Species at Quatre Bayous Pass
Speckled trout
low light + moving water over the shell
Redfish
year-round marsh resident; bulls stack passes in fall
Southern flounder
fall cooling pushes them out the passes to spawn
Sheepshead
pre-spawn stack on hard structure in cold water
Spanish mackerel
warm clear water and glass-minnow schools in passes
Black drum
late-winter spawning run stacks oyster and bridge channels
Tripletail
hot still days, sight-fished under floating cover
Cobia (ling)
spring migration cruising the beach, sight-cast structure
Tarpon
summer silver kings follow pogey schools off river passes
Jack crevalle
warm-season bait blitzes, chaos on moving water
White trout (sand seatrout)
summer bay swarms over shell and around structure
What's biting at Quatre Bayous Pass, month by month
| January | Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black drum |
|---|---|
| February | Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black drum |
| March | Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black drum, Cobia (ling) |
| April | Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, Black drum, Cobia (ling) |
| May | Speckled trout, Redfish, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout) |
| June | Speckled trout, Redfish, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout) |
| July | Speckled trout, Redfish, Tripletail, Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout) |
| August | Speckled trout, Redfish, Tripletail, Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout) |
| September | Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout) |
| October | Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Cobia (ling), Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout) |
| November | Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder |
| December | Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead |
Typical seasons for this stretch of coast — a warm or late year shifts them by a few weeks. The live forecast scores today's actual conditions.
Coastal runs that pass Quatre Bayous Pass
These species travel the coast with the seasons, so they show up on a schedule rather than living here year-round.
Redfish (red drum)
bull-red fall surf run cascades by latitude: Mid-Atl Sep–Oct → FL Oct–Nov → Gulf Nov–Dec
Pompano
the strongest, cleanest cascade we have — FL Treasure Coast winter run; Gulf spring run hits Pensacola ~April
Cobia
E→W run (separate stock): Tampa/Charlotte Harbor (Mar) → Destin → Gulf Shores → Pensacola → MS/LA. Sight-fished at the surface
Spanish mackerel
Gulf stock — E→W in spring (FL Gulf → AL/MS → TX), back E→S in fall
King mackerel
Gulf stock — splits in fall: eastern group back down FL, western group W down the TX coast
How Quatre Bayous Pass fishes
Open water lies to the south of Quatre Bayous Pass. A wind out of the south is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a north wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.
Tide is the clock: moving water pulls bait through the mouth, and the turns around slack are when most of the roster feeds hardest.
Tides here are read from NOAA station 8761557 at 29.3100, -89.8533 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.
Shops & partners near Quatre Bayous Pass
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Common questions about Quatre Bayous Pass
- What fish can you catch at Quatre Bayous Pass?
- Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, Black drum, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout). Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Quatre Bayous Pass.
- When is the best time to fish Quatre Bayous Pass?
- September has the most species in season (9 of 11) — Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.
- What tide is best for fishing Quatre Bayous Pass?
- 7 of the 11 species here feed best on moving water. Moving water is what pulls bait through the mouth, so the hours either side of a tide change usually beat dead slack.
- Which wind is bad for Quatre Bayous Pass?
- Open water lies to the south, so a south wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A north wind flattens and cleans it up.
- Do migrating fish run past Quatre Bayous Pass?
- Yes — Redfish (red drum) (southbound Sep–Nov); Pompano (southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May); Cobia (westbound Mar–May); Spanish mackerel (westbound Feb–Jun · eastbound Sep–Nov); King mackerel (northbound Mar–Sep · westbound Oct–Dec). These travel the coast with the seasons rather than living here year-round.
- Where are the tides for Quatre Bayous Pass measured?
- NOAA CO-OPS station 8761557, at 29.3100, -89.8533. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.
Inlets near Quatre Bayous Pass
- Barataria Pass
- Mendicant Island, Barataria Bay
- Texaco Dock, Hackberry Bay
- Caminada Pass (bridge)
- Empire Jetty
- Bay Pomme D'or
- Bay Gardene
- Grand Bay
Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.
Browse every inlet in Louisiana, or the full inlet directory.