Specks and reds are chewing good along the Louisiana side of the Gulf right now, and if you time the moving tide you can put together a real solid box in short order. Cooler water and shorter days have the fish sliding into the bayous, drains, and nearshore rigs where the bait’s stacking up.

## Tides, sun, and weather
Expect a moderate winter tide swing with a good push of water around the mid‑morning and again late afternoon; plan to be set up and fishing an hour on either side of those changes. Sunrise is roughly early, with a quick warm‑up into a mild, dry day and light to moderate north to northeast breeze, and sunset coming on relatively early, so the bite window around low light is tight but productive. With clear, cooler air, water clarity in many marsh ponds and outer bays is better than it’s been, which favors more natural presentations.

## Fish activity and recent catches
Speckled trout have been coming off deeper bayous, shell reefs, and current‑swept points in good numbers, mostly keeper‑sized with some nicer fish mixed in when the tide really starts rolling. Redfish are thick along marsh edges, cuts, and drains; plenty of slot fish with the odd bull roaming outside on the edges of the sounds and near the jetties. Flounder numbers are decent where there’s firm bottom and some current, especially around little necked‑down drains and around old shell. Closer to the rigs and platforms just off the beach, folks are still picking up sheepshead, drum, and the occasional snapper or mingos where it’s open and legal.

## Best lures and bait
For trout, work soft plastics on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads under a popping cork in 2–5 feet, or bump those same plastics on the bottom in the deeper bayous once the sun gets up. Natural colors like opening‑night, glow, and chicken‑on‑a‑chain are money in the clearer water; switch to chartreuse tails if it muddies up. For reds, gold spoons, spinnerbaits, and paddle‑tail swimbaits pitched tight to the grass and run through drains are the ticket. Live shrimp or live/minnow‑style bait under a cork will get bit anywhere right now, and cut mullet or cracked crab is hard to beat for bulls and drum near the passes and rigs.

## Hot spots to try
Two areas really worth your gas today:
- Venice / South Pass: Work the outer bays, ducks, and drains feeding into the river passes, then slide out to the jetties and nearby rigs for bull reds, drum, and sheepshead when the tide starts trucking.
- Barataria / Grand Isle side: Focus on shell reefs and points inside the bays for trout at first light, then push into the marsh ponds and cuts for redfish once the sun warms the shallow water.

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