Anglers in Southeast Louisiana head to deep water to search out wintertime speckled trout 

Old Man Winter has definitely made himself at dwelling right here within the deep south. Overcast skies and daytime highs are making it onerous for inshore fisherman to catch speckled trout in February.

Max Patrucco of Slidell, La doesn’t fear an excessive amount of concerning the chilly climate as a result of he’s obtained an excellent spot that routinely places speckled trout in his cooler.  “Geoghegan’s Canal is one of the most productive places that I know of for catching wintertime trout,” mentioned Patrucco. Pronounced “GO-he-gans,” the dead-end canal stretches two miles from Rigolet’s Pass, south of Lake Pontchartrain, and runs alongside US Highway 90 in Slidell. Patrucco fishes from his Wilderness Systems Radar 135 Kayak and launches at Rigolet’s Marina. After a 15 minute peddle, he’s fishing his favourite ledge within the canal. “The great thing about fishing Geoghegan’s Canal is the depth it offers,” Partucco mentioned. “I don’t have to cover a lot of water because the trout are often grouped up in the deep holes over 30 feet.”

Set-up

When fishing the canal, Patrucco makes use of 10-pound braid with a 10-pound fluorocarbon chief about 2 1/2 toes lengthy. Patrucco’s rod is 7-foot medium motion rod paired with a spinning reel. When dwell shrimp can be found, he makes use of a drop-shot rig, however when shrimp are out of season his go-to lure is the three.5-inch Slam Shady Paddletail made by Salt Strong. “The Slam Shady is scented which can help the fish stay on longer since it’s a slower jigging process in the cold,” he mentioned.

Patrucco rigs it on a 3/8 oz. jighead. In February, the water is comparatively clear so the pure colour works completely. When fishing the deep holes, Partucco positions his kayak 20 yards off the drop-off, then he works his lure again to the boat to ensure that it to drop down the ledge. “I’ll give it a good pop and it’s usually when the bait is falling that I get hit,” he mentioned.

As February passes, the chew ought to stay sturdy within the deeper sections of the Geoghegan’s space even into March. Anglers who put within the work to search out the deep holes and ledges with their electronics will reap the rewards.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award successful outside journalist that resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outside column for the Slidell Independent Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Commission’s LouisianaNorthshore.com and Louisiana Northshore Explore Magazine. He is the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Show and is on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery.