Features from January 2021
Louisiana speckled trout will be in one of two places this month, depending on the weather. Here’s how to keep up with them.
January bass are starting to stir in Louisiana lakes. Hunter Freeman has the ticket to celebrate while turning the calendar page to 2021.
Southeast Louisiana’s piney woods deer change their patterns as the season wanes. You need to change your tactics, too.
Venice is more than just a fishing destination. Ducks and hunters pile in to Pass-a-Loutre WMA every season
Don’t leave vocalization out of your bag of tricks when it comes to hunting wild hogs. It’s absolutely true that you can call in hogs.
Columns - January 2021
- As we transition from the holiday season into the New Year, we deer hunters find ourselves entering the fourth quarter, so to speak, of the 2015/2016 season.
- One of the soft-plastic lures that launched Cajun Lures six years ago has a new look. Bayou Bug 2.0 has arrived, and it is catching bass.
- A good forest survey or inventory will tell you what trees make up your forest and what species you might want to plant for deer.
- The most-underrated saltwater fish in Louisiana has to be the sheepshead. The good news for kayak anglers is that they are hard fighters.
- Striped bass are targeted by thousands and thousands of anglers. They are not in the same family as largemouth or smallmouth bass.
Outdoor Updates - January 2021
- Its “Big Duck” season and waterfowlers across Louisiana are happy to get back to the normalcy of chasing ducks.
- Kelly Downey took a big 10-point buck at Little Cypress Creek hunting club in north Bossier Parish on Nov. 15.
- Melissa Maddox took this big Lincoln Parish 10-point buck a few hundred yards from her home on November 23.
- Choudrant’s Jay Smith took this big 14-point buck on a five-acre piece of land owned by his family in Lincoln Parish.
- Ray Mangrum’s son, Sam, attracted the attention of this big Bienville Parish 14-point buck with a loud and deep grunt call from his phone.
- Lane Cox took a 268-pound, 10-point buck on November 23 at the Winter Quarters Hunting Club in Tensas Parish.
- Donald Lee of Jamestown shot the buck of a lifetime when he shot this giant trophy 8-point buck on Nov. 23 in DeSoto Parish.
- Monroe Roark dropped a monster 9-point buck in Winn Parish on Thanksgiving afternoon, Nov. 26, despite battling COVID and meningitis.
- Father and son Kenny and Lee Sullivan both took trophy bucks on over the Thanksgiving holiday in Red River Parish.
- Michael Woods Jr. of Many put a 10.25-pound largemouth in the boat while fishing Carrice Creek on Toledo Bend on Nov. 17.
- At the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s latest meeting, one of the main topics of discussion was “The Great Red Snapper Count.”
- Steve Davidson took a big 10-point buck at the Leatherman Creek hunting club in southwest Claiborne Parish on Dec. 2.
- Choudrant resident Chris Lewis killed a big 17-point Lincoln Parish buck on Nov. 1. Lewis had put out a pile of deer attractant, Mo-Bucks.
- Levi Madden of Minden took a 235-pound, 11-point Madison Parish buck with his Hoyt RX-4 bow on November 29.
- Doyline’s Wesley Miller took a big Webster Parish buck that could be in contention for a state record for typical bucks taken with a bow.
- Carlos Stewart took an impressive 13-point buck at a hunting lease south of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish on Nov. 20.
- Brett Nobles killed a trophy buck on the 50-acre plot of land he lives on in Lincoln Parish on November 15.
- Teddy Dupuy took a big 8-point buck at Kisatchie National Forest in Grant Parish when he hung his climbing stand by a holly bush with scrapes.
- Will Hanna of DeSoto Parish took a massive 24-point buck on private family land in Red River Parish on November 8.
- Joel Masters killed his trophy buck, nicknamed Bullwinkle, on Nov. 13 at the M and S Hunting Club in Sabine Parish.
Hot Spots - January 2021
- Forrest Green of Lacombe has learned a lot about how colder temperatures affect the crappie bite on Bayou Lacombe.
- Canals and other waterways around Bayou Des Allemands and Lake Boeuf are places you’ll find sac-a-lait anglers targeting slabs in January.
- How to fish for gator speckled trout around the mouth of the Gator Hole at the southeast corner of Sabine Lake.
- The Great Wall has helped the waters around MRGO fill back up with speckled trout and redfish, especially in winter.
- As for Rat-L-Traps, ½-ounce models are the “bread-and-butter” to catch numbers and some quality bass at Toledo Bend.
- According to Katie Duplass, January is when the offshore pivots towards migrating pelagic fish such as wahoo and larger yellowfin tuna.
Field Notes - January 2021
- A jig from Bryant’s Custom Jigs has been Hunter Freeman’s go-to bait from his collegiate fishing days to his current spot on the FLW Pro Tour.
- V&M Pacemaker Flatline jig is bass pro and Toledo Bend fishing guide Colby Miller’s top choice for January bass fishing.
- Greg Hackney sticks with the Strike King Hack Attack Flouro Flipping Jig for bass fishing during one of the coldest months in Louisiana.
- Louisiana is a flourishing fly fishing locale for redfish, especially during the winter when the bull reds push into the interior marshes.
- Brett Preuett, a veteran guide on Toledo Bend and Caney Lake, swears by the Preuett Cajun Bug to catch bass in January.