Gulf snook keep feeding as Louisiana's fall transition holds off

What's biting

What's next

Expect water temps to hold in the mid-80s over the next couple of days; there's no cooling signal in the current readings, and the first-quarter moon means tidal exchange stays moderate rather than the bigger swings a full or new moon would bring. That's worth planning around for a weekend trip: moderate current makes for a longer, more predictable bite window around each tide change rather than a short, hard-current burst.

If temps start sliding even a few degrees, look for the snook bite Sport Fishing Mag describes to intensify as fish commit fully to their fall staging pattern. Check a current tide table for Calcasieu Pass and the Southwest Pass area before heading out, since specific high/low timing wasn't in this morning's station data.

Context

Mid-to-upper 80s water in late September is typical for the LA Gulf Coast and Delta, a region that runs warmer, later into fall, than much of the rest of the Gulf. The sharper seasonal push toward cooler-water patterns usually doesn't arrive until October. Right now the Delta is in its late-summer-to-fall transition, with fish behavior driven more by shortening daylight than by any sharp temperature drop, which is right on schedule for the calendar.