Rain throughout the weekend will turn better for duck hunters than for fishermen, who should be prepared to find dirty water after early-week rains and constantly changing winds pushed water to and fro in the coastal marshes.

Reports from marshes in the Pontchartrain Basin, mostly in the Bayou Bienvenu, Biloxi Marsh, the MRGO and several spots in the Delacroix marshes are trout have moved inside and are taking live shrimp. Various colors of soft plastics and hard-plastic jerkbaits and taking both specks and bass. Redfish are showing up better in Delacroix and the marshes on the east side of the Rigolets.

Action in the Bayou Dularge area has been spotty, and when anglers found trout, the best advice was to stay in that spot and work with soft plastics under a cork or plastics on a jighead around points and run-outs.

Waters south and east of Lafitte had the best reports from the northern Barataria Basin, and, when winds allowed, the reefs north of Grand Isle continued to hold trout.

The Atchafalaya Spillway continued to give up bass, most 1-2 pounders, around cypress trees with nearby grass beds. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits worked, as did heavily weighted “creature” baits punched into the heavy grass during bright, sunshiny days. Very few reports are forthcoming on sac-a-lait.

Give Bistineau time

While state Inland Fisheries’ biologists aren’t closing the areas off, fishermen might want to give about the 500 acres at the Catfish Pond, between Fairview Point and the mouth of Little Red Chute Bayou, a wide berth on Lake Bistineau for a couple of weeks.

Earlier last week, Wildlife and Fisheries announced helicopters would apply aerial herbicide to combat giant salvinia in the popular north Louisiana lake.

The LDWF announcement indicated the invasive plant could take up to three weeks for it to die and sink.

While there is no restriction on fishing or other recreational activities, most fishermen know it takes about three weeks for fishing to return to normal in sprayed areas.

At Beauregard

Because the Louisiana National Guard needs to use the area, the LDWF closed gates at Mayhaw and Millcreek roads leaving access to Camp Beauregard Wildlife Management Area (Rapides Parish) to only the Buckhorn Road gate.

The LNG owns this WMA and reserves the right to block access for training schedules.

Maps at the self-clearing permit stations will list closed areas.

To plan for a hunt, you can call the LNG’s Camp Beauregard Range Control (318) 290-6300/(318) 290-6301 for closed and open areas available.

Seed bed closures

The LDWF announced closure effective last week of public oyster seed grounds east of the Mississippi River in St. Bernard Parish, and the Hackberry Bay Public Oyster Seed Reservation in Jefferson and Lafourche Parishes

The oyster season maps are available on the LDWF website: www.wlf.louisiana.gov/fishing/commerical-oyster-seasons.

Florida triggerfish

While the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation closed state waters throughout 2017 for gray triggerfish at its November meeting — it followed the federal closure issued by federal biologists and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council — the FWC decision will remain open for review and the panel agreed to consider a potential limited gray triggerfish season.

The FWC will take comment from staff and stakeholders to determine if state waters will be open to a gray triggerfish season later in 2017.