Louisiana Sportsman

Sportsman Show’s Big Buck Contest results

July 23, 2018 From News Reports

Here are the results from the 2018 Louisiana Sportsman Show’s Big Buck Contest in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this past weekend.[…]

LDWF enforcement agent cadet dies during training

July 23, 2018 From News Reports

A 38-year-old cadet training to become an enforcement agent with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries died Friday after he collapsed shortly after a training run.[…]

The author’s son aligns a trail camera to see what’s cooking in the deer woods.

Never too early for trail cams

July 22, 2018 Bill Garbo

A question I was asked by a deer hunter the first week of June stands out as July rolls around. He wanted to know in what stage bucks’ antler growth would be, but the big question was, “Would it be worth it to put cameras up?” […]

Through July 8, LA Creel estimates that offshore recreational anglers have harvested about 407,000 pounds of red snapper so far, or 54 percent of the annual allocation of 743,000 pounds.

LDWF: Red snapper landings at 407,000 pounds

July 19, 2018 From News Reports

Through July 8, recreational offshore anglers have harvested just over 407,000 pounds of red snapper, according to the LA Creel program with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.[…]

LDWF schedules August drawdown on Henderson Lake

July 18, 2018 From News Reports

In conjunction with St. Martin Parish Government, the town of Henderson and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will be conducting a drawdown on Henderson Lake beginning in August.[…]

A rip line is a great place to land a big bull dolphin like this 45-pounder, caught with Capt. William Wall of Pelagic Charters.

Rip lines provide lots of options out of Venice

July 18, 2018 Capt. Martha Spencer

Summer is in full swing, and that means rip lines and red snapper.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Catching redfish after wicked west winds

July 18, 2018 Todd Masson

Westerly winds have been as much a part of the South Louisiana fishing scene this summer as humidity so thick you can almost drink the air while you breathe it. Winds from that direction empty the marshes in a lot of areas, and can make usual hotspots drier than fine red wine.[…]

Chas Champagne, with Matrix Shad, always keeps a close eye out for snot grass like this because he typically finds redfish in the area.

Sight-fishing support

July 17, 2018 Patrick Bonin

If Matrix Shad lure owner Chas Champagne is cruising through marsh and duck ponds sight-fishing for reds — but doesn’t actually spot any fish — he’s typically keeping a close eye out for two other reliable indicators of reds in the neighborhood.[…]

Hobie Fishing Team member Butch Ridgedell makes sure everything is just right for Elizabeth Blades as she heads out to participate in the First Cast program.

First cast

July 17, 2018 Chris Holmes

When someone is interested in beginning kayak fishing, the standard advice is to demo several kayaks before deciding which one to buy. However, you still can’t truly get the feel of how a kayak performs under actual fishing conditions.[…]

Todd "Marsh Man" Masson catches numbers of marsh bass using weightless worms in clear water.

How to use weightless worms to catch more bass

July 17, 2018 Andy Crawford

Todd “Marsh Man” Masson is best known for his speckled trout-catching prowess. After all, he wrote a book on the subject.[…]

Huge goggle-eye are thick in the lower Atchafalaya Basin right now — and there seems to be no pressure on them.

Hit the Basin now for beastly goggle-eye, bluegill

July 16, 2018 Andy Crawford

Darren Cooper and I sat in Doiron’s Store at 6:30 a.m., waiting for an early morning thunderstorm to pass over the lower Atchafalaya Basin. It had been several years since we had gotten together to catch bream in the huge swamp — and a slowly falling Atchafalaya River gave great promise to our day.[…]

Cuz Strickland, with Mossy Oak's "Hunting the Country TV Show" will be at the QDMA convention, as well as the Sportsman Show in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a seminar and autograph-signing on Saturday afternoon.

Outdoor celebrities to appear at Sportsman Show in New Orleans

July 16, 2018 From News Reports

A laundry list of experts that reads like a who’s who of personalities in the outdoor world will be at the Quality Deer Management Associations’s National Convention in New Orleans this week, with several also attending the Sportsman Show in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as well. […]

Overall, a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Tail Rage Craw is Johnson’s go-to lure on Blind River.

Johnson’s Blind River bait calendar

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Topwater frogs and Texas-rigged craws are “in season” on Blind River for Lyle Johnson from March to November. But he is quick to admit that the Texas craw is his mainstay lure. The clear water coming out of the sloughs draining into the river is what prompted his heavy use of the frog the day we fished.[…]

When Bobby Phillips gears up for Ouachita River crappie, you can bet these lures will be on deck.

Geared up and ready to go

July 15, 2018 Kinny Haddox

With tackle stores full of a thousand sizes, shapes, styles and colors of crappie jigs and fishing equipment, you could spend days or weeks just trying to figure out what to fish with. Or you could just let Bobby Phillips tell you his favorite go-to gear, and copy this veteran guide’s success.[…]

Never pass wood in Blind River without casting to it.

Tips for Blind River summertime bass

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

• Look for places that bass go to eat. That’s where they congregate. Focus on sloughs and points without ruling out bank fishing.[…]

Birds just haven’t shown up this year, so you’ll likely not find any trout drifting the bays. Instead, find oilfield locations and satellite rigs, and work shrimp over the junk on the bottom.

The bay is all about structure

July 15, 2018 Andy Crawford

If conditions rule out fishing the beaches — or if the bite just isn’t on — plenty of action awaits in Timbalier Bay.[…]