Out here on the Gulf this Sunday, October 26, Artificial Lure reporting in with your Louisiana coastal fishing report. We had a **mild fall morning** with sunrise at 7:14 AM and sunset coming at 6:21 PM, giving anglers a solid window for action. *Tides are on a medium cycle today*—the coefficient out of Calcasieu Pass started at 69 and will ease down to 60 by sundown, so expect moderate current through the marshes and at the passes. According to NOAA’s Cocodrie table, the closest low at midday (around 12:40 PM) could make for some hot bites in the hours bracketing that slack tide.

Weather’s been good but heads up: National Weather Service put a **small craft advisory in effect this morning** through Sunday as another front comes through, so watch for a little bump out on open water later today. **Winds are swinging around northerly, 10 to 15 knots with gusts, seas around 2 feet and higher if you’re out past the islands**. Not terrible, but use caution if you’re running out chasing snapper or tuna.

**Fish activity’s been steady, and water temps starting to cool—just what we want for fall action.** Reports from local guides and Louisiana Sportsman say we’re in a major run for bull reds along Grand Isle beaches, and Venice is thick with redfish and trout—classic late October Louisiana. *In the offshore scene, just about all the red snapper private allocation has been caught for 2025*, with LDWF’s LA Creel showing nearly 97% finished. Most boats brought back limits earlier in the month, though season’s winding down.

On the inshore side, it’s all about **sheepshead on the bridges, rocks, and platforms**—big groups are stacking up around hard structure as the water cools. Folks are picking up nice speckled trout just inside the passes and in Lake Borgne, using hard plastics. Try the **Bandit 300 deep-diving crankbait** if you like working the deeper edges, or a hopping chartreuse/lime soft plastic under a popping cork. If you’re a live-bait angler, you can’t go wrong with live shrimp or a frisky mullet; fiddler crabs are dynamite for sheepshead around pilings.

Here’s your **bite list** from recent catches:
- **Redfish:** Plenty between Venice and Grand Isle, reds running big—use gold spoons, Matrix Shads, or juicy live mullet.
- **Speckled Trout:** Best on dropping tides near Lake Borgne, Delacroix, and Hopedale; topwater in the low light, then plastics or live shrimp midday.
- **Sheepshead:** Thick near bridges and rigs, especially around Shell Beach and Breton Sound—best on dead shrimp, fiddler crabs, or bits of oyster.
- **Red Snapper:** All but wrapped for the year, but if you’re out on structure or rigs, try big jigs or cut bait down deep for a few late-stayers.
- **Big Catfish and Bass:** Still coming from Mississippi River outflows and the nearby bayous—chicken liver and big worms get bit.

**Best baits and lures:** For artificial, reach for hard plastics (like MirrOlures, Rapala X-Rap, or the Bandit 300 crankbait in shad or chartreuse). Out deep, heavy jigheads with soft plastics match most anything. For live bait, shrimp is king, but pogies, finger mullet, and fiddler crabs are killers for the variety bite.

**Hot spots to try:**
- **The passes west of Grand Isle** for reds and specks—hit Caminada Pass on a moving tide.
- **Venice jetties and the east banks of the Mississippi**—still a top fall choice for numbers and size, especially at first and last light.
- **Lake Borgne bridge complex**—easy sheepshead, specks, and flounder too, especially on the incoming tide.

Even though the almanac gives us just a "fair" rating for fishing this evening, there’s plenty of fish to be found if you work moving water and change tactics with the weather. Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure; remember to subscribe so you always get the bite when it’s hot.

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