Features from December 2020
- As the peak of breeding season arrives, hunters can go on the offensive and use all the tools of the trade to connect with a buck.
- Crappie tend to gather up in the deeper water in December. Three top pro teams share cold-weather trips for catching crappie.
- St. Nick’s visit frees the slabs and brings Christmas cheer to the bayou in this Louisiana Night Before Christmas poem.
- Play the south Louisiana weather correctly, and you could get plenty of December speckled trout in your cooler.
- Charlie Zaunbrecher, executive chef at the renowned Bartholomew Club in Jones, shares duck hunting, cooking tips.
- Louisiana bass pro Greg Hackney shares tips on downsizing baits, tackle as winter approaches and fishing gets tougher.
Columns - December 2020
- Kayak bass anglers from many parts of the country have shut down for the winter, but not Louisiana anglers. Louisiana bass bite in the cold.
- Do speckled trout meander by your bait, think about it and lazily mouth their prey, or do they shoot in like a jaguar to attack?
- Without proper setup, accessories and the right training, a new crossbow can be a dangerous weapon — to the hunter.
- Bass tournament partners Fred King and Ray LaBorde were intent on filling a niche in the market with the Delta Lures’ Rattling Jig.
- The southern flounder is a flat, oval-shaped fish and it is the biggest of the flounder species found throughout the Atlantic and Gulf.
Outdoor Updates - December 2020
- Kolton Jones, 11, killed this big 9-point in Washington Parish on Nov. 3, 2020 on a hunt with his father, Justin Jones.
- Elm Grove’s Rick Guillot has a pair of four legged friends to thank for locating a big buck he arrowed on Oct. 24 in Red River Parish.
- Walt Bordelon took this 225-pound, 16-point buck on October 19 behind his home in Moreauville in Avoyelles Parish.
- Ben Brallier killed a 14-point Concordia Parish buck on the afternoon of Oct. 29 that scored a whopping 172 5/8 inches of antler.
- Two outstanding bucks were taken at Hooks and Horns hunting club in Jackson Parish by best friends on the same day.
- On Oct. 27, Beau Johnson used his time off work to take a big 9-point buck at Goodson Creek hunting club in Sabine Parish.
- When Dickie Daigle set out to fish on Oct. 1 with his friend Glenn Landry, he didn't think he'd end up with a 4.2 pound sac-a-lait.
- On the afternoon of Oct. 29, Shawn Key took a trophy buck at his Union Parish hunting club that was once considered a cull buck.
- Dr. Joey Barrios, a general surgeon in Lafayette, took a 198-inch trophy buck at his Corbett Farms hunting club in Avoyelles Parish.
- Gray Worthey with his 14-point Hogue Island buck shot during the opening week of bow season. The big buck scored 170.
- Zach Jones is no stranger to taking trophy year. His latest was taken on Nov. 7 at Ashbrook Island in Washington County, Miss.
- Daniel Chautin of Arnaudville skipped trick or treating with his friends and ended up killing a 13-point buck on Oct. 31 in St. Landry Parish.
- Thane Aucoin of Morgan City caught this rare blue crab off his dock in Lake Palourde with leftover speckled trout bait.
- Bob Wallace of Choudrant killed a giant 9-point buck on his 450-acre plot in Caldwell Parish on October 21.
Hot Spots - December 2020
- Low water, no grass and missing bass highlights tough 2020 at Toledo Bend. Double-digit bass were few and far between.
- West Cove, Joe’s Cove should produce redfish and speckled trout for fishermen on Lake Calcasieu in December.
- Fishing for redfish should kick off in December on Sabine River. Also, do not be surprised if you come across a striper in the mix.
- According to Max Plaisance of Plaisance’s Tidewater Charters, this time of year is when it gets easy to fish for redfish around Leeville.
- Guide Darren Schaff said December this month is shaping up to be an excellent month for anglers who fish the Reggio and Delacroix waters.
- Capt. Martha Spencer of Southern Catch Outfitters said 2020 has been a banner year for yellowfin tuna out of Venice.
Field Notes - December 2020
- Mercury Marine’s Eric Reilley and Dale Witkowski suggested six winterization tips that will keep your boat protected during the winter.
- Louisiana bass pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City loves Georgia company’s Swiminators for bass when December arrives.
- With cooler water temperatures starting to settle in, slowing down your presentation is oftentimes key to catching December speckled trout.
- Logan Latuso, a bass pro from Gonzales, loves Delta Lures’ double Colorado spinnerbait this month for drawing attention from bass.
- Louisiana bass pro Greg Hackney is partial to his Hack Attack jig for bass fishing when cold weather arrives in December.
- The cooler the water gets in December, the better the bassin’ is when pro Tyler Carriere fishes with a Strike King Hack Attack structure jig.
- Public-land duck hunters have a job ahead of them before they head to the water, according to veteran duck hunter Owen Belknap.