stronger makes it impossible to get baits to the bottom.
The car bridge is more productive on incoming tides (water moving into the lakes from the Gulf of Mexico), and the train bridge on a falling tide. Anchor close to the bridge supports, or up-tide from the bridge. Put the bait right on the bottom. You'll need a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce sliding sinker for the live baits, depending on the tide. If you're using plastics, a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jig head will work, also depending on tidal current.
THE MR-GO ROCKS
Jutting out into Breton Sound, the rock jetties at the southern end of the MR-GO are reefs that attract specks from nearby September spawning spots. And because there are still some jetties on both the east and west sides of the channel, anglers can find calm, clearer water regardless of wind direction or tidal movement.
It's a 20-mile run to the rocks, through protected marsh from Breton Sound Marina. If you're new here, ask the marina owners for a chart and directions.
You'll want to make the trip on a day with a tidal range of at least 7/10 of a foot, and plan to be fishing when it's moving.
Reds and drum patrol the rocks almost all the time, but you'll want to look for specks at any cuts in the rocks. Bring along some live shrimp.
BAY ELOI RIGS
If you have enough boat, and the wind is down, keep motoring past the rocks and turn east into Bay Eloi. You'll see scores of well heads, tank batteries and rigs. Almost any of them can hold trout, attracted by the bait species seeking shelter in the tide shadows of the rigs' legs and barges.
Bring plenty of live shrimp or croakers, as well as plastics such as the Deadly Dudley Terror Tail. Anchor off a rig corner that shows bait on the surface and a current line. If you don't pick up a speck in 10 minutes, move to another corner of that rig, or a new rig.
BLACK BAY
Some of the oldest and most dependable big-trout summer hot spots are the reefs and structures in Black Bay. For much of this unusual summer, they have been hit-and-miss. If it wasn't for the oil closures, it was the high river or high winds. But as summer draws to a close, conditions have been improving.
The closest Black Bay regular is Stone Island, with its rigs and reefs. If the wind is down, The Wreck and Black Tank also have been turning on.
This is a 20-mile run across a lot of open water from the nearest ramps, which are at Delacroix Island. So you'll need enough boat, and the right weather. You'll also want to be at the site when the tide between 7/10 of a foot and a half foot is moving.
Live bait on the bottom is the way to catch these specks, and that means you'll need plenty of spare tackle.
