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 2026-04-08, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
8.5OF 10

Forecast

low confidence

Forecast brief for Wednesday, April 8. Back to this morning

Morning line

Venice 8.5 on Wednesday, April 8. 11 mph N. Mostly clear. YOLO day is Wednesday, August 26. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.8-0.4-0.00.40.8LHLHLHLHWed 7 AMThu 7 AMFri 7 AMSat 7 AM
incoming · 0.47 ft · drag or hover for the clockModeled M2 clock — no NOAA gauge on this water. Not a buoy.

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW11MPH

From N · gust 13

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clouds

Mostly clear

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

Moon

63% lit

Waning gibbous

neap range · 63%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.1 ft

incoming

0.47 ft modeled

River

USGS 07374525

277,000 cfs

Mississippi River at Belle Chasse, LA

Discharge into this bay. High water stains the flat.

Wind vs table

No live gauge

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

Clock

NOAA 8760721

  • LowWed 3:00 AM · -0.52
  • HighWed 9:00 AM · 0.53
  • LowWed 3:00 PM · -0.54
  • HighWed 9:00 PM · 0.54
  • LowThu 3:00 AM · -0.54

Bahamas tides are modeled from lunar M2. Use them for windows, not a bar crossing.

Monthly YOLO day

Wednesday, August 26 · 8.3

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · spring · tide range ~0.7 ft · wind to 5 mph · Thunderstorms · 37%

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

    8.4

    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, Tarpon, Speckled trout.
    skiffspinfly
  • Southwest Pass

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    7.8

    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, Tarpon.
    skiffspin
  • Venice west-bank marsh

    marsh drain · public structure · mid

    7.4

    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

When

When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. 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.

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Wed 8:00 AMWed 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.9

    Wed 10:00 AMWed 5:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.6

    Wed 4:00 PMWed 11:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    8.6

    Wed 10:00 PMThu 5:00 AM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Thu 5:00 AMThu 11:00 AM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

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 (modeled — NOAA 8760721 Pilottown did not answer).
  • Mostly clear. Sky is workable.
  • Wind 11 mph N. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • Waning gibbous moon — neap tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

8.4

Thermal window

48°92°

In peak season for this water. 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

8.4

Thermal window

44°90°

In peak season for this water. 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

8.4

Thermal window

68°94°

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

Louisiana: treat as catch-and-release.

Black drum

Pogonias cromis

6.6

Thermal window

46°88°

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

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

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.8

Thermal window

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak. 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.