If speckled trout, redfish and bass were pests, South Louisiana’s marshes this time of year would qualify as infested. The redfish and bass are there year round, but in the spring, they compete for groceries with speckled trout trying to add inches to their waistlines in preparation for the coming spawn.

On any given trip, an angler might focus on one of those specific species, but he’ll have a hard time not bumping into either of the other two.

In fact, it’s not unheard of to catch a speckled trout, redfish and marsh bass on successive casts, something anglers from most other states would say is impossible.

On a trip last week, Connor McNeil and I didn’t hit the trifecta on back-to-back-to-back casts, but we did run across all three species over the course of our fishing day.

The trip started calm and cool, with an underdressed McNeil serving as the main course for a swarm of noseeums, which local anglers call gnats. Despite the distraction, the Mandeville High School senior put plenty of fish in the boat, even after winds built to kite-flying levels.

Hot baits for the day included watermelon/red Matrix Craws on 4/0 extra wide gap hooks below 1/4-ounce tungsten bullet weights and limbo slice-colored Matrix Shads on 3/8-ounce Deathgrip Jigheads. That 4/0 hook is important for the craws, as McNeil would discover over the course of the trip.

For all the details, check out the video below.

Like the video? Please give it a thumbs-up, and subscribe to the Marsh Man Masson channel on YouTube. Also, leave a comment below or on the YouTube page. Do you try to add variety to your ice chest this time of year, or do you simply focus on a single species? If the latter, which is your favorite fish to target in the springtime?