New Orleans is an incredible U.S. city with a unique and vibrant personality. It also happens to be a fantastic destination for anglers. The city is surrounded by saltwater, freshwater, and brackish water on all sides, providing fishermen with a variety of water bodies and fishing style options.
This environment makes the city a perfect place for fishing. You can enjoy inshore fishing or take a boat to experience deep-sea fishing.
New Orleans grabs the attention of anglers because of its abundance of different fish species, and proximity to just about every type of saltwater fishing you could imagine.
Our guide will provide you with all the necessary information that can help you identify the best seasons and locations for fishing in New Orleans
When Fishing is Best in New Orleans?
There are plenty of opportunities for fishing near New Orleans year round. As an angler, you can choose different times of the day, different tides, and different seasons. All of which will greatly change your success, target species, and overall style of fishing.
In summer, the best time to fish is often in the early morning. In fall, spring, or winter, our opinion is that afternoon and evening fishing tends to out perform other times of the day.
New Orleans Fishing and Storms
After storms, many areas get flooded in New Orleans, which can create great possibilities for targeting redfish and other species that navigate into shallow waters during flooding.
New Orleans Fishing and Tidal Impacts
Fish activity and location largely depends on different factors, such as tides and weather. That’s why it’s incredibly important for you to study the tide times of fishing when planning a fishing trip to New Orleans.
Different species of fish respond to tides differently. High tides, low tides, incoming, and outgoing tides all offer different species possibilities, as well as open up different waters for anglers to test out. New Orleans has species and locations that enable anglers to find success during just about any tide stage. That being said, if you are targeting specific species, you need to plan your fishing around the tides.
Night Fishing in New Orleans
Bridge lights or dock lights attract many species of fish. At night, you can catch a big speckled trout. In addition, some other species, like redfish, sheepshead, black drum, etc., also appear at night.
Is Winter Fishing Good or Bad in New Orleans?
You can catch different species of fish all year. But in winter, certain species of fish are active. For example, Tuna, speckled trout, and flounder are often caught in winter, where Cobia and Tarpon are not caught in winter.
Winter fishing will become productive if you know which areas to target. The local expert can help you find the best winter fishing spots.
New Orleans Fishing Seasons
Best Seasons For Fishing New Orleans
Most anglers go fishing in New Orleans during early spring and late fall, which are the most productive times of the year. From May through mid-October is the highest in demand season for fishing. More species are targeted, and more charters are booked across the state.
| Fish Species | Best Time to Go |
| Speckled Trout | Fish piers and nearshore in winter and offshore in summer. |
| Flounder | The best time is November; available all year. |
| Cobia | The best timeframe is from July to October; the best month is September. |
| Tuna | The best season is the mid-winter and fall seasons. |
| Tarpon | The best fishing window is early spring through early September. |
Half Day, Full Day, or Multi-day Charters
Several types of chartered fishing trips are available in New Orleans. You can choose a half-day, full-day, or even multi-day charter to get the best possible fishing experience.
So, you need to decide how much time you are going to spend fishing. After that, pick the best charter that meets your budget and fishing preferences.
Types Fishing in New Orleans
This location offers anglers plenty of fishing options in terms of styles and locations. Below are some of the popular ways of fishing that are done both with spin rods, and fly rods:
Shore Fishing
Shore fishing is the easiest and a popular way of fishing among locals. Most of the water of New Orleans is brackish and shallow, and there are nearly endless opportunities to cast rods from shore in this region.
Charter Boat Fishing
With charters, anglers get an experienced local captain who will help you handle all the important elements. This includes: optimal location, your fishing bait, gear, lures, and even fish cleaning. They often provide valuable guidance, angling knowledge, local knowledge, and boating safety tips and tricks.
Pier Fishing
You can hook into different species of fish, like tarpon, speckled trout, catfish, and more from local piers. Pier fishing allows you to try different fishing techniques with ease and added safety over many other methods.
Top Fishing Spots in New Orleans
Let’s check out some of the best fishing corners in New Orleans:
Elmer’s Island
Elmer’s Island impresses most anglers due to its beautiful beaches. Here, you can catch a wide variety of fish, such as Catfish, Flounder, Red Drum, Blue Crab, and Speckled Trout. On this island, you can enjoy a good time fishing with your family and friends throughout the year.
Delacroix Island
The marshy and shallow environment of Delacroix Island creates an excellent condition for catching Redfish, Flounder, Speckled Trout, and Catfish. This fishing spot attracts both professionals and beginners to enjoy fishing any time of the year. However, the best time for most for anglers to go there is in August.
New Orleans City Park
This 1300-acre public park has many places where you can enjoy fishing. Consider Marconi fishing pier to catch Catfish, Bass, and Perch. You can also head to the Harrison Canal to catch Largemouth Bass and Bluegill.
Final Thoughts
You cannot deny that fishing in New Orleans is special. While you fish here, you can explore diverse fishing spots, experience different fishing techniques, and the chances of heading home with plenty of fish will always be high!
Make sure to check the tides and weather conditions before starting your fishing trip; as this will make your fishing trip productive and successful.
Max DesMarais is the founder of hikingandfishing.com. He has a passion for the outdoors and making outdoor education and adventure more accessible. Max is a published author for various outdoor adventure, travel, and marketing websites. He is an experienced hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, backcountry skier, trail runner, and spends his free time in the outdoors. These adventures allow him to test gear, learn new skills, and experience new places so that he can educate others. Max grew up hiking all around New Hampshire and New England. He became obsessed with the New Hampshire mountains, and the NH 48, where he guided hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains. Since moving out west, Max has continued climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, is always testing gear, learning skills, gaining experience, and building his endurance for outdoor sports. You can read more about his experience here: hikingandfishing/about