Vermilion Bay 7-4-12
 

The wife and I took our little 14 foot flat out to Mud Point in Weeks Bay on the fourth. We fished every method of salty technique that I know of except topwater. Dead shrimp on the bottom, dead shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet on the bottom, cut mullet under a cork, spinner bait next to the grass, jigs on the bottom, jigs tipped with dead shrimp on the bottom, jigs under a popping cork and jigs tipped with dead shrimp under a popping cork.
I caught two 8 inch redfish, we caught three 12 inch croakers, numerous smaller croakers and lost the reminder of our bait to tiny hardheads and croakers.

pain
 

i feel your pain man, don't know where the redfish went to, but heck atleast you got out there and gave it a try

Anyone else noticing the influx of rat reds in V-bay.... not 14" reds but small 6-10" redfish? Ive caught more of those in the last two trips (10-15 per trip) than I have in the last 5 years.

I also made three trips east of Cote Blanche Island and to the Ivanhoe canal to catch only channel catfish, croakers, bull sharks and stingrays.
I know there are fish east of Cote Blanche Island because I have caught them during duck season there. Maybe it is a fall fishery and not a summer fishery.

is it just me or does the trout fishing seem slow for the area? Last year at this time, I remember hammering them pretty good

I have not caught a single red this year in Vbay....just trout

did you see the hammers I caught last Friday out there jpeff?

remember last year we barely had any rain. the water was so salty which came in further to where it made fresh water become salty. so tha why v bay was doing so well last night due to no rain all summer last year. but this year we been getting alot of rain so its 50/50 fresh and salt water in the bay but if it doesnt rain too much by the fall we sud have a good one.

i meant to say last year not last night. my mind is in two places right now which is at work and on here lol.

looks like the fish are on vacation...

last trip we caught a dozen redfish 8"-10"...biggies are not there.

Seems like the full moon ib july has the same effect every year, makes the fish have lock jaw. Maybe all the extra boat traffic, I don't know but whatever it is, it's tough bite. I'll be headed back this evening to see if the bite is back.

you just have to be in the right place at the right time for trout in vbay right now they are there just real finicky lately but you can catch some there have been a few reports with nice trout out of vbay and i think some of the best water ive seen in the bay last few times out has been in the cove

Water is awesome in the cove, the bite was off. I fish Vbay few times weekly and last week they shut off on me. You're correct gotta be in the right place. But even the redfish weren't biting yesterday. I have a charter captain friend of mine that only brought 4 reds home yesterday and a few black drum. I'm hoping the afternoon bite will be decent, I'll be in the trash pile this evening hoping to jerk on a few trout.

I appreciate all of the comments. I was really more fishing for reds than trout although I probably wouldn't have thrown any back if I had caught them. I keep moving farther west. I guess the next trip will be to ICC as much as I hate to drive that far.

try the hammock or ivanhoe

Been there.
 

I went three times to Ivanhoe. The first trip I caught small croakers and channel catfish. Second trip I caught gafftops, croakers and bull sharks :eek:. Third trip I caught croakers and stingrays.

When I was on the trash pile last week, the trout wouldn't hit any top waters or any jigs bouncing on the bottom. for some reason, the only way they preferred a jig was to cast it out and reel it straight in at a medium retrieve. But as soon as the breeze picked up, they were done.