Croaker: season, lures and limits

Showing the fish for Louisiana coast, LA.

Fishing region

Season in Louisiana

JFMAMJJASOND

LSU: Gulf-wide in estuaries, tolerant of low salinity, spawns offshore in winter; live croakers are the favored surf bait for big Grand Isle trout. (Our inference)

Season by region

Myrtle Beach	JFMAMJJASOND
North Jersey	JFMAMJJASOND
South Jersey	JFMAMJJASOND
Delmarva	JFMAMJJASOND
Virginia Beach	JFMAMJJASOND
Outer Banks	JFMAMJJASOND
Southern NC	JFMAMJJASOND
Charleston	JFMAMJJASOND
Georgia	JFMAMJJASOND
Northeast Florida	JFMAMJJASOND
Space Coast	JFMAMJJASOND
Big Bend	JFMAMJJASOND
Panhandle	JFMAMJJASOND
Alabama	JFMAMJJASOND
Mississippi	JFMAMJJASOND
Louisiana	JFMAMJJASOND
Upper Texas	JFMAMJJASOND
Middle Texas	JFMAMJJASOND
Lower Texas	JFMAMJJASOND

Where to find them

Estuaries and bays on sand and mud bottoms; larger fish near offshore platforms (LSU).

Bottom.

What to look for

Evening tides.

Bait

Shrimp, Bloodworms, Squid strips. Double-drop, #2 to 1/0 hooks, 2 to 3 oz.

Leader

20 lb.

Landing

Simple.

Handling

Sharp gill-cover and dorsal spines

Grip from behind, fold the dorsal down.

Keep or release

Very good eating; prime live bait for big surf trout (LSU; Vidrine).

Recipes for croaker

Typical: About 9 in, 0.5 lb. Large: 2 lb and up. SC record 4 lb 9 oz (1979).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the LA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries before you keep a fish.

Sources

LSU / Louisiana Sea Grant, Louisiana Fisheries: Atlantic croaker (Official source)
Louisiana Sportsman, Patrick Bonin, June 19, 2017: live bait the ticket for Grand Isle trout (Tommy Vidrine) (Angler knowledge)
NC Division of Marine Fisheries species profile: Atlantic Croaker (citing Miglarese et al. 1982) (Official source)
Fisherman's Post North Myrtle Beach / Little River reports 2025-2026 (Angler knowledge)
SCDNR species profile: Atlantic croaker (Official source)

All the fish of Louisiana

Croaker