CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Port Fourchon, Belle Pass, LA Daily Water Report — August 28, 2026

Today's verdict is a solid green light for boaters and divers at Belle Pass, with the best window settling in between late morning and early afternoon. A stable northeasterly breeze around 8 knots, gentle swells under a foot, and an ocean temperature holding near 32°C combine to create about as friendly a coastal setup as a late August day can offer. Boating scores an 8.3 out of 10, the highest mark on the board, and that reflects the ideal mix of light wind, negligible wave height, and no rain in sight. Diving follows close behind at 7.6, helped by that warm water and calm surface conditions that should keep viz decent for experienced divers despite the tidal range being modest. The tradeoff today comes for surfers, who face a 5.0 score. The swell period at 5.9 seconds is short and the wave height barely registers at 0.12 meters, so even the most patient longboarder will struggle for a ride. Kayakers and anglers land in the middle of the pack at 6.8 and 6.5 respectively. Fishing gets a slight bump from the full moon timing—the afternoon solunar major period from 12:04 to 14:04 aligns nicely with the outgoing tide—but the stable high pressure and light wind don't provide the kind of weather shift that often triggers a strong bite. Wildlife watchers get a 7.1, reasonable given the low tide at 20:40 and the calm conditions, but the full moon can sometimes scatter activity patterns. Compared to yesterday, when boating hit 9.2 on an even lighter wind of 3.3 knots, today's slightly stiffer breeze still holds up well. Diving remains steady at 7.6 for a second straight day, while fishing dropped a full point from yesterday's 7.6. That's the difference a day makes when solunar timing shifts from the minor periods into a less favorable alignment. The barometer reading of 1016 hPa and rising steady suggests the fair weather holds through today, but that changes quickly. Looking ahead, Thursday brings more of the same light wave conditions but wind picks up just past 10 knots, and a 9% precipitation chance is nothing to worry about. Friday and Saturday carry a much heavier rain probability near 60%, with waves building to half a meter, so the next couple of days are your best bet for getting out before the pattern turns sloppy. If today's conditions were a handshake, they'd be firm, dry, and just cool enough not to linger.