New Orleans Fishing Guide
New Orleans fishing is good about 12 months out of every year, but there are peak and off-peak seasons. The heaviest winter months (December, January and February) are cold by Louisiana standards. You can expect 40 to 60 degree temperatures during the day and there are often strong north winds. During this time, most fishing is done with cut bait and it can be productive. However, those nasty cold fronts can turn fish off for days at a time. Your best bet is to call a reliable fishing guide when you get into town and see what the forecast looks like. A word to the wise: If you can only get away once a year to go fishing in New Orleans, don't make it during those three months.
March in New Orleans is like March everywhere--hard to predict, cruel and often downright heartbreaking. There are some great catches at this time--but don't count on it. Now April, May and June are a different story altogether. Designed for comfort (oh those spring time breezes!), quality, and quantity (good thing the Louisiana limit is so generous). The brown shrimp are back and there is a feeding frenzy! This is the time for big trout and also when red fish start showing back up in the shallow marsh ponds.
Come July, August and September the fishing's still great but the weather's enough to make you want to stay home and watch the Discovery Channel. However, if you don't mind the heat, big schools of trout are there for the taking and daily limits are common. Shallow ponds are thick with red fish--and mosquitoes! In October and November, temperatures cool and the fall run of "school trout" starts. The trout are so eager, it's not uncommon to see a dozen or more boats fishing in the same area and everyone catching fish. The same can be said of the red fish at this time of year.
So no matter when you fish in the New Orleans, there's a good chance that you'll not only go fishin' but that you'll go catchin' too. Some months are better than others, but with the help of a fishing guide, you're sure to bring back a memorable catch.