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| Spanish are active in the surf |
1. The last full month of SweatFest ... the festival no one likes to celebrate. It's fairly common for us to have several days this month with heat index at or over 110. So stay hydrated and limit your time outdoors if possible. Also be aware that water temperatures are at their highest of the year, and several strains of aquatic bacteria are active. Especially on the coast where we've had 9 cases of vibrio in Louisiana so far in 2026 (above average). So bring an antibacterial and treat any cuts or wounds immediately.
2. Closer to the Gulf, the better it gets. The interior marshes offer limited action unless you enjoy catching hordes of ladyfish and sailcats. The water is simply too hot. On the plus side, August is the best time for catching pelagic species like jacks, spanish and king mackeral, and bluefish either nearshore, in passes, or in lower bays. Bull reds are making their spawning run and big schools can be found in passes or lower bays. At night, there's tons of 10-12 inch white trout under lights. In two months, these fish will be 12-14 inches, so I'm holding off until then.
3. Lake fishing windows are narrow. Lake surface waters are hot (upper 80s) so the peak times to fly fish are at night and in the very early hours of morning. Here on the home lake, the bass are feeding on threadfin shad and small bluegill from first light to about 8:00 am, and after that it's deader than Elvis (assuming Elvis is really dead!). There's decent action on bluegill, but they tend to be smaller and thinner than the ones caught in Spring or in October.
4. Rivers are an exception. In August and September, rivers are at their low stages and usually run fairly clear. In the past, I've enjoyed excellent fishing on the Red River, Atchafalaya River, and Mississippi River, and their oxbows and immediate distributaries. These waters have cooler temperatures, therefore higher oxygen levels. For bass, one location that was always golden for me this time of year were the canals and waterways off the Intracoastal Canal near Houma.
5. It's peak hurricane season - now through September. NOAA has revised their original prediction for 2026 after confirmation that the strong El Nino in the eastern Pacific will persist for the next several months. The new estimate is 9 named storms (average is 14.4), 4 hurricanes (average is 7.2), and 1 major hurricane Cat 3 or above (average is 3.2). So far, we've had only two named storms, with Tropical Storm Bertha hitting southeast Louisiana with minor impact, mostly coastal flooding. While the update is good news, when Gulf water temperatures are this high, storms can intensify rapidly once they form.
6. Football season kicks off. Louisiana fly anglers love their football just slightly less than they do their fishing. Saints preseason games start August 15th against the Jaguars. Fall practice for colleges and high schools start the second week of the month. This year, there are no Week 0 (August 29th) games for Louisiana college teams, but no one is complaining about having games in August.