Bayou Dupre Fishing Guides
The St. Bernard bayou that carries boats from Violet out to Lake Borgne and the Biloxi Marsh, gauged for stage at the hurricane sector gate that now controls it.
Guides on the Bayou Dupre
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About the Bayou Dupre
Bayou Dupre runs east from Violet across St. Bernard Parish toward Lake Borgne, and for the anglers of the parish it is less a fishery in its own right than the road to one. The Biloxi Marsh and the Lake Borgne shoreline beyond the gate hold some of the best redfish water in Louisiana, and this bayou is how a boat gets there from the Violet side.
What makes the gauge interesting is what it sits on. The sector gate is part of the hurricane risk reduction system built across this parish after 2005, a set of structures that can close the bayou off from Lake Borgne entirely when a storm is coming. Stage at the gate therefore reads differently depending on whether the structure is open or closed, and anglers here pay attention to gate operations in a way that has no equivalent on most water. When it is open the bayou exchanges freely with the lake and the fishing inside reflects whatever the lake is doing. When it is closed the bayou becomes a contained piece of water with its own level, and the fishing changes character within a day or two.
Salinity swings widely along its length. Close to Violet the water runs fresh enough for largemouth bass and catfish; out toward the gate and beyond it turns brackish and the redfish, trout and flounder take over. Both fisheries are real, and it is entirely possible to catch bass and redfish within a few miles of each other on the same trip. Launches at Violet and Shell Beach put boats on this water, and Shell Beach in particular has long been the jumping-off point for the Biloxi Marsh guide fleet. Anyone fishing this water for the first time is well served by starting there, since the marsh beyond the gate is easy to get lost in and the productive shorelines are not obvious from a chart.
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Access
Violet - the town at the west end of the bayou, with a launch, fuel and the most direct approach from New Orleans.
Sector gate - the hurricane protection structure at the gauge, the control point between the bayou and Lake Borgne.
Shell Beach - the launch further east on Bayou La Loutre, the long-established base for Biloxi Marsh trips.
Lake Borgne - the open water the bayou feeds, with shoreline and reefs holding trout and redfish.
Biloxi Marsh - the broken marsh beyond the lake, some of the best redfish habitat in the state.
Chalmette - the nearest larger town west, with tackle, food and full services.
Mississippi River Gulf Outlet - the closed navigation channel to the north, now a marsh feature and a landmark on the run out.
Seasons
Spring: redfish spread through the marsh and bass move shallow in the fresher upper bayou as the water warms.
Summer: trout fishing peaks out in the lake and the marsh, worked early, with catfish steady in the bayou itself.
Fall: the best stretch of the year, with bait leaving the marsh, strong redfish action and flounder in the cuts.
Winter: redfish school in the shallow ponds and the bayou fishes well on the warmer days between fronts.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Bayou Dupre?
Anglers target Black Drum, Blue Catfish, Blue Crab, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Red Drum, Sheepshead, Southern Flounder, Spotted Seatrout, Striped Mullet on the Bayou Dupre in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Bayou Dupre?
Violet - the town at the west end of the bayou, with a launch, fuel and the most direct approach from New Orleans. Sector gate - the hurricane protection structure at the gauge, the control point between the bayou and Lake Borgne. Shell Beach - the launch further east on Bayou La Loutre, the long-established base for Biloxi Marsh trips. Lake Borgne - the open water the bayou feeds, with shoreline and reefs holding trout and redfish. Biloxi Marsh - the broken marsh beyond the lake, some of the best redfish habitat in the state. Chalmette - the nearest larger town west, with tackle, food and ful...
When is the best time to fish the Bayou Dupre?
Spring: redfish spread through the marsh and bass move shallow in the fresher upper bayou as the water warms. Summer: trout fishing peaks out in the lake and the marsh, worked early, with catfish steady in the bayou itself. Fall: the best stretch of the year, with bait leaving the marsh, strong redfish action and flounder in the cuts. Winter: redfish school in the shallow ponds and the bayou fishes well on the warmer days between fronts.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Bayou Dupre?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Louisiana agency site: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/recreational-freshwater-finfish-and-crawfish