Florida bass are different creatures
November 2009
Largemouth bass are the most popular freshwater recreational fish in America, in spite of the changing face of the fishery. Gone are the days of a bass fisherman being pictured as a grandfather in a rowboat with a grandson or contemplative pipe-puffing angler patiently casting a clunky wooden topwater plug with his old knuckle-buster.
Bring a mullet home for dinner
October 2009
Well, actually this tasty little fish is not really a mullet, but you would never believe it if you listened to South Louisianans. Usually, they call it a channel mullet, ground mullet or black mullet. Every once in a while, a fisherman with an air of sophistication will call it a whiting.
Wahoo are the Ferraris of the Gulf
September 2009
Sleek, fast and glamorous, wahoo are the Formula One race cars of the fish world. Scientists know them as Acanthocybium solandri. The genus name is derived from the Greek words for “thorn” and “a tunna,” so it is essentially described as a “thorny tuna.”
Blues are La.’s freshwater big-game fish
July 2009
Seldom do anglers associate “freshwater” and “big-game fish” together. But Louisiana, with the continent’s largest rivers, large and small lakes and reservoirs, vast freshwater marshes and seemingly endless miles of small rivers, bayous and streams, is home to several species of large freshwater fish.
Fishing right side of platform important
June 2009
What passes for another red snapper season is upon us again, and fishermen will be zeroing in on offshore oil and gas platforms to add their two red snapper to the rest of their reef-fish catch.
La. stone crabs are a summertime treat
May 2009
Marsh fishermen are well aware that Louisiana has lots of crabs. They seem to be everywhere in fresh, brackish and salt marshes, and end up being guests of honor at countless seafood boils in coastal Louisiana.
Size limits for crappie not always good
April 2009
Hotspots come and go in fisheries management. Several things drive management controversy. One is that fishermen are very passionate about their pursuit, and like with other things that arouse passions, a lot of folks adopt the position of being an expert on what they love so much.
Deepwater weirdo is a delicacy
March 2009
What Louisiana saltwater fish is colored like a rainbow, lives in tunnels, can weigh more than 30 pounds and tastes like lobster?
Deepwater weirdo is a delicacy
March 2009
What Louisiana saltwater fish is colored like a rainbow, lives in tunnels, can weigh more than 30 pounds and tastes like lobster?
Choupique is creature from Black Lagoon
February 2009
The choupique really is “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.” The monster featured in the 1954 movie classic by the same name looks like the kid next door compared to this fish. Both creatures thrive in the often near oxygenless and heavily vegetated waters of blackwater swamps. But after that, the resemblance ends.
Anglers hearing drums along the bayou
January 2009
The black drum is the North American heavyweight of the large and diverse drum family, which includes speckled trout, redfish, croakers and kingfish (more often called channel mullet or whiting).
What’s for supper, Flipper?
December 2008
Fishermen often see porpoises (properly called bottlenose dolphins) breaking water near them while they are fishing. Many fishermen feel that porpoises scare fish away. A minority feel that porpoises go where the fish are, so fishing around porpoises is good.
Menhaden are key link in food chain
November 2008
Menhaden, usually called pogies in Louisiana, are certainly not a game fish. They never bite a hook, even by accident. But sportsmen are well aware of them. The high oil content of their flesh makes them superb bait, and they are an important food source for virtually every predatory species of fish in their range.
Ask Captain Paul
Creature Feature
