Most kids who grow up fishing have one thing in common: their first trip went well enough to make them want to go back.
That first trip matters. Too much waiting and they’re done. Rough water and they’re miserable. Nothing biting and it’s the last time you’ll convince them to get in a boat.
The Louisiana marsh near New Orleans gets it right almost every time. Here’s why.
Calm, Protected Water
The inshore marsh around Delacroix, Hopedale, and Shell Beach is nothing like offshore fishing. There’s no open Gulf, no rolling swells, no rough conditions that make kids (and adults) regret getting on the boat.
You’re fishing shallow marsh ponds, protected bayous, and calm interior lakes. The water is flat, the boat is stable, and kids can focus on fishing instead of holding on. For families with young children or anyone prone to motion sickness, this is the right environment.
Captain Jimmy launches out of Shell Beach — deep into protected marsh water before the sun is fully up. By the time kids have their rods in the water, they’re surrounded by the kind of scenery that makes this place unforgettable.
Fast Action Means Kids Stay Engaged
The biggest enemy of a kid’s first fishing trip is boredom. Long stretches with nothing happening and you’ve lost them.
The Delacroix and Hopedale marsh doesn’t have that problem. Between redfish, speckled trout, sheepshead, and flounder, there’s almost always something biting. Captain Jimmy reads the water and moves if a spot goes quiet — kids don’t sit and wait, they cast and catch.
And when you get out toward the nearshore areas and rocks, there’s a good chance you’ll spot a dolphin or two working the same water. Dolphin sightings are a regular part of a day out here — one more thing kids talk about when they get home.
Sheepshead are particularly great for kids. They hit hard, fight strong, and they’re stacked around structure. Put a kid on a sheepshead bite near an oyster reef and they’ll be asking to come back before the trip is over.
Kids Cast Their Own Poles
This isn’t a trip where kids sit next to an adult and watch. Captain Jimmy puts a rod in every hand and makes sure every person on the boat is actively fishing.
Kids get to make their own casts, feel the bite, set the hook, and fight the fish themselves. That’s what makes the memory. Not watching someone else catch something — feeling it themselves.
Speckled trout are a great first fish for kids. They’re aggressive biters, they pull hard for their size, and they’re not so big that they’re overwhelming on light tackle. A seven-year-old can land a speckled trout on their own with minimal help, and that feeling of doing it yourself is what turns a kid into a lifelong angler.
Multiple Species Keeps It Interesting
One of the underrated advantages of fishing the New Orleans marsh is the variety. You’re not targeting one species all day hoping for a bite. Redfish, trout, flounder, and sheepshead all share the same water. The species that’s biting changes with the tide, the weather, and where you’re fishing — and that variety keeps kids engaged in a way that chasing a single species doesn’t.
Captain Jimmy adjusts targets throughout the trip based on what’s active. If the redfish are slow he moves to trout. If the trout stop biting he works the structure for sheepshead. Kids stay in the game because the game keeps changing.
New Orleans Makes It a Full Trip
This is the part that makes a family fishing trip near New Orleans different from anywhere else.
You can spend the morning on the water catching fish and be back in New Orleans for lunch. The afternoon is beignets at Cafe Du Monde, a walk through the French Quarter, or dinner at a restaurant where they’re serving the same species you just caught. Kids make the connection between the marsh, the food, and the culture in a way that doesn’t happen anywhere else.
It’s not a fishing trip or a New Orleans trip. It’s both in the same day.
You Came for New Orleans. Now Get Into the Marsh.
Most people come to New Orleans for the food, the music, and the culture. And they should — there’s nowhere else like it.
But if you’re already making the trip, you’re 35 minutes from one of the best inshore fisheries in the country. Getting out on the water isn’t leaving New Orleans behind — it’s seeing the rest of it.
The same coast that produces the shrimp, the crawfish, and the oysters on every menu in the French Quarter is alive out here in the marsh. Louisiana didn’t earn the name “Sportsman’s Paradise” by accident. You just don’t see that part from Bourbon Street.
Spend your evening eating and listening to live music. Spend your morning sight-casting to tailing reds in the marsh. Not many places in the world let you do both in the same 24 hours.
Captain Jimmy Corley runs guided trips out of Shell Beach year-round. Call (504) 258-4431 or book your trip online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What age is appropriate for a fishing charter near New Orleans?
A: Captain Jimmy has put kids of all ages on fish. There’s no hard minimum — younger children do well as long as they’re comfortable on a boat and interested in fishing. Most kids aged five and up have a great time. He’ll adjust the trip to match the group.
Q: Is the water rough on an inshore charter near New Orleans?
A: No. The marsh around Delacroix, Hopedale, and Shell Beach is protected inshore water — shallow ponds, bayous, and calm interior lakes. No open Gulf, no swells. It’s one of the most family-friendly fishing environments you’ll find.
Q: Do kids need fishing experience?
A: None at all. Captain Jimmy will show them exactly what to do, get them set up, and help them through their first cast and first bite. First-timers catch fish on these trips all the time.
Q: What should kids bring on a fishing charter?
A: Sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and clothes they don’t mind getting wet. Soft-soled shoes on the boat. Captain Jimmy provides everything else — rods, tackle, bait, ice, drinks, and lunch.
Q: Can we take the fish home?
A: Yes. Captain Jimmy cleans and bags your catch at the dock. Bring a cooler in your vehicle for transport. Redfish and speckled trout are excellent table fare.
Q: How far is it from New Orleans?
A: 35 minutes from downtown. Close enough for an easy day trip, far enough that you’re in the real Louisiana marsh by the time you get on the water.
Ready to Fish?
Call Captain Jimmy at (504) 258-4431 or book online at waterfowlspecialist.com
Shell Beach, St. Bernard Parish — 35 minutes from downtown New Orleans