Features from February 2018
It almost seems like yesterday that bowhunters in the Bayou State headed into the field in early fall to kick off the 2017-18 deer season in Louisiana.
“We fished this very spot,” murmured 59-year-old Rickey Lee. “I can’t remember names and faces, but I can remember where I caught a fish.”
Buck Perry, the father of structure fishing, always advised that fish would either be shallow, deep or somewhere in-between.
Everything was gray. The woods were drab, leafless and gray. The bare tree trunks and limbs were gray. The dead leaves underfoot were gray. And the sky was heavily overcast with uniformly gray clouds.
It’s the go-to rig for finessing finicky fish, nudging the cold-weary and lightly probing a variety of hard-cover scenarios from docks to laydowns, to bridges.
Details on a handful of the hottest crappie-producing spots in Louisiana — and tips for you to catch some slabs.
On Lake D’Arbonne, February means crappie action is just about to kick in. And that means local angler Rick Hill is ready to mop up.
Fishing the Toledo Bend spawn means different things to different folks; and not only because of bait and spot preferences. Those factors certainly matter, but so does the calendar.
Columns - February 2018
- The Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club holds several tournaments each year. Most are traditional catch/weigh-in tournaments, but one is a little differen
- Dec. 9, 2017 was a day that many will remember for years to come across South Louisiana.
- Caney Lake in North Louisiana holds six of the top 10 record bass in Louisiana. All are over 15 pounds, but all were caught in the 1990s. The lake experienced a decline when all of its grass beds were destroyed by carp, but the carp are almost gone and the grass is bouncing back.
- By the time you are reading this, unless you live in the extreme southern part of Mississippi, the 2017-2018 deer season will already be “in the books,” as they say.
- Stefanie Rogers lives with her husband Scotty in the rural Louisiana community of Pine — the same village where they grew up. Considering where they live, it would be easy to assume she would simply cook Southern style dishes, with little seafood other than fried catfish.
- The Biloxi Marsh area located in St. Bernard Parish encompasses the general area north of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) Canal to the Mississippi Sound, and from Lake Borgne to Chandeleur Sound.
- This month, I’m going to touch on a subject that applies to deer hunting with any weapon: managing hunting pressure on your herd. In my opinion, no single factor is more important to your success in terms of seeing and harvesting deer — especially mature bucks.
- In the late 70s, some of the western states began establishing reward programs for information leading to the arrest of fish and wildlife violators. One of the original names for the programs was Operation Game Thief (OGT).
- A little over six years ago, Dave Hise took a children’s play toy and turned it into one of the most productive flies since the Woolybugger.
- From the innovative minds at YakAttack comes “the last rod holder you’ll ever need.” The Omega is designed to handle casting, spinning, large conventional and even fly rods — all with the same holder. Utilizing the all-new LockNLoad mounting system, the Omega easily attaches to all rail mount systems that are common on many brands of fishing kayaks.
- Some fish are work horses: They’re strong and can pull heavy loads all day. That’s a redfish. Others are race horses. They are sleek and fast, but poop out quickly — that’s a speckled trout.
- For the most part, the 2017 deer season is over, although some DMAP cooperators in the Tier 1 classification can still hunt a couple of weeks in February. For Area 1 and 6 hunters, this could still give you time to connect with a deer, and perhaps even that elusive trophy.
Outdoor Updates - February 2018
- Dequian Jackson hasn’t been bass fishing all that long, but the 20-year-old reeled in a true lunker largemouth earlier this month from a public pond in Bayou Sorrel and experienced a fight most veteran anglers likely will never get to feel in their lifetimes.
- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ LA Creel survey, which kicked off almost four years ago in an attempt to provide more precise information on recreational fishing catch and effort — especially for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico — was certified by NOAA Fisheries on Friday.
- The irresistible urge to post pictures of yourself doing stupid things on Facebook apparently continues.
- If you typically buy a Louisiana hunting or fishing license each spring at a retail location, you probably need to make your purchase sooner rather than later this year.
- Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries arrested a 28-year-old Lettsworth man on Jan. 8 for allegedly shooting and killing a Louisiana black bear last fall in Concordia Parish.
- Three security guards at Modern American Recycling Services in Gibson were cited for alleged night-hunting violations on Jan. 6 in Terrebonne Parish.
- Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited seven people in two incidents for allegedly hunting migratory game birds from a vehicle on a public road, according to a press release.
Field Notes - February 2018
- If you’re a die-hard hunter, the odds are pretty good you haven’t looked at your fishing boat very much since October. So with hunting seasons finally closing out, it’s time to pull the cover off the old girl and get her ready for the spring fishing bonanza.
- Most bass anglers wait anxiously all year for the spring spawn, and then head straight to the banks of their favorite lake to pluck big girls off their beds.
- We’ve all been there. You know, you walk out to the boat the morning of the trip you’ve been planning for a week and the batteries aren’t charged.
- You've probably heard the old saying, "Ya gotta go to know."
- Catching speckled trout two at a time is a hallmark of an excellent Louisiana fishing trip — and few rigs are better for the job than the double rig.
Hot Spots - February 2018
- Wouldn’t you know it? About a month ago, I wrote that January should be a month when unseasonably warm temperatures prompt bass to move into shallower depths at Toledo Bend.
- The sprawling Atchafalaya Basin offers bass anglers a lot of playing room, but when Addis angler Darren Hernandez heads to this swamp, he’s likely to be working the waters surrounding Big Bayou Pigeon.
- Homer Humphreys is excited to talk about February crappie fishing on Lake Bistineau. The lake is chocked full of big crappie.
- Calm days are few and far between this month, but if you can snag one, there are plenty of tackle-busting fish waiting for you, according to Dularge guide Capt. Anthony Kyzar.
- Luling angler Tim Bye said February is when it’s most likely sac-a-lait will pull onto the banks to spawn in the Lac Des Allemands area.
- February is pretty much a mixed bag weather-wise, but whatever the conditions, you can bet Tommy Vidrine always has a plan to catch speckled trout near Grand Isle.
- Like many other sac-a-lait fishermen, Bill McCarty is ready to make a well-placed cast, set the hook and pull in slab after slab when February rolls around in South Central Louisiana.
- Fishing, a lot of times, isn’t about following a path as much as hacksawing your own.
- Tim Elrod hasn’t been a crappie fisherman for decades like some anglers, but when he started picking up the sport a few years ago, the West Monroe angler was hooked.
- I think of huddling in front of my space heater in February.
- My old friend Capt. Mike Gallo (504-259-3474) says the frigid cold water will pile the fish up in the deep holes of Chalmette’s waters — and that’s where they’ll stay until it warms up.
- South Louisiana’s speckled trout fishing is the best in the nation. Nowhere in the country can the sheer numbers of speckled trout compare.