Artificial Lure here with your Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans area fishing report for Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Sunrise kicked off around 6:28 AM, with sunset landing at 7:37 PM. We’ve got just over 13 hours of daylight to get on the water. Today's moon phase is a waxing crescent at about 23%, and the best bite windows—the “major times”—were 8:29 to 10:29 AM, and are coming again tonight from 8:53 to 10:53 PM, with minor opportunities right before daylight and mid-afternoon, according to the Solunar Calendar.

Tides have had a strong swing thanks to a high tidal coefficient for late August. For example, Shell Beach started with low tide at 1:03 AM, high tide at 8:48 AM, low again at 12:39 PM, and high rolling back in at 5:54 PM. According to Tides4Fishing, these big swings mean currents are ripping pretty good, setting up those ambush points for reds and specks.

Weather today is classic late summer—hot and muggy, barely a whisper of north wind early, building to a moderate onshore breeze as the sun did its work. Water temperatures hovered in the low-to-mid 80s, about par for this time of year. Expect a little afternoon chop, but not enough to scare folks out the marsh.

Fishing action has fired up! Louisiana Sportsman and the Daily Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana Fishing Report both say speckled trout and redfish have been solid, especially with these strong moving tides. Reports put the best action along the lakefront, around the Rigolets, and in the deeper passes near Hopedale and Delacroix. Trout have been stacked along the Causeway and in Lake Borgne, with plenty of keepers mixed in. Redfish are in the marsh drains and points, especially where there’s shell mixed in the grass.

This week, anglers have hauled in limits early—mainly trout up to 18 inches and slot reds when you can find moving bait. Black drum, flounder, and even a few stray tripletail have shown up in the “trash fish” category, but nothing to frown at for a late summer trip.

For those asking about lures, Captain Jeff Brandon with Get the Net Guide Services and other local guides have leaned heavily on popping corks rigged with 18-to-24 inch leaders to live shrimp—that’s the classic, but artificials are also banging. Top-water baits like Spooks and Skitterwalks got crushed at first light, especially over shell and along the outer marsh. When the sun got up, folks switched to soft plastics: white and chartreuse paddle tails on 1/8 to 1/4 oz jigheads have been the best bet depending on the wind and current. Notably, tails without paddles fished slow have tricked some bigger trout in clearer water. If you’re after reds, gold spoons and Matrix Craws bumped along the grass lines are also producing.

Best Bait: Live shrimp under a popping cork remains king for both trout and reds, but soft plastics like DownSouth and Matrix Shad tails, along with topwaters at dawn, are taking fish all over the marsh. If you can net some finger mullet or mud minnows, those will tempt the bigger reds.

Hot Spots: For easy access, try the mouth of Chef Pass, the marsh drains off Delacroix, or the east side of Lake Borgne near Bayou Caddy. The Causeway bridge pilings continue to hold solid trout—just watch the boat traffic. Don’t overlook the Biloxi Marsh edges or Rigolets Pass for mixed bags, especially on a strong incoming tide.

That’s your Thursday rundown from Artificial Lure. Appreciate y’all tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for more updates and tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

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