If you're heading out to fish in the Gulf of Mexico around Louisiana today, here's what you can expect:

First off, the weather is looking pretty good with mild temperatures and a light southeast breeze. Sunrise was at about 7:00 AM, and sunset will be around 6:30 PM, giving you a full day on the water.

Tides are crucial, and today you'll see a high tide around 9:00 AM and a low tide around 3:00 PM. The tide changes, especially the incoming tide, are usually the best times to catch fish, especially in areas like the oyster reefs and shallow flats.

Yesterday was a great day for fishing, with plenty of speckled trout, redfish, and black drum caught in various spots. In the inshore marshes and channels off Venice, Louisiana, anglers were catching a good number of speckled trout, many in the 20-inch range, using artificial lures like ultraviolet matrix shad tied to a fluorocarbon leader and oddball rattle corks.

For redfish, a 3/4 oz H&H weedless gold spoon with a swivel tied to moss green PowerPro braided fishing line worked wonders in the shallow flats, cuts, and bayous within the marsh. Redfish were also active in the back lakes and mid bay reefs, where cut mullet and shrimp were effective baits.

If you're targeting speckled trout, areas like the oyster reefs in 5 to 8 feet of water were productive. For a more classic Louisiana experience, head to the bayous around Buras, where Captain Troy knows the spots like the back of his hand. The Biloxi Marsh is another hot spot, especially for those looking to catch both trout and redfish.

In terms of lures, bigger lures like Mirrolure Lil’ John XL’s, 6” Coastal Brew Darts, and 5” Salt Water Assassin Sea Shad paddle tails in natural colors were effective, especially when worked near the bottom. For bait, live shrimp, piggy perch, cut skipjack or mullet, and even fish bites were all successful.

Overall, it's shaping up to be a great day for fishing in Louisiana's Gulf waters. Make sure to take advantage of the tide changes and don't hesitate to switch between artificial lures and live bait to see what the fish are biting on.