Doctrine · not a honey-hole list

Seasonal fundamentals

When a coast, a type of water, and a fish actually line up. If you elected Texas on the list, this page opens on Texas — Seychelles stays off the board until you ask for it. Filter by region, method or habitat, and species. The year bar is peak versus present. Limits cite TPWD and FWC — verify before you keep one.

Louisiana

Louisiana — river, marsh, and the birdfoot

Wind and the Mississippi move more water than the printed tide.

Venice is the birdfoot — South and Southwest Pass, ponds on the west bank, bulls in the throats, school reds and trout inside, tarpon in the heat on the south passes. Grand Isle is a different desk: one inhabited barrier island, Caminada, Barataria, a state-park surf. Calcasieu is the Texas-border cousin under LDWF rules — same fish, different bag, not Sabine Lake. Reds are 4 a day, 18–27, none over 27. Trout are a slot. Flounder typically close Oct 15–Nov 30. Do not put a Texas tag on a Cameron fish.

June. Heat and river. Venice tarpon on the south passes. Trout at first light. Reds in the drains.

Type

Wade

Feet on the flat. You need water you can stand in and a tide that does not strand you. Texas mid-coast grass and the Laguna spoil banks are the classic walk. Grand Bahama and the Abaco Marls are the thinking wade — pancake sand, long shots, no engine to spook the school. Do not wade a Keys oceanside bank you have not watched for a full cycle. The water leaves.

Venice Grand Isle Calcasieu

June · peak

What is actually on

Tarpon

Mangrove / gray snapper

Red snapper

Tripletail

King mackerel

Spanish mackerel

Peak Present Off

Closures

No coast-wide harvest closure on the board. Still verify before you keep a fish.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

Present JuneLouisiana

Thermal window

—

52–88°F · best 62–82°F

Texas and Louisiana main event. Tails in flooded grass, wakes on shell, winter schools on mud, bulls in the passes. Keys: backcountry only, not oceanside. Boca Harbor yes. Jupiter is a snook desk.

Fly. 8-weight. Crab or shrimp on bead-chain for tailers. Gold spoon when the wind wrecks the fly. 20 lb near oyster.

Spin. Weedless gold spoon, paddle, or soft plastic. Heavy spoon or big paddle for the fall jetty bulls.

Leads the brief on Venice, Grand Isle, Calcasieu.

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

Official source

Speckled trout

Cynoscion nebulosus

Present JuneLouisiana

Thermal window

—

48–86°F · best 62–78°F

Same bays as the red, a foot deeper. Birds are GPS. Heat drives them off the flat at midday. Cold drives them to guts and mud. Louisiana lives on this fish.

Fly. 7–8 wt. Baitfish and shrimp. Gurgler when they are up. Soft mouth — strip-set, do not trout-set a trout.

Spin. Topwater at dawn. Soft plastic on a light jig the rest of the day. Slow down after a front.

Leads the brief on Venice, Grand Isle, Calcasieu.

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

Official source

Want this week’s weather on top of the doctrine? Read the Saturday Letter.