Flounder Guide — Delacroix, LA

The big flounder around Delacroix sit in the deeper holes and channel drops, not the shallow grass where you'll catch rats all day. Focus on the slack water where the Mississippi current breaks—around the spoil banks east of the Delacroix boat launch and out toward the Empire levee. You want 8 to 12 feet of water, and you'll find them stacked there from September through November when the water cools down.

Use a 1/4-ounce jig head with a 3-inch white or chartreuse paddle-tail (grab them here) under a slow sink-and-retrieve. That's it. Don't get fancy. Cast tight to structure—dead trees, broken pilings, shell beds—and let it drop on a semi-slack line so you feel the hit. Half your bites come on the drop.

Patience means making 200 casts to one area instead of running and gunning. You'll know a lunker hit different than a keeper. The bite's deliberate, not twitchy. When you get one, keep the drag set for 10-pound fluorocarbon. Don't horse it.

Hit these spots on incoming tide, specifically two hours before high. The water movement pushes baitfish into those holes. Low tide clears out too much water to hold the big fish. Early morning's better than afternoon.

Look for piers, docks, or other structures that provide some cover from sunlight. This is where I've caught some of the largest flounder over the years. If you fish an area frequently, you'll start to learn the holes and hot spots where these large flounder tend to sit.

If you have access to a pier or dock, cast under it and let it sit. Live shrimp is always best if you have access. If you can get on the pier or dock, just drop straight off the edge and let the bait go under the structure. Depending on conditions, a lead weight may help and keep the bait on the bottom. You just have to try and see what works on that particular day.

My personal recommendation is beef up your line strength or leader, if you have the pole set up for Reds or Specks. A large flounder can break your line and is much stronger than people think.

The patience of landing a nice flounder is well worth it. Flounder is my favorite Gulf fish and many have broken my line right at the top of the water.

If you want to expand beyond Delacroix, the Grand Isle flounder fishery offers similar channel and structure fishing with strong tidal movement on the Louisiana coast.

Bring a headlamp and plan to stay until after dark. That's when the 4 and 5-pounders move shallow to feed.