Shore Thing Fishing Report, 1/1/25

January 1, 2025

Winter fishing is all about getting the most out of the windows of good weather. When you do, there are redfish, sheepshead, and other fish out there waiting for you. 

- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

Russ and Aysin from Missouri with a huge bull red (tagged and released) near Lake Borgne.

From all of us at Shore Thing Fishing Charters, we hope everyone had a very safe, happy, and merry Christmas. We are in the wake-up-and-see-what-Mother-Nature-throws-at-us time of year. When we had some very chilly weather before Christmas, we pushed our start time back to mid-morning or even midday. It worked very well in our favor. 

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Johnathan from Diamondhead with a pretty trout caught near Bayou Caddy.

 
There are some days we can reach south to the Louisiana marsh, but most days, we are fishing near shore. For the time being, the salinity is still very high, which makes the fishing good just about everywhere. We are focusing most of our efforts in the ponds for redfish and over the oyster reefs for sheepshead. Of course, it is always a treat when we find a patch of speckled trout or puppy drum.
 

Boston Rhodes from Waveland up close and personal with a big black drum he caught and released near Half Moon Island.

 
On the last couple of trips, we focused heavily on redfish. All of the areas we are focusing on have been covered in small crabs on the banks. This is a very good sign, as they are an easy meal for the redfish, and those crabs will keep the reds in those areas, hopefully for the coming weeks. Although we have caught plenty on artificial baits, the easiest way to catch the reds has been live or dead shrimp a foot or so under a Boat Monkey popping cork.
 

Chloe Santiago from Gulfport with a holiday redfish she caught in the Louisiana Marsh.

 
The bait shops have been working overtime to keep us in the live shrimp. They have made a huge difference, especially with those big sheepshead.
 
It’s all about the weather for now. We are planning our days exclusively around the winds and temperatures to find the best and most comfortable weather to fish in. We consider ourselves lucky to be able to fish 12 months of the year.
 
Reminder: Federal red snapper season closes December 31.
 

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