In 1682, Rene’-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle became the first western explorer to sail up the Mississippi River from its mouth at the Gulf of America.
History tells us he claimed the Mississippi River Valley for France, naming the region in honor of King Louis XIV. History is silent, however, on whether Cavelier tossed soft-plastic paddletails on 3/8-ounce jigheads to the speckled trout that absolutely inundate the river near the modern-day town of Venice, La.
If he had spent any time there in the fall, he sure could have.
The Speckled Trout Migration
In a typical year, beginning around mid-summer, the Mississippi River gets low and slow, dropping water levels at New Orleans’ Carrollton gauge below the 5-foot mark. When that happens, the mouth of the river becomes tidal, and each rising tide brings with it green, salty water from the Gulf.
Redfish and flounder are the first species to ride that conveyor belt into the bait-rich waters of the lower Mississippi River, providing hours of entertainment—as well as tasty fillets—to sweat-soaked anglers enduring the dog days of summer and looking forward to the cooling temperatures of fall.
Once the cold fronts arrive, typically sometime in October, the river and its passes fill up with speckled trout, seemingly overnight. The increase in action almost defies belief. You go one day, and catch nothing but reds and flounder, and return the next day to discover Mother Nature must have turned them all into speckled trout.
The swallows return to Capistrano less impressively.
Speckled Trout Follow the Bait
Legendary Louisiana television and radio show host Kevin Ford intercepts the speckled trout every year at this time. Though his occupation grants him the opportunity to do all the best outdoor activities the Bayou State has to offer, few compare to fishing near the port of Venice, La., this time of year.
“It has to be at the top of the list,” Ford said. “When it’s right and the Mississippi River’s down and you have the cool water, I don’t think there’s anything more fun in the state that you can do.
“You can sit in the Mississippi River itself, 35 miles from the Gulf and catch all the speckled trout you want. There aren’t many places where you can do something like that.”
The best of the bite typically begins around Halloween. It’s all treats and no tricks, Ford said.
“They usually show up late October or early November, when the water temperature gets in the low to mid-70s,” he said. “They’ll start moving into the outer areas and getting into the passes right off the river, but to get them to really move inside takes a couple of good fronts.
“The fish are coming from both sides of the river on the outside, and the reason why they’re moving into the river is because of all the bait.”
That bait is mullet and menhaden that move into the river with the Gulf water, as well as white shrimp that spent the summer months growing in backwater marshes and use the river and passes as conduits to reach the bays. Those that survive the gauntlet of game fish will spawn and produce next year’s crop of shrimp.
All that bait is irresistible to some of the biggest speckled trout available anywhere along the Louisiana coast.
Large Seatrout in the River at Venice
“The fish that you’re gonna catch, especially when it gets real cool in Venice, you’re not gonna be in a situation where you’re fighting throwback fish,” Ford said. “You’re mostly catching fish that are up to 5 pounds. You’re probably not going to catch an 8- or 9-pounder, but there’s a whole lot of 2- to 5-pound speckled trout.
“You’ve got a better chance of catching fish that size in the river in the late fall than probably anywhere else in the state.”
The good news for anglers of all skill levels is that even though those fish are big, they’re generally not smart, Ford said. If you want to test your mettle as an angler, you probably want to go somewhere else.
“Venice is kind of a different place,” he said. “There’s not many fluorocarbon leaders being used down in Venice. It just doesn’t require the exact precision that other places in the state require to catch fish.
“I guess the best way to describe it is that Venice in the fall allows you to be a little bit lazy. Just use whatever you have. The fishing is that good.”
That said, there is some tackle that’s preferred by local anglers.
Best Tackle for Fall Seatrout
“If you get into these passes that have canes that are on the edge of a little bit deeper water—the stuff that the bass fishermen work—throwing a jig and a popping cork along those canes really works well,” Ford said. “So there are applications for that, but a lot of times, it’s just a jig and your favorite soft plastic.”
Most locals use 3/8-ounce jig heads teamed with purple/chartreuse and black/chartreuse soft-plastic paddle tails, and they throw them along drop-offs in the river itself as well as the passes that branch off it.
This time of year, speckled trout are the main draw, but they’re far from the only game in town. White trout abide shoulder to shoulder with the speckled trout and eagerly hit the same baits as their close cousins.
Mississippi River Mixed Bag of Fish
“You’ll catch some white trout, but you’re really liable to catch just about anything,” Ford said. “You’ll catch some (largemouth) bass, redfish, flounder, sheepshead, drum and a whole bunch of striped bass.
“When you get a bite, you never really know what it is, and I think that’s part of the lure and the fun of what makes Venice such a special place.”
Like all things in fishing, though, this incredible action has a shelf life.
“The Mississippi River is going to start rising, usually at some point in December, and all that cold, muddy water from up north is going to push those fish out of the river,” Ford said. “They’re going to go back to the outer edges of the Gulf.
“What will happen in that case is the salt water will be on the bottom—it sinks—and the fresh water will be on the top. In a lot of areas, it’ll look like just complete dirty river water, but you’ll end up having a layer of salt water on the bottom that’s full of fish.”
Mild winter weather still allows for great action, but there’s nothing like the fall, when you’re catching specks in full view of Cavalier’s ghost.
