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Mar. 23, 2006	Lockport Action in Canals and Little Bayous This is the time of year when Captain T-Man Cheramie (985-693-6828) expects the water to finally come up around Lockport and stay. He would also expect to find plenty of speckled trout hanging out in the ponds during late March. The only problem with this scenario right now is that the cool fronts keep pushing the water back out as soon as it comes up. Therefore, the trout are stacked up in the canals and little bayous.
Mar. 15, 2006	Red River Right for Early Spawn Bass typically spawn later in rivers than they do in lakes because of high, spring water levels that look more like a Yoo-hoo than water. But, this isn’t a typical year on Pool 5 of the Red River near Shreveport. The first sign that this would be a different kind of spring came on February 22 when Russ McVey of Southpaw Guide Service hauled in a 13.63-pound bass that went on record as the largest bass ever caught on the Red River.
Mar. 8,2006	Breton Sound Heating Up Inside and Outside Fishing has turned on all over Louisiana the past couple of days, and that has made it difficult to single out one particular spot to highlight. It doesn’t matter if you’re after specks, reds, sacalait, black drum or bass – they’re all there for the catching right now. However, a recent talk with Captain Ben Leto of Louisiana Fishing Expeditions (985-630-2066) revealed that Breton Sound just might be better than the rest.
Mar. 3, 2006	Rigolets Right For Waiting Out Pontchartrain Captain Greg Schlumbrecht of To Fish Charters expects the HWY 11 and the Train Bridges across Lake Pontchartrain to explode with giant speckled trout just any day now. However, in the meantime, he is catching enough specks and reds in the Rigolets to make his wait a little more tolerable.
Feb. 21, 2006	Catfish Lake Consistent Despite Cold In typical Louisiana fashion, Captain Jim Thibodeaux of Fish Tales Guide Service (985-696-1801) has faced three entirely different weather scenarios the past three days. The weather ranged from cold and rainy to warm and breezy. It’s been enough to make Thibodeaux wonder how to dress and the fish wonder whether they should be deep or shallow.
Feb. 14, 2006	Cold Can’t Stop Lake Pelto Reds It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The cold weather this past weekend was supposed to knock everybody down off their easy limit high horse a couple of notches. The promise of 20 and 30-degree morning lows caused more than a few trips to cancel. That’s the funny thing about fishing – you don’t know unless you go. You’ve got to be there to catch them, and this was the weekend to be fishing Lake Pelto out of Dulac.
Feb. 8, 2006	Bass Bursting Loose at the Basin Spring is coming early for the freshwater anglers of south Louisiana. Anybody waiting on March to come along before they try the bass at the Basin will miss some of the best action of the year. How good is it? The first tournament of the year was held at Doiron’s this past weekend, and it took over 22 pounds to win.
Feb. 1, 2006	Patience Key To The Pen and Salvador Captain Mike Daigle with Cast-It Charters (985-331-8548) doesn’t expect to find too many trout in Lake Salvador during the winter because they are usually gone before it gets too cold. However, things are different this year, and he’s been finding pockets of trout throughout the lake.
Jan. 25, 2006	DuLarge Gravy Train Still Rolling January 21st wasn’t supposed to be a day fit for man nor beast according to the local weather forecasters. The predicted squall line made more than a few anglers decide to stay on the dock rather than risk the weather. When Captain Olin Rodrigue of Coastal Charter Services (985-856-6494) got to the ramp at DuLarge, he noticed that his customers weren’t the only things missing. The parking lot was vacant.
Jan. 18, 2006	Blackfin and Wahoo Dominate Lump Action It’s pretty easy to forget about the offshore fish willing to bite and put up a fight with all the excellent inshore fishing that so many are experiencing this winter. Anglers looking to graduate from a two-pound speckled trout to a 30-pound blackfin tuna should keep in mind that January through March is the time to be out on the Lump.
