Features from January 2018
I had spent a good 30 minutes creeping up on three particularly vigilant cat squirrels. It was late in the season, and even though I was covered head to toe in a leafy Ghillie suit, it was slow going against the hyper-alert critters.
I’ve got to admit I wasn’t expecting much. Chad Wiley, a Bassmaster tournament pro from Pineville, asked me to meet him at Joe’s Horseshoe Lake Marina in Monterey.
Step outside and the chilly winter air stings your nose and ears. What do you do? You grab a jacket, gloves and maybe a neck gaiter. Pretty standard stuff, but fish have no such options. They gotta deal with whatever nature throws their way by being smart and seeking refuge in life-sustaining habitat.
Behind my house five years ago at 5 p.m., I killed a buck that I captured on camera 4 miles down the road at 2 a.m. that very same morning.
Dawn was hauntingly beautiful. No flamboyant sunrise color; rather a suffusion of light through the fog-veiled cypress trees. Todd Hopkins’ and Brandon Garner’s duck calls echoed off the fog as effectively as off a steel wall.
“Some honey hole!” Eddie wailed as he stomped onto the porch after tying up the boat. “We was watching ducks most of the morning! But NONE would come NEAR Doc’s blind!
Shot-wise things were slow. Way too slow. The speckle bellies were down in good numbers, but for some reason acting real finicky — just plain uppity at times.
The late Jerry Clower may be the only person that coon hunting ever made famous, or vice versa. The “Mouth of Mississippi” won a bushel of country comedy awards and never recorded an album or put on a performance without telling a good coon hunting story.
When baitfish go deep in colder months, crappie follow them. Try these tips from some professional guides to load up on winter slabs.
Columns - January 2018
- A little over a year ago, I heard rumblings that Matt McPherson and his engineers at Mission Crossbows were working on a revolutionary new crossbow design that would raise the bar for the entire industry.
- As we do every year at this time, we recognize fly fishing achievements in Louisiana with our FLC (Fly Lines column) awards.
- B&C bucks are an anomaly, and often are apparitions.
- Catfish are available in almost all freshwater areas of the state. Regularly caught in lakes, bayous and rivers, these fish provide great food and sport. However, they also provide an opportunity for kayak anglers to catch some true giants.
- Winston Churchill coined the term “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” He was referring to Russia, but he could just as likely have been talking about crappie management.
- This little lake in the Kisatchie National Forest near Alexandria is a hidden gem for kayak anglers. Motorized boating isn’t allowed, so the 46-acre lake doesn’t get much attention from bass anglers that fish in power boats.
- I don’t recall exactly who said it, but a famous outdoorsman once quipped that he had never actually been lost — but there had been times when he hadn’t known where he was for a few days.
- Kayaks are increasingly seeing double duty as great waterfowl hunting boats. While some kayaks are available in camouflage, the vast majority come in solid, often bright, colors. But Yak Gear has solved the problem of hiding you and the ‘yak from a duck’s great vision.
- Two things quickly become obvious about Dana Ranna Venezia. She is a focused, highly organized person, and of all the things that she cooks, she loves crabmeat the most.
- Well, we once again find ourselves at the close of another year and headed straight into the clutches of what passes for winter here in the Deep South.
- The Myrtle Grove area provides one of the most diverse spots for fishing in the Louisiana coastal marshes. Wintertime fishing is great, but it also offers good fishing year round.
- For many anglers, especially in the South, there have been epic trips with lots of unforgettable “Sally Time.”
Outdoor Updates - January 2018
- Tony Fontenot, longtime host of the Castin’ Cajun television fishing show, died this morning in Thibodaux. He was 59.
- After four long years of coming up empty-handed, Donald Alexander had to have started to wonder if he’d ever actually cross paths with a majestic DeSoto Parish buck nicknamed “Crab Claws.”
- Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited two Port Sulphur residents for allegedly spotlighting rabbits early Monday morning on Highway 23.
- Conner Gay, a sophomore at Louisiana Tech, lives in Ruston and is fortunate to have access to 100 acres of family property in Lincoln Parish to pursue his passion for deer hunting.
- John Michael Garcia got a ‘sweat equity invitation’ to deer hunt on some prime property in DeSoto Parish in exchange for his help on a construction project there — and took full advantage when he downed an 8-point buck of a lifetime on Nov. 18 in DeSoto Parish.
- The majority of deer hunters today follow a basic pattern: They bush hog, disc and plant food plots, use feeders and then climb into stands often outfitted with carpet, a heater and a comfy swivel chair.
- Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited a Sulphur man for allegedly spotlighting deer in Calcasieu Parish on Dec. 1.
- The call from the timber company where Dean Wainwright has a hunting lease in Vernon Parish carried news he wasn’t anxious to hear: The timber harvest was set to begin.
- As a bowfishing guide, Capt. Jeremy Cable has stuck more than his share of redfish in the marshes around Cocodrie — but never one like he shot late on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Field Notes - January 2018
- Be aggressive when you see birds diving in Lake Pontchartrain if you're targeting reds — time is of the essence to hook up, according to Matrix Shad's Chas Champagne.
- I have a lifelong hatred of spinning reels, mainly generated by the loops that often form in the spooled line and create real messes.
- As many manufacturing processes trend toward computerized, assembly-line production techniques, there are still some things best done the old-fashioned way — like Faulk’s Game Calls.
- Prairieville angler Adam Cook uses fluorocarbon on almost every reel he owns. The fact that it virtually disappears under water is a huge factor.
- Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cliff Crochet talks about throwing square-billed crankbaits for bass in January.
- Wintertime bass fishing can be tough, and that can cause anglers to look for all kinds of gimmicks and off-the-wall tactics to get bites.
Hot Spots - January 2018
- When Jay Stone of West Monroe isn't in a duck blind in January, he'll be on Caney Lake chasing crappie.
- Prairieville anglers Kurt and Adam Cook spend pretty much every weekend fishing together, and Bayou Black is one of their favorite wintertime targets.
- Ray Chagnard rarely misses a week of fishing in Delacroix, and he said this is absolutely the best time to be there.
- Although the fishing can be great when hard cold fronts pass, there’s nothing like the action in-between fronts. It just doesn’t get much better when you’re whacking the fish, and the temperatures are also pleasant.
- You might call it a “Winter Fire” fishing report. It’s definitely winter, but the fishing is on fire”at Lake Claiborne. And it has been for a while, according to guide Sid Havard.
- Capt. Tim Ursin Sr., aka Capt. Hook (504-512-2602) over in Shell Beach, said we’ll possibly have a colder winter this year — which will require a switch in tactics.
- After an extra warm early winter, South Central Louisiana anglers still realize a big chill could drive speckled trout from the lakes and other shallow water areas into their winter holes.
- The Mermentau River’s “Old River” has been giving up beaucoup redfish this winter — and shows no signs of slowing down in January.
- After a relatively balmy fall so far, I’m convinced that bass fishing prospects for January are going to be different than the long-term norm at Toledo Bend.
- Common sense says deep water and wintertime go together like caramel sauce and ice cream, but Capt. Bubby Lamy finds redfish this time of year piled up in the shallow marshes off Lake Borgne and Proctor’s Point.
- There are certain times of the year when the Venice speckled trout fishing is as good as you’ll ever see in Louisiana. But unfortunately for speck diehards, January isn’t one of those months.
- In a typical January, Grand Isle speckled trout angler Tommy Vidrine knows roadside hot spots along Highway 1 will usually produce some nice fish.