On This Water

Louisiana · Venice / Birdfoot

Redfish should be the day — flood the west-bank ponds, then the south passes if the bulls are in.

The Mississippi birdfoot. Passes, ponds, and river-marsh. Bull reds in the passes, school reds and trout in the ponds. Tarpon in mid-summer on the beach and the south passes. NOAA 8760721 Pilottown is the clock. Wind and river stage move more water than the printed tide.

  • This brief is for 2025-12-02. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
  • Tide · NOAA 8760721
  • NDBC BURL1 quiet
  • Salinity probe quiet or stale
  • Mississippi River gauge quiet
  • Red-tide check failed — not all-clear
  • Sargassum check failed — not all-clear
  • Water temp quiet
8.0OF 10

Tide + moon

low confidence

Forecast brief for Tuesday, December 2. Back to this morning

Morning line

Venice 8.0 on Tuesday, December 2 — tide, moon, and season only. No wind forecast that far out. YOLO day is Wednesday, August 26. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-1.2-0.60.10.71.3Mon 6 PMTue 6 PMWed 6 PMThu 6 PMFri 6 PM
incoming · -0.35 ft · drag or hover for the clockNOAA tide gauge 8760721 · Pilottown · ft MLLW · not a weather buoy

Wind

NWS

NESWMPH

No wind reading

Buoy

NDBC BURL1

Quiet

Southwest Pass did not report. Witness only — not the tide clock.

Sky

NWS

Sky not in

Sky not in

A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.

Moon

92% lit

Waxing gibbous

mid range · 92%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

incoming

-0.35 ft MLLW

Coast

No live coast layer

Red-tide check failed. That is not all-clear — open the agency page before you wade.

Sargassum check failed. Not a GPS pin. Not all-clear.

Salinity / color
Black Bay near Pointe-à-la-Hache is quiet or stale. Not a color reading.

River

USGS 07374525

Quiet

Mississippi River did not answer. Not a color reading.

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

No live gauge this hour — the printed tide is the forecast.

Clock

NOAA 8760721

    Monthly YOLO day

    Wednesday, August 26

    Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · spring · tide range ~0.9 ft · wind to 5 mph · Thunderstorms · 30%

    Next two weeks

    Pulling the 14-day strip…

    Where

    This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.

    • South Pass

      pass jetty · public structure · deep

      8.1

      Named river mouth. Bulls and summer tarpon. River stage and wind decide more than the table.

      • pass jetty on a incoming tide is a classic match.
      • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
      skiffspinfly
    • Venice west-bank marsh

      marsh drain · public structure · mid

      7.7

      Delta ponds inside the passes. School reds and trout. Your Gulf Atlas pin lives here.

      • marsh drain on a incoming tide is a workable match.
      • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
      skiffkayakflyspin
    • Southwest Pass

      pass jetty · public structure · deep

      7.4

      The other throat of the birdfoot. Current, ships, and the Gulf. Not a pond.

      • pass jetty on a incoming tide is a classic match.
      • In-play: Redfish.
      skiffspin

    When

    When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. First light and last light are named when the clock is the story. Today’s ring mixes the best mark, the lead fish, and the best window, then taxes the sky. A strong incoming can sit under a weak day if the wind or the fish is off. Calendar cells are a third recipe: range, moon, and the day’s forecast.

    • Last light · incoming

      9.4

      Tue 8:00 AMTue 9:00 PM

      Last light on incoming water.

    • Last light · outgoing

      7.4

      Tue 9:00 PMWed 8:00 AM

      Last light on outgoing water.

    • Last light · incoming

      9.4

      Wed 8:00 AMWed 10:00 PM

      Last light on incoming water.

    • Last light · outgoing

      7.4

      Wed 10:00 PMThu 9:00 AM

      Last light on outgoing water.

    • Last light · incoming

      9.4

      Thu 9:00 AMThu 10:00 PM

      Last light on incoming water.

    Launch and beach access

    Cited to LDWF ramp lists and Louisiana State Parks. Parish rules shift after a blow.

    • Venice public launches

      Plaquemines Parish / LDWF ramp directory

      Birdfoot door. South and Southwest Pass are the run. Confirm which ramps are open after a blow.

      Official source

    Legal water

    No-take and closed water cited to the agency that owns it. Only the Keys box is FKNMS.

    No FKNMS polygon in this box. Mainland Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, and the Bahamas are not Keys sanctuary closures.

    Why — and who

    • Tide is incoming from NOAA 8760721 Pilottown.
    • Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
    • USGS salinity well Black Bay near Pointe-à-la-Hache is quiet or stale — not all-clear, not a color reading.

    Black drum

    Pogonias cromis

    8.4

    Thermal window

    46°88°

    In peak season for this water. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

    Louisiana: check LDWF coastal finfish before you keep a drum.

    Redfish

    Sciaenops ocellatus

    6.6

    Thermal window

    48°92°

    Present, not peak. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

    Louisiana: 4/day, 18–27 in slot. None over 27. No harvest in federal waters. Charter captain/crew bag is zero. Verify LDWF.

    Speckled trout

    Cynoscion nebulosus

    6.6

    Thermal window

    44°90°

    Present, not peak. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

    Louisiana: 15/day, 13–20 in slot, no more than two over 20. Charter captain/crew bag is zero. Verify LDWF.

    Tarpon

    Megalops atlanticus

    4.8

    Thermal window

    68°94°

    Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

    Louisiana: treat as catch-and-release.

    Jack crevalle

    Caranx hippos

    4.8

    Thermal window

    64°94°

    Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

    Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.

    Regs citedLDWF recreational saltwater · current LDWF coastal finfish · rolls in 7 days. Louisiana flounder is typically closed Oct 15–Nov 30. Verify LDWF the week you keep one.