Jan. 10, 2006	Pipeline Canals Producing When Sulphur Mine Crowded All the limits of speckled trout reportedly coming from south Louisiana’s bays and bayous has caused the fishing report boards to buzz lately with postings from anglers that think the trout limit should be reduced and with those believing things are all right just as they are. Whichever side you are on, there’s no doubt that the limits of trout are there for the catching – or taking.
Jan. 10, 2006	Louisiana Sportsman TV Debuts in January 2006 A year ago, Louisiana Sportsman joined forces with GeauxFish TV to bring you the very best the magazine has to offer through the cable connection in the back of your television.
Jan. 5, 2006	Causeway Giving Up “Cajun Grand Slam” Captain Greg Schlumbrecht of To Fish Charters (985-960-1709 or www.tofishcharters.com) moved to Tampa, Florida immediately after Hurricane Katrina due to initial reports that Lake Pontchartrain would quickly become a steaming cauldron of sludge stew. Three weeks ago, he came back.
Dec. 26, 2005	Redfish Save The Day at Venice While fishing Venice a couple days ago, a boat idled past and asked if we had caught any. At that point, we hadn’t even had a bite. My fishing partner for the day and longtime friend, Captain Cade Thomas informed the passing anglers that we were having a slow day.
Dec. 20, 2005	Tide Playing Pivotal Role at Calcasieu Lake Proper planning can prevent a poor outing at Calcasieu Lake as the tides determine the best fishing near the end of December. Mess it up, and you could have an outing like a group that went out recently. They didn’t go out until late in the day – the tide wasn’t right – they didn’t catch. Keep your eye on the tide charts; however, plan to fish accordingly, and you won’t have to worry about coming up empty.
Dec. 13, 2005	Cold Weather Slows – But Doesn’t Stop – DuLarge Bite The numerous reports about easy limits all along the coast have had inshore anglers fired up for several weeks now. Lots of folks have found the reports to be true and have filled their ice chests with piles of speckled trout and redfish.
Dec, 6, 2005	Wahoo, Amberjack and Grouper Offer Tuna Tune-Up The Lump is a few weeks away from kicking off according to Captain Aaron Pierce with Tuna Time Charters (985-637-9720). However, anglers waiting on the tuna bite to start don’t have to wait around twiddling their thumbs. There are fish to be caught if you’re willing to play the cold fronts.
Nov, 28, 2005	Ducks and Geese Locking Up over Lake Charles Apparently, the ducks making their way south haven’t heard about the two disastrous hurricanes that recently wrecked havoc on their wintering grounds in south Louisiana.
Nov, 22, 2005	Covey Rise Lodge Delivers Upland Birds With all the focus put on duck and deer hunting in Louisiana, it’s no wonder that upland game birds like quail have steadily moved to the back burner. Other than the occasional covey that rises in front of a startled deer hunter making his way to his blind in the predawn darkness, there aren’t very many quail sightings in Louisiana anymore.
Nov. 7, 2005	Breton Sound Marina reopens after two months Two months after the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed southeast of New Orleans, Breton Sound Marina opened for business. “We had a bunch of people and boiled crabs and shrimp,” C.T. Williams said of the Oct. 29 opening. “Outside of oil and gas business, I think we are the first retail business to open in St. Bernard Parish.”
Oct. 24, 2005	Web site provides answers to questions on hurricane impacts In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program launched a Web site dedicated to answering questions about how such storms impact the state.
Oct. 19, 2005	DuLarge action 'really good,' guide reports Some of the best news a couple weeks ago coming out of southcentral Louisiana along the coast was that limits of speckled trout were being caught in the DuLarge area. That’s the encouraging word from veteran saltwater fishing guide Bill Lake, who also said the 8- to 9-foot tidal surge from Hurricane Rita apparently carried a lot of fish in before their annual migration.
