Shore Thing Fishing Report, 4/16/25

April 16, 2025

As water temps increase and conditions improve, baitfish and shrimp return to our inshore waters - and big fish follow the bait.
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- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

Karl with a stud speckled trout caught with Capt. Josh Ellis in Bay St. Louis.

If the big downpours stay away for the next few weeks, we should be sitting pretty for some incredible springtime fishing. The rivers are high but stable at the moment, and everything hinges on what happens with the Bonnet Carré spillway.
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Local fishing has gotten better every day. We are enjoying good catches of speckled trout, redfish, puppy drum, and flounder in every direction. Hats off to our local bait shops – they have been working day and night to get bait whenever the weather and conditions allow.
 

Sandy Villere (center) holding a hefty speckled trout he caught with his buddies from New Orleans.

 
Waters to the west by Lake Borgne have been dirty with low salinity for the past few weeks. The area is finally starting to give up a few fish and should keep getting better. The marsh has cleaned up a lot this week, and now that south winds are bringing in good water, we anxiously await the first big push of shrimp. That saltier water will inevitably bring speckled trout in big numbers, too.
 

Steve from Moselle, Mississippi, with one of his many slot-sized redfish he caught south of Pass Christian.

 
Fishing around the barrier islands has been good. We are catching fish, not in big numbers, but that should change in the coming days and weeks. Every day we see more baitfish, which means speckled trout, redfish, Jack Crevalle, and sharks should start increasing as well.
 

Big black drum are being caught around just about all of the near shore reefs.

 
Prepare for crowds at area boat launches, bait shops, and on the water. Please be courteous to other boaters. If I see a crowd in one area, I usually go in the opposite direction and look for new areas to fish. Most days, that strategy works in my favor. Have fun and be safe y’all.
 

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