April 2025 — Louisiana: Excellent spring redfish on Vermilion Bay flats. April is a spring month with water in the 68-76°F range — cobia peak window; permit on flats (South FL Gulf); snook moving. Here’s the full breakdown of what’s biting, where to fish, and the most productive tactics.
What’s Biting — April 2025
Primary targets this month: Redfish, Speckled Trout, Cobia, Black Drum.
Redfish
Redfish in the Delacroix marsh, the Hopedale marsh, the Venice area (Pass-a-Loutre, Tiger Pass), Calcasieu Lake (sight-fishing trophy reds), and the Empire/Buras area — Louisiana is the world’s premier redfish fishery. Cut bait, gold spoons, and soft plastics on light jigheads.
Speckled Trout
Trout holding in Calcasieu Lake (Big Lake), Lake Pontchartrain, the Delacroix marsh, Vermilion Bay, and Cocodrie — gator trout fishery (5+ lb fish common in Big Lake). Live shrimp under a popping cork, soft plastic jigs in natural colors (root beer, new penny, opening night).
Cobia
Peak cobia migration. Sight-fishing along the beach, around the offshore oil platforms, the rigs, and the nearshore wrecks — Louisiana’s rigs concentrate cobia like nowhere else, and following stingrays in clear water. Need calm seas (1-2 ft) and sun overhead. 4-6″ bucktails (chartreuse, white, pink), large soft plastic eels, or live eels and pinfish. Cobia often follow first refusals — make a second cast.
Black Drum
Black drum (bull drum 30+ lb) on the marshes, the bayou edges, and the passes — schoolies in the marsh and bulls in the deeper passes. Cut blue crab, fresh shrimp, or peeler crab on a 5/0-7/0 circle hook with enough weight to hold bottom. Slow, deliberate fishery — set the rod and wait for the rod to bend.
Water Conditions & Patterns
Water temperatures are running 68-76°F. Cobia peak window; permit on flats (south fl gulf); snook moving. Louisiana’s marshes are heavily wind-driven; tide range is minimal but moving water still concentrates fish at marsh creek mouths and pass openings. Falling water on a falling tide is the prime redfish window. Offshore rigs fish all tides — current direction matters more than tide.
Check the NOAA marine forecast and tide charts before launching. Wind direction often matters more than wind speed for inshore fishing — clean water beats churned water nine times out of ten.
Tactics & Tackle for This Month
- Cobia readiness. Keep a heavy spinning rod (8000-class, 40-50 lb braid, 60-80 lb fluoro) ready with a bucktail or live eel — cobia don’t announce themselves.
- Sight-fishing weather. Plan trips around calm seas and sun overhead. Polarized lenses essential.
- Bait migration. Spanish, kings, and predators follow bait pods — watch for diving birds and surface activity.
April Outlook
Peak spring migrations — cobia (Gulf/SE), striped bass (mid-Atlantic), spawning movements everywhere.
Regulations Reminder
Redfish: 18-27″ slot, one per angler per day (verify FWC zone-specific rules). Seatrout/Speckled Trout: FL: 15-19″ slot, 3 per day (verify zone). TX: 15-25″ slot, 3 per day. LA: 12″ minimum, 15 per day (verify current). Cobia: 36″ fork length, one per harvester (FL state waters — verify current rules). Black Drum: 14-24″ slot or 16″ minimum depending on state; 1-5 per day. Always verify current state regulations before each trip — slots, bag limits, and seasons change.
Local Resources
Bait & Tackle: Sportsman’s Paradise (Cocodrie), Hopedale Marina (Hopedale), Venice Marina (Venice), Daly’s Bait & Tackle (Lake Charles), Frank’s Place (Buras).
Public Boat Ramps: Venice Marina (Mississippi River mouth), Delacroix public ramps, Hopedale Marina, Cypress Cove (Venice), Calcasieu Pass (Cameron), Cocodrie, Empire.
Charter Fishing: $500-$800 inshore (marsh redfish, trout); $700-$1,100 nearshore rigs; $1,400-$2,800 offshore (Venice yellowfin, deepwater).
More Louisiana Resources
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