Oct. 18, 2005	Hurricane relief fund established for guides Hurricanes Katrina and Rita put numerous guides out of business, but a relief fund has been set up to help them get back on their feet. Gregg Arnold of E-Z Fly Guide Service is helping head up the program, which includes an auction of fishing-related equipment. “Sport Fishing,” “Marlin” and “Fly Fishing in Salt Waters” magazines are sponsoring the online auction, which ends Nov. 30.
Oct. 6, 2005	Hunting-season closures continued, new areas added Hunting season closures in South Louisiana’s coastal zone were continued today (Oct. 6) because prolonged flooding, a Department of Wildlife & Fisheries official said. There also were portions of two parishes added to the list of closures, DWF Wildlife Division head Dave Moreland said.
Oct. 3, 2005	Rita forces more hunting season closures State wildlife managers closed hunting seasons across the coast Sept. 29 after Hurricane Rita swamped the parishes under a huge storm surge, the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries announced.
Sept. 26, 2005	Have you, like so many of our staff, been displaced by Hurricanes Katrina ot Rita? If so, we want to continue to be the source you rely on for news related to the outdoors. But we can’t do that unless you contact us.
Sept. 26, 2005	Rita hits guide services in the chin Capt. Erik Rue rode out Hurricane Rita in Baton Rouge, and by Monday (Sept. 26) he was itching to head west to check out his Big Lake lodges. “They told us to wait 48 hours, and now I’ve waited 48 hours,” the owner of Calcasieu Charter Service said. “Will they let me in? I don’t know, but I’m going to try.” Rue said the reports coming out of the region were mixed, but left little room for optimism. “Most of it’s bad,” he said.
Sept. 16, 2005	Katrina demolishes Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Katrina was one of those storms that refused to do what the experts predicted, but when it finally slammed into the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 storm, it destroyed everything in its path. The western eye wall brushed Grand Isle and New Orleans East, burying the areas under a massive storm surge. Venice, Buras, Empire, Port Sulphur, Delacroix and Hopedale fell either in the middle of the eye or on its eastern side: Each of these fishing ports was blasted. A huge wall of water poured over the protective levee systems, burying Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes under ceiling-high water. The ports in these areas simply ceased to exist.
Sept. 2, 2005	Louisiana Sportsman seeks to unite camp owners, hurricane evacuees There are thousands of camps lying across the unaffected areas of the state, and Louisiana Sportsman encourages owners to open the doors to refugees.
Sept. 2, 2005	Rescue boat list being compiled, response overwhelming Boaters from throughout the state responded almost immediately to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the New Orleans area, showing up to help comb the flooded metropolis for survivors. By Aug. 31, however, the security situation had deteriorated, and state troopers were stopping all boaters at the LaPlace exit of Interstate 10. However, the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries is building a list of willing volunteers from which to call as needs arise.
Aug. 28, 2005	Murphy/Guthrie bags 13.31, takes Lake Charles Redfish Cup title Consistency once again paid off in a big way for the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup championship team. Rick Murphy and Scott Guthrie put together a two fish bag of 13.31 lbs, a weight within two thirds of a pound of their previous two days total.
Aug 26, 2005	Tindal, Price go long, nab Redfish Cup lead Much has been made of BASS pro Greg Hackney's entry into the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup, but it was two men in another bass boat that took center stage at "moving day" of the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup in Lake Charles. Artie Price of New Port Richey, FL and Mike Tindal of Mobile, AL took the lead with a 15.15 lb two fish bag, but everything goes to zero among a heavyweight top five field that includes Scott Guthrie/Rick Murphy, Mike Friday/Danny Latham and Ben Alderman/Ronnie Pitts. Only Charlie and Jack Barton have never been in a Redfish Cup top five.
Aug. 25, 2005	Barton tandem lead first day of Lake Charles Redfish Cup Though the temperatures and terrain were dead-on, it sure didn't feel like Louisiana to most teams at the first day of the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup qualifying event in Lake Charles.
