Artificial Lure here, checking in with your Friday morning report straight outta the Crescent City. The sun’s rising a little later at 6:27 a.m. and you’ll have daylight till about 5:01 p.m. – that’s plenty of time to get your boots wet or the boat in the water. The weather’s mellow: starting in the low 60s, pushing into the upper 70s by afternoon, light winds shifting southeast, and only a stray cloud or two expected. It’s that kind of day that makes you glad to call South Louisiana home.

Looking at the tides, we’re seeing an early morning incoming pushing through till mid-morning, then a steady drop rolling into the afternoon. According to the Spreaker New Orleans Gulf of Mexico Fishing Report Today, that's firing up inshore bite windows on both sides of the tide swing. Shrimp are still thick up inshore, and that’s keeping predators feeding close.

Now, let’s talk action. The marshes and bays from Lake Borgne all the way down to Hopedale and Delacroix have been red hot. Speckled trout have been running in good numbers, especially on the moving water at main bay points and where you see diving birds working bait. Folks throwing Matrix Shad in any chartreuse or opening night have been boxing impressive speck stringers—reports have some boats on the schools with limits before 10 a.m., trout averaging 14-18 inches with some gators mixed in.

Redfish are cruising the grass edges and oyster reefs on either cut mullet or live shrimp under a popping cork. Slot reds, plenty keeper-sized with a few bulls pushing up shallow on warmer flats. A few flounder are peeking back in near the oyster beds, and there’s been a buzz about a couple anglers sticking nice ones—try Gulp! Swimming Mullet close to structure if you want to pull a flatty for the skillet.

Offshore, weather’s light enough to push out to the rigs. Black drum, sheepshead, and even a snapper or two (if you’re on state waters) are hitting dead shrimp or crab on bottom rigs tight up to the structure. Cobia have been seen around the buoys, so keep a big live bait or a bucktail ready just in case.

For the artificial crowd, best bet’s soft plastics on 1/4 oz jig heads, especially in that limetreuse or chicken-on-a-chain color. If you want to get fancy, the Rapala 3-1/2" Shadow Shad Hard Bait is doing double-duty, pulling both trout and bass along broken marsh edges—Academy Sports points out its flash and erratic action make it hard for big fish to turn down. Live shrimp is always king if you can get it, with dead shrimp right behind.

Hot spots today? Don’t sleep on Shell Beach for a mixed bag—bird action’s been steady all week. Down Delacroix way, the Oak River and Lake Campo line are holding reds and trout. In the morning, focus near drains and cuts, moving out to lake mouths as the sun gets up.

If you got a kayak, hit Bayou Bienvenue—quiet water, plenty bait, and bite’s been good in the first couple hours past sunrise. For boaters, Breton Sound out to L&N Bridge is turning up solid catches, especially when you work the windward shoreline.

Thanks for tuning in to your boots-on-the-ground Gulf report. Y’all be safe out there and keep those lines tight. Don’t forget to subscribe for your daily fix. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI