This is Artificial Lure with your south Louisiana Gulf report out of New Orleans.
We’re sitting behind a strong winter front this morning; the National Weather Service marine forecast has that front draped from southeast Louisiana down toward Veracruz with strong north winds in its wake. Cold, dry air is pouring in and the Gulf is choppy offshore, but inside the marsh and along the sounds it’s very fishable if you tuck in on the leeward banks.
Sunrise around New Orleans is right about 6:50 in the morning, with sunset just before 5 in the afternoon, so you’ve got a short, tight winter window. Tides around Shell Beach and Grand Isle are on the smaller side today according to Tides4Fishing, with moderate coefficients, so you won’t see crazy current, but you will get enough movement to turn on a bite during the stronger parts of the cycle. Plan around the mid‑morning and late‑afternoon pushes.
Water temps are cool, and that’s got the fish grouped up. Recent inshore trips out of New Orleans, reported on Captain Experiences and Louisiana Sportsman, have seen steady boxes of speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead, and a few drum. The trout are smaller on average but coming in numbers when you find clean water; reds are thick in the ponds and along shell banks, and sheepshead are starting to stack on any hard structure.
Best bite windows today will be mid‑morning once the sun warms the flats a touch, and again toward the evening when the tide swings and the wind lays just a bit. With post‑front high pressure, expect a slower start; think finesse, slow presentations, and light tackle.
Let’s talk lures and bait. With this cold, clear setup, the money makers have been:
- Soft plastics in natural colors—opening night, shrimp, and glow—on 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jigheads, tight‑lined or under a light popping cork for specks.
- Gold spoons and small paddle tails for redfish in skinny water; slow roll them along grass edges and drains.
- For sheepshead and drum, it’s hard to beat dead shrimp, market shrimp, or fiddler crabs on light Carolina rigs or dropper loops around pilings and rocks.
If you’re strictly an artificial junkie, work slow‑sinking twitch baits and suspending jerkbaits over deeper bayous and along the ledges of the MRGO and Intracoastal. Let them sit and just barely twitch; these winter fish don’t want to chase far.
A couple of hot spots to circle on your map:
First, the Hopedale–Shell Beach area. Work the MRGO rocks, Lake Borgne shoreline, and the cuts feeding into the marsh. When you find that greenish‑clean water with decent current, you’ll typically see specks on plastics and a good mix of reds and drum.
Second, slide down toward Myrtle Grove and the Barataria Bay side. Louisiana Sportsman has been talking up Myrtle Grove Canal as a winter trout producer, and that same pattern holds now: dead‑end canals with a little depth and bait will stack trout; fish soft plastics and live shrimp under corks and let the boat sit still and quiet.
If you’re trailering farther, Grand Isle and the nearby passes like Caminada and Barataria Pass are holding reds, sheepshead, and a few trout on calmer days. Focus on the bayside reefs and the rock along the passes; drop shrimp on the bottom and you’ll usually find something pulling back.
Overall, fishing is good for January: fewer boats, bunched‑up fish, and plenty of opportunity if you line up tide, clean water, and some patience. Dress warm, run safe in that low water, and don’t be afraid to move until you see bait and decent clarity.
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