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Lake Pontchartrain Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

New Orleans' inland sea: a 630-square-mile brackish estuary where the Trestles' speckled trout and bridge-light culture define the city's fishing.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
Low 2:07 AM
Air / High
83 / 84 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8761927, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Lake Pontchartrain serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings cloud cover, wind NE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 84. Tides: high 1:49 PM, low 1:14 AM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 85 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8761927 (New Canal Station). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW1:14 AM0.4 ft
HIGH1:49 PM0.9 ft
Sat
LOW2:07 AM0.4 ft
HIGH3:09 PM0.9 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low84 / 79 F
WindNE 8-9 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 61%
Sunrise / Sunset06:39 / 19:19
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 84/79 F, wind 15 mph, rain 61%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Pontchartrain: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Lake Pontchartrain calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Pontchartrain today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 17 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Louisiana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Louisiana license (saltwater endorsement). Trout 15/day at 12 inches minimum currently: check LDWF updates.

Access

Bonnabel, Seabrook, Bayou St. John lakefront launches; north shore: Mandeville, Rigolets marinas.

About this water

630 sq mi tidal estuary, greater New Orleans, LA. The Trestles' trout water and the city's fishing soul.

Fishing Lake Pontchartrain: the full guide

The estuary that raised a city

Pontchartrain spreads 630 brackish square miles against New Orleans' lakefront: not a lake but a tidal estuary, breathing Gulf salt through the Rigolets and Chef passes. Its fishery is Louisiana in miniature: speckled trout on the bridge pilings, redfish along the marshy north shore, and a bridge-and-light culture (the Causeway, the Trestles) as distinct as the city's food.

The Trestles doctrine

The railroad Trestles and the Causeway's endless pilings are the lake's reefs: trout stack them on moving tides: spring and fall runs bring the 3-5-lb 'yellow-mouth' class the lake is famous for. Drift the pilings throwing double-rigged plastics, or anchor up-current and swim baits into the shadow lines: tide beats time of day, always.

Beyond the bridges

The north shore's marsh drains (Bayou Lacombe to the Tchefuncte) run redfish and flounder on falling tides; the passes (Rigolets, Chef Menteur) funnel everything and fish like inlets; and winter pushes trout into the Industrial Canal and marina hot-water corners: an urban bite New Orleans treats as birthright. Black drum, sheepshead and puppy drum fill every structure between.

Reading the basin

Salinity swings rule Pontchartrain: spillway openings and river floods freshen it (fish retreat east), droughts salt it (trout spread lake-wide). Watch the salinity trend like the tide chart: the fishery migrates within the basin by the month. Wind chop builds fast on shallow open water: the lee shores and bridges save blows.

Common questions

What are the Trestles at Pontchartrain?

The railroad bridge's miles of pilings east of the Causeway: the lake's most famous trout structure. Spring (April-June) and fall runs stack fish there on every moving tide.

Is Lake Pontchartrain fresh or salt?

Brackish and variable: Gulf passes salt it, rivers freshen it. The trout fishery tracks salinity: good salt years fish lake-wide, flood years push the game toward the eastern passes.

Is fishing good at Lake Pontchartrain right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Barataria Bay57 miGrand Isle64 miBiloxi75 miAtchafalaya Basin89 miPascagoula River101 miDauphin Island120 mi
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