Aug. 23, 2005	State outdoor writers award cash to young journalists Nine young writers and four budding photographers have been recognized for their works by the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. The organization’s Youth Journalism Contest is an annual event that presents cash prizes for essays and photographs depicting the outdoors. The winners were recognized during LOWA's annual awards banquet held Aug. 20 in Houma.
Aug. 13, 2005	Randazzo/Tudor take Redfish Tour pro event Redfish tournaments, in the past, have been known for dramatic shifts in the leaderboard from day to day. The redfish's nomadic nature and the 27 inch maximum length with which these tournaments operate almost mandate it.
Aug. 12, 2005	Team Snafu takes Venice kingfish tourney with 56.10 pounder Proving once again that small boats can compete, Stephen Barfoot and the rest of the Team Snafu crew hoisted a thick 56.10 lb. kingfish to the scales early Saturday afternoon, a fish which withstood all challengers from the 63 boat field.
Aug. 12, 2005	USGS studies yellowfin tuna movements in Gulf Tag and release has been a part of the offshore fishing game for many years, especially with billfish such as blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish.
Aug. 11, 2005	South Pass/Empire Tarpon, RFRI Rodeos set for this weekend Another busy weekend of competitive angling is on tap for southeast Louisiana fishermen as the annual Empire/South Pass Tarpon Rodeo continues Friday and Saturday.
Aug. 8, 2005	Head/Garrison take Galveston FLW One look at the roster of teams competing in the FLW West Redfish Tournament series and it's apparent: Texas-based teams dominate the field.
Aug. 2, 2005	Bayou Grande access restricted during salvage operations St. Bernard Parish's Bayou Grande will be closed periodically beginning Aug. 3 because of salvage operations to right a drilling barge.
July 27, 2005	Rodeos highlight weekend action Two of the biggest fishing competitions in the state take place concurently this weekend in the two most popular jumping-off-spots for inshore and offshore action.
July 25, 2005	Hackney on pundits' Classic favorites lists Greg Hackney is only days away from fishing his third Bassmaster Classic, and he’s listed as a favorite by several bass-fishing experts. “He's had that look in his eye since he came back from Classic practice,” Bassmaster Magazine writer Louis Stout wrote on bassmaster.com. “Of course, he's had that look in his eye since coming on tour.”
July 12, 2005	Duck hunters allowed to comment on season format What dates would like hunting season to encompass? That’s what the state’s duck hunters are being asked. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, which will consider season dates and bag limits at its Aug. 4 commission meeting, and have asked that hunters comment on the options on the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Web site.
July 10, 2005	Kid's Redfish Cup set for Lake Charles Young redfish anglers will get a chance to fish with some of the very best the professional redfish circuit has to offer on August 27 in Lake Charles. Associated with the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup, the Kid's Cup will hold its finals on the same day of the finals for the Lake Charles Redfish Cup tournament, taking the stage just prior to the final weigh-in. Contestants will fish with a Redfish Cup pro in the finals.
July 3, 2005	Texans lead wire to wire, take Chalmette Redfish Cup There's a general saying in fishing "Winds blows out of the west, fishing's the best."
July 1, 2005	Cantrell/Beonigk keep pace, Frenette(s) qualify for final day Fortune and luck are words thrown around quite loosely in fishing, but according to two of the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup teams making it to the top five fish-off tomorrow out of Chalmette's Gulf Outlet Marina, they've made a big difference in their two day total.
June 30, 2005	Out of Staters dominate first day of Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup Two boats from the opposite end of the Gulf coast had similar stories in making up, far and away, the largest one day top five in Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup history.
June 30, 2005	Chalmette Redfish Cup competitors set for heavy bags Heavy cloud cover to the south and east and its relative comfort at once signalled and belied a couple of things at the 8:00 AM blast-off from the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup in Chalmette this morning: scattered thunderstorms would once again play a role in key areas to the south and the heat would no doubt be a factor on fish and fishermen alike.
