Fourchon Barges: How To Catch Speckled Trout There

The Fourchon Barges are one of the most fun and productive places I've fished west of the Mississippi River!

I've caught a lot of speckled trout there and, in this guide, I'll share where this fishing hot spot is located, how to get there, what tackle to use and other information you'll find useful to go have a good time for yourself! Let's get started with what they are.

What are the Fourchon Barges?

They are a dozen large rock piles just off the beach at Port Fourchon. They were installed sometime in 1990s, evidenced by their absence in 1989 imagery and sudden appearance in 1998.

They're called "barges" because that's how they started out: they were barges filled with rocks and deliberately sunk just off Fourchon beach in order to protect the port of Fourchon from further erosion. So unlike artificial reefs, they were never intended to attract speckled trout and other inshore species. It's a happy accident!

Over time the metal of the Fourchon Barges corroded away and what we are left with now are the rock piles.

Why are the Fourchon Barges so productive?

These items on structure sit in about fifteen to nineteen feet of water, which is a great depth for speckled trout. They serve to break the current and provide cover for forage that specks and other inshore species enjoy eating, such as croaker.

If you've taken my course Inshore Fishing 101 then chances are you've seen the Man Made Fishing Spots lesson, which covers rock piles. And in it I detail what makes a rock pile productive, with the Fourchon Barges being a great example.

But a bad example would be rocks placed in shallow water. There's just not enough water at these locations to provide a stable environment laden with forage that speckled trout, redfish and more would regularly frequent.

Where are the Fourchon Barges located?

You can find this fishing hot spot centered on 29° 6.133'N 90° 11.155'W. They are easy to see from a distance, as well.

The best place to launch to fish them would be the Irvin P. Melancon Boat Launch. It's a public boat launch with several ramps, spacious parking and restroom facilities. The address is:

841 A O Rappelet Rd, Golden Meadow, LA 70357

You can also access the Fourchon Barges by launching from your favorite marina in Grand Isle and running twelve miles down Elmer's Island. This is a good choice if you need the accommodations of a marina, such as live bait. With that being said, you may be surprised to learn that I recommend not using live bait. Instead, I recommend other lures and tackle, which I will describe here shortly, so keep reading!

When should you fish this hot spot?

My favorite time of year to fish the Fourchon Barges ranges from April to September. If you've read my speckled trout fact sheet, then you'll know that this is when they're spawning. So fishing in the area where they are spawning makes sense.

However, you can catch fish there pretty much year round. Not just speckled trout, but redfish, flounder, white trout, sheepshead and other inshore species. Yes, even saltwater catfish can be had there, and for that reason I recommend bringing a flipper just in case. This guide shows you what to use and how to use one.

The most important factor that will determine when to fish the Fourchon Barges is wind. If the wind is blowing so hard that the water is too rough to fish, then you'll have to plan to fish somewhere else that is protected from strong wind. In order to accomplish this I recommend consulting Windfinder, and this guide will help you immensely to that end.

When you do, you will want to ensure that you fish and navigate safely in the "lee of the land", and this guide will show you what to do.

What's the best tackle to fish the Fourchon Barges?

I personally prefer jigging 3" swimbaits like Matrix Shad. If this is something new to you, then I recommend checking out my ultimate guide to jigging. It really is a proven technique that outshines other tackle, zeroing in on speckled trout in a more precise way.

I recommend an 1/8 oz jighead to throw against the rocks, then a 3/8 oz jighead to fish the deeper water around it. Tie on a 1/2 oz if the water is moving fast at the Fourchon Barges and you're having trouble reaching the bottom.

After that, throwing a popping cork could be a good idea, especially if fish are up in the water column feeding, rather than positioned at the bottom or along the rocks, like they normally are.

If you have a novice angler in the boat, then this could be a good choice for them to fish with. The reason being that a cork won't get hung up on the rocks as easily as a jig will.

Should you find that the fish are biting well beneath the surface (and a popping cork is ineffective) then you can switch your novice angler from a cork to something like a Carolina rig or Heavy Drop Shot.

The best way to fish the Fourchon Barges is...

...a process of elimination. There are a dozen rock piles and only one of them could be loaded with biting fish, while the rest give up throwbacks, trash fish or nothing at all.

So, you will want to begin fishing one rock pile, get good presentations and — if you don't get bit — move to the next one and try again. Rinse and repeat until you find the fish.

Now, if you've never heard of "good presentations" and don't fully understand what that means — or other terms like "boat positioning" and "sinking weight" — then I strongly recommend taking this free video course. It's one video about 20 minutes long, completely free (no dumb gimmicks that annoy the hell out of everyone), and will teach you not only how to best fish the Fourchon Barges, but anywhere your target species swim.

What if the Fourchon Barges aren't productive?

This certainly happens. They are a well known fishing spot and community hole that is routinely pressured by inshore anglers not just in the area, but trailering in from out of town. Fish don't put up with that kind of pressure for long and eventually leave for somewhere they can feed in peace.

This will inevitably happen! When it does, you will want other fishing spots to try. There is the nearby beach, Belle Pass, Timbalier Island and more. But those are also community holes, and what really counts is picking out fishing spots based upon the conditions and then fishing them using a process of elimination until you eventually zero in on the mother lode of biting fish.

This and more is what I teach inside Inshore Fishing 101, which is only available inside my membership, LAFB Elite. In it you'll learn how to identify fishing spots that aren't obvious to everyone else, as well as how to safely navigate to them and back, even if you've never been there before.

This process works, and it's what I've used to catch fish from Slidell to Venice to Vermilion Bay.

Get fishing reports for the Fourchon Barges and more!

When you join LAFB Elite you are allowed to view current and past fishing reports for this hot spot and other locations. These are detailed and useful reports posted by like-minded anglers who love sharing with a community that gives back.

If fellow members are posting great catches, and you see that the wind forecast is good, then you know you have a chance at duplicating their fishing trip. Or, if they report no good fishing there, then you know to focus your effort elsewhere. This is one of several ways you get the most out of LAFB Elite!

Watch me fish the Fourchon Barges for speckled trout:

I've been to this fishing hot spot many times and even have several videos featuring them, such as this one starting at the 12 minute mark.

Over To You

Have you fished the Fourchon Barges before? What advice do you have to share? What do you think is missing from this guide and what could I add to it to make it better?

If you have answers to the questions above, or simply something else to add, then please use the comments section below. I love it when people comment on my site, as it's a great way to let me know that folks are visiting and enjoying the content.

Tight lines, and thanks for visiting!