Shore Thing Fishing Report, 12/4/24

December 4, 2024

There is big news this week - as in big catches of our inshore species! Trout are everywhere, and redfish and sheepshead are also making a respectable showing. The bigger news is that the federal red snapper season is here!

- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

Helena and Margot Schindler enjoying a wonderful sheepshead bite south of Bayou Caddy.

I hope everyone had a very safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and friends. Our boats took full advantage of the nice weather leading up to Thanksgiving. The fishing was very good and hopefully will continue after these fronts blow through. We will likely have some cooler temperatures and wind to deal with this week, but that’s all part of fishing this time of year.

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A giant red snapper for this young man, fishing in federal waters with Capt Alex.

 
The water has been very clean and very salty in every direction. Also, the majority of the areas we fish from Lake Borgne, to Bay St. Louis, to the Louisiana marsh has been covered up in 12 to 13 inch speckled trout. For now, it’s a little frustrating having to throw them back. However, little fish get bigger every day, and in the coming months, these fish will not only grow to be legal-sized keepers, they will also be mature enough to spawn many times. This will make things incredibly good in the coming years. As with anything we fish for, keep what you need and leave some for the next trip.
 

Beau and August Schindler with one of their many Thanksgiving speckled trout!

 
In the meantime, the sheepshead, puppy drum, and white trout fishing is still fantastic. On the days when speckled trout and redfish are not cooperating, the fish mentioned above are incredible table fare, I promise you. Live or dead shrimp and bottom fishing has been the ticket for us. Any kind of structure like a reef or a bridge works very well.
 

The LaFontaine Family “making groceries” for a big holiday feast.

 
The big-ticket item for December is definitely the reopening of federal snapper season. Our very own Captain Alex McInvale has been taking advantage of calm days and seeing some huge red snappers. Federal red snapper season will remain open until the end of December 2024.
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