June 26, 2005	Texas team takes Grand Isle FLW Redfish title Despite a strong charge by a gang of Louisiana charter guides, the state of Texas proved its mettle on Saturday's final day of competition of the FLW Redfish Tournament Series qualifying event in Grand Isle.
June 24, 2005	Grand Isle FLW Redfish event gets under way this morning The second stop of the FLW Redfish Tournament series West division blasts off this morning out of Pirate's Cove Marina in Grand Isle.
June 15, 2005	Shell Island, Caminada Headland restoration project managers welcome public comment in Larose The second of two meetings concerning the U.S. Corps of Engineers' coastal restoration projects at Shell Island and the Caminada Headland will take place Thursday night, June 16 at the Larose Civic Center, 307 East 5th Street.
June 11, 2005	Slip N Slide takes storm-shortened FLW Kingfish Tournament Team Slip N Slide was one of the first teams in the Venice FLW Kingfish Tournament to weigh in when the scales opened at 3:00 PM.
June 9, 2005	Venice FLW Kingfish event set to fish Friday, Saturday up in the air The season's first tropical system sits poised to welcome the Wal Mart Kingfish Tour to Louisiana.
June 9, 2005	Roussel, Clause finish second day strongly, take Venice Redfish Tour The second stop of the Louisiana IFA Redfish Tour Lure Division put anglers where the big fish live: Venice. And the Mississippi River delta didn't disappoint, with numerous nine pound fish and several pushing ten pounds weighed by the fifty teams.
June 8, 2005	Lured Away takes top honors in SKA Pro event Team Lured Away from Houston, TX took the second leg of the Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour out of the Kajun Sportsman in Fourchon, LA with a two day aggregate of 98.64 pounds.
June 8, 2005	Youth Journalism Contest offers cash to young writers, photographers Young, aspiring writers can win cash during the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association’s Youth Outdoor Journalism Contest. The contest, designed to stimulate interest in outdoor journalism and photography among Louisiana’s youth, is open to all students between the ages of 9 and 18.
May 18, 2005	Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic slated Bluewater anglers are invited to compete for honors during the Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic on May 31-June 5.
May 15, 2005	Randazzo, Wallbaum power their way to Redfish Cup victory The winner's circle is certainly no strange place for Belle Chasse resident Anthony Randazzo. A multiple winner in other redfish circuits, he and partner Billy Wallbaum put together their first win in the Oberto Redfish Cup Saturday May 14 in Mobile, AL.
April 29, 2005	Bourgeois/Beer take Redfish Tour Lafitte Open It's been said so many times it's become cliché. If you're looking for a weekend with lousy fishing weather, look no further than the IFA Redfish Tour schedule. If a tournament is scheduled, it seems high winds are certain to follow.
April 29, 2005	Snapper anglers sees outstanding bonus cobia action With the opening of red snapper season last Thursday, many boats headed out to the offshore fishing grounds from various ports. And while reports of American reds were spotty, especially in light of outstanding preseason numbers and last year's late season haul, it appears that the cobia (lemonfish, ling) population is very healthy.
April 26, 2005	Melancon suggests federal tax credit for coastal restoration work NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Landowners who perform coastal restoration and wetlands preservation on their own could get a federal tax credit under a bill being proposed by United States Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville.
April 4, 2005	Hackney wins Bassmaster stop, slot at 2006 Classic Gonzales pro Greg Hackney won the Bassmaster Tour on Table Rock Lake this weekend, winning a big paycheck and securing his position at the 2006 Bassmaster Classic.
March 26, 2005	State fly records tumble on Big Lake A couple of good weather days last week and some dedicated anglers proved to be enough to put a serious hurt on the Louisiana fly rod record book for speckled trout with three potential entries in the top ten.
March 26, 2005	Angelo, Rittiner take Lafitte Redfish Tour title by slim margin Emcee Don Dubuc put it best at the weigh-in in the Louisiana Superdome when examining the .06 pound difference in first and second place in the IFA Redfish Tour's first major event of the year.
