Columns
The madness of March is over
The madness that happens during the month of March began when the soothsayer told Caesar to beware the Ides of March. Julius did not listen and paid the price for ignoring it.[…]
Year: 2017
Inshore Fishing
Whacking specks on Caillou Island out of Cocodrie
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
More specifically — in the case of now-submerged Caillou Island — old oilfield trash means a treasure trove for speckled trout anglers right now out of Cocodrie. […]
Inshore Fishing
You don’t need much for a deluxe trip to Dularge
The biggest challenge most speckled-trout anglers face is finding fish. Once the fish are located, catching them is generally not too complicated, provided you’re angling ability is better than the average child’s.[…]
Fishing
Get knotty with the FG knot
I recently went out for a half-day with Capt. Matt McCabe of Pro Edge Fishing out of Slidell. He services Lake Pontchartrain and the surrounding marshes. When I got to the dock to meet him, he was in the middle of tying a bizarre knot between his main line and fluorocarbon leader.[…]
Apex Predator
Apex Predator: Noodling for giant alligator snapping turtles – in a pirogue
My buddy and I once saw some holes in a steep bank during a low-water period that looked great for noodling catfish. So before the summer months arrived when I went spearfishing for cats, I decided to try some noodles near the holes. […]
Fishing
Body of missing teen recovered from Black Bayou Lake
Search and rescue teams recovered the body of a missing 15-year old boy from Black Bayou Lake in Caddo Parish late Tuesday morning.[…]
Columns
A contested matter
Later this month, the Coastal Conservation Association’s summer-long STAR tournament kicks off in Louisiana. Once again, there’s a fly fishing division. Awards will go to the anglers weighing in the heaviest speckled trout in the East and West Divisions.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Two busted for alleged shrimping violations during closed season
Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited two men for alleged shrimping violations during a closed season last week in Plaquemines Parish.[…]
Bass Fishing
Focus on finding grass or lily pads
There’s a wide area east and south of Morgan City where the bassin’ action can be fast and furious in May.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Catching giant Cameron Parish crabs
Bobbye Sonnier and Dede Isaac are what you might call crabbing connoisseurs — and they put a serious hurting on some monstrous select jumbo crustaceans recently at the Creole Nature Reserve in Cameron Parish. […]
Ask Captain Paul
Tides in Louisiana
I regularly get questions about the time and range of the tides in Louisiana coastal marshes. Many of the inquiries are about the time of the published tides from various sources listed as compared to the actual times that the high and low tides occur, and how are they determined.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Braid or fluorocarbon? Best options for speckled trout
On Lake Pontchartrain, Capt. Matt McCabe uses the lightest fluorocarbon he can get away with, and that usually means 10-pound-test, but sometimes it’s down to 8.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Inshore shrimp season opens for much of the coast on May 8
State inside waters from the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River to Freshwater Bayou will open for the spring shrimp season beginning at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 8, according to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department.[…]
Fishing
CCA STAR Time Again
The CCA Star Tournament is the largest fishing tournament in the country. It’s our annual trip to promote the CCA STAR and hang out with our buddy Rad Trascher.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Bay Eloi: Trout no-brainer
The scenario plays out every spring. Anglers experience a dearth of freckled fish in March and April, and all hopes turn to May, in anxious anticipation. And always the questions are the same:[…]
Inshore Fishing
Top spots to find specks out of Grand Isle this weekend
Thousands of shrimp moving out of the passes each May mean the speckled trout are soon to follow, and reports coming from Four Bayou Pass to Fourchon this week confirmed that trout are indeed moving into the Gulf.[…]