Guide Theophile Bourgeois of Bourgeois Fishing Charters in Barataria shows off a bull red caught just off the shoreline minutes before sunset. Photo by Patrick Hogan.

The thick, briny salt air clung to our clothes as we slipped a hook through the collar of a live shrimp and whipped it toward the small island of partially submerged grass in the Gulf waters of southeast Louisiana not far from New Orleans. Our floats had not been bobbing long in the wake of the gentle waves that early morning when we gave them a sharp tug causing a loud "slurping" sound.

Two more such tugs occurred before my partner's float began racing off and then under. Thus began our morning of filling the cooler with pan-sized speckled trout that would later delight our mouths for supper along with cornbread and okra.

Redfish and speckled trout make up the diet of many anglers probing the briny marshes of Louisiana's southeast coast. Come late May and June, a fishing phenomenon ensues -- a pre-dawn caravan of trucks pulling trailers, rushing down the highways to the guts, bays and bayous after stopping to catch or buy lures and live bait for the day. Where do these anglers spend their time, and how do they load the coolers? We went to two well-known Louisiana guides for the skinny on fishing for these tasty game fish.

EAST OF THE RIVER
Captain Gene Dugas is a native of Louisiana and has fished the local waters his entire life. He puts clients on specks and reds in the marshes and lakes in the Hopedale area and Delacroix Island in Black Bay. Dugas is very knowledgeable about the biology of the fish that he targets, and he's more than willing to educate his clients, as well as put them on the fish to fill the cooler.

He told us that in late May and June, specks have moved to the outer lakes and edges of Black Bay and other nearby bays in Breton Sound. The specks are most likely to hang near shell bottoms such as oyster beds not far from the edges or islands in less than 10 feet of water. Dugas pointed out there is a reason the specks have moved out to the bays and outer islands.

"Come April, the specks begin spawning on each full moon cycle. This occurs through the month of September. There are two reasons the specks will find successful spawning in this area. First, during a full moon the tide runs strong, which allows their eggs to be suspended on the moving tide. Second, the water salinity of the outer marsh areas is much higher -- around 14 parts per million -- and this permits the eggs to float. If they sink, they die."

For this reason, our guide targets the outer islands and bays during June. Many fish are congregated here, and the fishing is spectacular. Dugas was quick to point out that the entire month of June is great fishing, but the best times to fish are during the week before and after the full moon when the fish are stacked up tight to spawn.

Anglers wanting to catch sheer numbers of specks should take care to get enough live shrimp to use during the course of the day. Birds begin diving on shrimp being carried along on the tide, and that often points the way to a feeding frenzy of speckled trout. Our pro will often take advantage of such a situation to put fish in the cooler for clients. However, he offered a good tip to anglers using their own boats who want to get in on the action.