March 23, 2005	Pending state-record yellowfin tops Venice Winter Invitational It didn’t take much for tournament committee member Jason Hebert to convince Anthony Taormina IV and his buddies to sign up for the 3rd Annual Venice Winter Invitational which was held March 17-19. Promises of great food, fish stories and camaraderie were enough to entice the group to form a team and attend the event hosted by Venice Marina. Little did LaPlace’s Taormina know that at the conclusion of the event he would be thrust into the role of fish story telling.
March 16, 2005	Public meetings set for discussion of duck populations The state House and Senate Natural Resources Committees have sceduled three public hearings to hear testimony about declining duck-hunting success.
March 16, 2005	Proposed LNG facilities to be focus of public meeting A public meeting to discuss proposed establishment of liquified natural gas plaforms off the coast of Southwest Louisiana is scheduled for March 21 in Lake Charles.
March 8, 2005	State to gain control of Elmer’s Island Louisiana’s coastal anglers will once again be able to wet their feet in the surf at Elmer’s Island this summer. According to a source close to the negotiations, who asked not to be identified, the state will take over control of the once-popular fishing beach.
March 8, 2005	Fontova to discuss new book, Castro's 'ugly regime' on O'Reilly Factor Louisiana Sportsman contributor Humberto Fontova will appear on the O'Reilly Factor on March 22 to discuss his latest book.
March 7, 2005	Proposed Thistlethwaite WMA antler restrictions subject of public hearing Antler restrictions for Thistlethwaite Wildlife Management Area north of Washington recommended by Department of Wildlife & Fisheries biologists will be the focus of a public hearing in Opelousas on March 22. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Yambilee Building on Highway 190 West.
March 6, 2005	Redfish Tour kicks off season next week in Lafitte The 2005 IFA Redfish Tour Lure Division series kicks off next week in Lafitte with a $10,000 first place cash prize up for grabs. C-Way Marina will be the starting point for the March 11th and 12th competition with many teams spreading out far and wide in order to put together the heaviest two fish bag under 27 inches in length.
March 1, 2005	Public meetings set to consider 2005-06 hunting season dates Eight public-comment meetings have been set to consider proposed 2005-06 hunting-season dates. The meetings, to which the public is invited to attend, begin March 11 in Lake Charles and end March 24 in Winnsboro.
Feb. 22, 2005	Lacassine bass regs relaxed, state regs prevail Michael Burnett can remember when catching big bass out of Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge was no big deal. “In 1998, you could go out there on any given day and catch an 8-pound fish,” the Westlake angler said. Now Burnett is steamed about the plans to drop back to state regulations, which will allow each angler to keep 10 bass of any size when the pool opens to the public on March 15.
Jan 21, 2005	Redfish Tournament Circuit schedule set The rapid ascent of the redfish tournament circuit, particularly in Louisiana, is an amazing story. Only a few years ago, the Inshore Fishing Association (IFA) Redfish Tour was the lone wolf in the industry, bringing cash and merchandise prizes to anglers who could catch, keep alive and weigh two reds under 27 inches.
Jan. 17, 2005	Duck numbers rise in January, but hunting success still spotty More ducks poured into Louisiana in December and early January, but the numbers still lagged far behind previous years’ counts, the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries announced.
Jan. 5, 2005	Bayous February, April added to public Atchafalaya Basin claims The State Land Office amended its claims to water ways in the Atchafalaya Basin in response to an article in the December issue of Louisiana Sportsman.
Jan. 5, 2005	Wanted: Big-buck stories Have you or one of your buddies killed a monster Louisiana deer? If so, you could be included in the annual Louisiana Sportsman’s big-buck roundup scheduled for the February issue.
Dec. 20, 2004	Ducks numbers rise, still below average Duck numbers in Louisiana rose in December as cold fronts encouraged migration, but the population making it south still lagged well behind the long-term average.