Comfort Island is a renowned speckled trout hot spot on Louisiana's coast! Each year this productive fishing spot "turns on" with really good fishing, and in this guide I'll share with you everything you need to know to have a safe and productive fishing trip there.
Where is Comfort Island?
You'll find it located at 29° 49.560'N 89° 15.094'W in the East Biloxi Marsh on the edge of Chandeleur Sound. To the north lies Drum Bay and to the southeast lies Bay Eloi. Keep going south and you'll end up in Breton Sound.
The island has significantly eroded over the decades, but there is still a sizable portion of it left with plenty of interesting structure and cover in the water around it. Keep reading to learn what I'm talking about. It can make for really good speckled trout fishing!
When should you fish Comfort Island?
While you can fish here year-round, I have found it to be most productive from May through September. This coincides with the speckled trout spawn and — if you read this speckled trout fact sheet — you know that this is when they are spawning. Where they spawn tends to be in saltier waters, exactly where this popular island is located.
But there's more: you should fish Comfort Island when the wind isn't blowing hard. You really want to get out there when the wind has laid down. That's because this island is surrounded by open water, and a stiff wind from any direction will make getting there a rough ride, possibly even dangerous depending on the wind's strength and the type of boat you're running.
In order to make a good wind call I strongly recommend using Windfinder. Use this guide to learn how I read its forecast to make the best decisions on when and where to go fishing.
What's the best tackle to fish there?
I really prefer to use a popping cork tied using this method. Throw a chartreuse sparkle beetle underneath it or rig live shrimp as you see fit.
And that's pretty much it, because virtually everywhere around the island the water is rather shallow. There's no need to throw something like a Heavy Drop Shot, because that rig is reserved for deep, fast moving water. Note: if you venture away from Comfort Island into nearby deeper water, you can find some good spots worth fishing with such a rig (you'll see what I mean below).
As you can see, I use various leader lengths to match the scenario.
It's also worth noting that during one trip to Comfort Island I found that, for whatever reason, the speckled trout really wanted the bait presented to them on a 40" leader under a Four Horseman popping cork. It could have been a fluke, or there could have been something to it. I honestly don't know. I just stuck with what was working and that really long leader was doing the trick!
Otherwise, I don't usually put so much emphasis on exact leader length, but that is something you should know if you want to catch speckled trout there.
What makes Comfort Island unique to attract so many speckled trout?
This is something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. There are many islands in the East Biloxi Marsh, so what makes this one stand out? Well, I've done a good deal of investigating, ranging from graphing the immediate area to literally putting cameras underwater to film what's down there.
Cypress stumps are one...
What I found is interesting: the island is surrounded by old cypress stumps. If you've enrolled in Inshore Fishing 101 then you have seen this lesson on cypress stumps (starts at 1:02:30) and learned that these can make for a great fishing spot, but only if you can find them (like I did after putting in some serious time-on-water at Comfort Island).
Click to Enlarge Here you can see cypress stumps in deeper water around the island. These could be worth fishing with a Heavy Drop Shot.
I have found fields of cypress stumps in a few different places across Louisiana's coast. Comfort Island is one of them. These stumps keep the bottom stable, provide cover for bait and ultimately make for a speckled trout hot spot that very few, if any, of Louisiana's inshore anglers know about!
The dark smudges in the center of the photo are a cluster of cypress stumps worth throwing a popping cork over.
This shell pad is another feature at Comfort Island...
One thing that makes Louisiana's coast unique (and productive for speckled trout fishing) are the numerous oil and natural gas platforms dotting her coast. These are accidental fishing spots, and for several reasons:
First, these platforms provide cover for baitfish that speckled trout enjoy eating. Second, they break the current, creating a good place for specks to ambush these baitfish.
Finally, a shell pad is usually placed around these structures in order to stabilize the bottom and protect them. These shell pads usually remain even after the rig is removed. A hard bottom like that contrasts with the soft bottom found across Louisiana's coast, creating unique habitat for baitfish and speckled trout alike. You guessed it: this hard bottom is found at Comfort Island!
Click to Enlarge The above image is from 1998 and the bottom from 2023. You can see that the rig is no longer there, but the shell pad very well could be!
Well, when you investigate Comfort Island on Google Earth Desktop (GED) you will see that there once was a rig located there! It has long since been removed, but it's my educated guess that the shell laid down there still exists to this day.
It's worth pulling the coordinates of that old rig and graphing there, as it could still be productive for speckled trout and other inshore species!
Comfort Island is also a major tidal highway
Because the island is exposed to the open water of Chandeleur Sound, it is subject to a strong tide. Fish enjoy getting out of this strong current and the island does that for them. So think of it as something like a rest stop where fish can take a break to feed, with that tidal highway constantly bringing new fish to the hot spot.
If this concept of tidal highways sounds new to you, then you could get my entire theory in this article here.
But there's a big problem with Comfort Island!
It's only one fishing spot. You really wouldn't want to bank your fishing trip on one spot, because if speckled trout aren't feeding there then you'd be out of luck!
The best thing you can do is plan your fishing trip to include at least a dozen fishing spots with a route leading to all of them, like what you see below:
Click to Enlarge This is what you want to have planned out for successful fishing trips. It's what I do and it has worked for years.
If you're a member of LAFB Elite, then please find the above planning file for Comfort Island at this link inside the Community.
Speaking of which, finding biting fish and more are what I teach inside my membership, LAFB Elite. There you will find all of my courses such as Inshore Fishing 101, which is the foundational knowledge to planning and executing successful fishing trips. Then there are the seasonal courses and others that teach specific disciplines of inshore fishing, such as Sight Fishing Mastery School and Inshore Fishing 201.
Furthermore, when you join LAFB Elite you gain instant access to the Community, where you can read detailed fishing reports and have the option to get help planning your next fishing trip, whether that's to Comfort Island or anywhere else speckled trout swim!
I Loved Taking Inshore Fishing 101
Captain Devin, I would like to thank for all your hard work. Inshore Fishing 101 is about as thorough as you could get.
I would like tell you my situation: I live in north Louisiana by Bossier City. I only get to go to fish the coast once or twice a year and have been putting off signing up for LAFB Elite because of that.
I finally broke down, joined your membership, took Inshore Fishing 101 and am very glad that I did. I will go over it quite often before my next fishing trip.
Once again, thank you for all your hard work!
George Smith
North Louisiana Native
Mississippi Angler Learning Louisiana Waters
The courses inside LAFB Elite, especially Inshore Fishing 101, are very complete. There's a lot of information in them, so I recommend taking it slow and using what you learn out on the water.
Otherwise it will leave your brain exploding with knowledge. But it all does make more sense when you get out on water and see it happen before your eyes.
The difference is that with Devin's courses you'll know what to look for and what to expect. This makes fishing more productive.
Robbie Larson
Mississippi Angler
Excellent Experience
Inshore Fishing 101 is amazing, I’ve been able to add to so much to my knowledge base after completing it.
The way Captain Devin breaks down fishing concepts so they are easy to understand, as well as the optional quizzes, I was able to learn a lot more about finding and catching fish than if I were to watch YouTube videos or read magazines.
Very well done, Devin!
