Early September in Louisiana is hot, humid, and full of fish. The redfish in the marsh are as reliable as ever, the tripletail bite on the markers is at its peak, and the speckled trout are beginning their slow move from the outside islands back toward the inside. Offshore, the rigs are holding everything from mangrove snapper to yellowfin. The fall run is a few weeks off, but there is no reason to wait.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week: redfish in the marsh from Hopedale and Delacroix down through Venice and across to Cocodrie, with fish on the points and the grass edges on the higher tides. Tripletail are on the channel markers, the crab-trap floats, and any floating debris from Grand Isle to the Mississippi River passes. Speckled trout are best at first light on the outside islands and the rigs in the bays, with the fish starting to spread inside. Offshore, the shallow rigs are holding mangrove snapper and a few cobia, the mid-depth rigs have red snapper (check the season status), and the deep rigs off Venice are producing yellowfin tuna and wahoo.
Where to Find Them
The Delacroix and Hopedale marsh, the Biloxi Marsh, and the Venice marsh from Baptiste Collette to the Wagon Wheel are all producing reds. Run the markers and floats in Barataria Bay and Caminada Pass for tripletail. Trout are at the Grand Isle rigs and along the outside islands in the mornings. The deep rigs south of Venice — the Midnight Lump area and the floaters — for tuna.
Tides & Conditions
Water temps are in the upper 80s inside and mid-80s offshore. The marsh fishes best on the higher water in the mornings, and the outside trout bite is a first-light deal. Calm, clear mornings are ideal for spotting tripletail. September is peak hurricane season in the Gulf — the whole plan depends on the tropical outlook, so check it daily.
Tackle & Tactics
Redfish take a gold spoon, a spinnerbait, or a soft plastic under a popping cork on 20-pound braid. Tripletail want a live shrimp on a 2/0 circle hook under a cork, cast just past the float and worked back. Trout take a soft plastic on a jig head or a topwater early. Offshore, live hardtails or pogies for tuna at the deep rigs, and cut bait or a jig for the snapper on the shallower structure.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Venice Marina and Cypress Cove area ramps, the Hopedale Marina area ramp on the Ycloskey Canal, the Grand Isle State Park ramp, and the Cocodrie-area ramps at Coco Marina. Fish are concentrating in the marsh on the high tides and on the floating structure for tripletail. Louisiana redfish rules changed in 2025 — check current Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries regulations for the slot and bag limit, and the state and federal snapper season status before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Tripletail on a channel marker will sometimes sink out of sight when the boat approaches. Do not leave. Anchor or spot-lock 30 feet away, cast a live shrimp under a cork against the marker, and wait — the fish usually comes back up within five minutes.
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