Offshore Species Overview

With its prolific offshore fishing for bluewater pelagic species, Louisiana is one of the world’s premier fishing destinations, yet it has been a hidden jewel for some time. That is changing as word spreads about big yellowfin tuna, plentiful wahoo and huge blue marlin. These and many other big game species are abundant around the many structures, like oilrigs, that dot the coast of Louisiana and are within easy reach of offshore anglers. Now, factor in the nutrient-rich waters flowing from the Mississippi River, supporting a diverse and robust ecosystem. This translates into lots of food for the upper food chain, which means excellent fishing for all.

Normally you would need a passport to tap into this kind of phenomenal fishing, but it exists in our own backyard. You can bring your own boat or charter one of the many professional captains, but either way, the offshore fishing in Louisiana will blow your mind.

Offshore trolling consists of a wide variety of presentations using baits, lures and teasers from a moving boat. Trolling speeds vary greatly depending on the species sought, typed of fishing and the sea conditions. Live bait trolling is normally a very slow speed so that the baits can keep up, whereas lures can be pulled anywhere from 5 to 18 knots. One of the most common styles of trolling is to pull rigged baits such as ballyhoo at 6 to 9 knots. This method is tried and true and will catch all varieties of blue water gamefish. The ability to buy the ballyhoo frozen and rig is an added convenience compared the requirements of using live bait. Artificial trolling lures share this same easy of use and are still very effective at taking trolling fish. Artificial lures can be trolled faster than those with natural baits allowing anglers to cover more ground during the day. This can increase the likelihood of tracking down “fishy” conditions which results in more bites.