Beating the dirty-water problem in Barataria marshes _lowres

Baton Rouge Louisiana Fish Fry executive John Deutschman shows off the hefty redfish he took in the marshes south of Theophile Bourgeois' charter operation in Lafitte a day after north winds dropped water levels by more than one foot and left anglers searching for trout and redfish in muddy water. 

Besides an unexpectedly terrific run on speckled trout, a solid bass bite in the Atchafalaya Basin and the freshwater marshes south of U.S. 90, coastal and freshwater anglers need to be aware of a handful of changes headed their way for the coming weekend and into Thanksgiving week.

First, the strongest cold front of the season is predicted to sweep to the coast Saturday morning. It'll bring 20-25 knot north winds, which will make it for hazardous conditions in virtually all open-water lakes, bays and rivers.

Second is that the duck season is in full swing and, with lots of ducks spread across the southern parishes, it means more duck hunters. It's time to give them their time in the freshwater and brackish-water marshes. So, with morning temperatures dipping into the upper-30s here and upper-40s along the coast, maybe it's time to consider giving the duck hunters their due in the early morning at launches, and give them time in their blinds before you run into the shallow-water areas in search of bass and redfish.

Next, know that the strong north winds will push water from interior swamps and marshes, so fishing run-outs and banks with wind-blown currents should be high on your list. Spinnerbaits and square-billed crankbaits should work for bass and redfish, and plastics worked on jigheads and under corks should find speckled trout.

This front should expand the movement to deeper water. For folks working the southeast side of Lake Pontchartrain, it means heading into the Intracoastal Waterway and to The Wall for trout, and working canal-to-bayou points (look for grassbeds) for redfish and bass.

Lake Boudreaux, Cocodrie waters, canals in Dulac and the Bayou DuLarge-Theriot areas have been producing 12-15 inch trout in good numbers. While the best trout action in the Grand Isle area has been working the islands and reefs behind Grand Isle, you can expect the front to push trout farther north in the Barataria Basin, even into waters easily reached from Lafitte.

Expect conditions to moderate Monday into early next week before another, but weaker cold front moves in Thanksgiving Day.