Features from October 2020
Louisiana bass pro Greg Hackney gives a year-round look at how to catch bass in the Atchafalaya Basin this fall.
Don’t turn your nose up at deer hunting in Louisiana’s coastal areas. Those whitetails don’t get as much notice, but they’re just as tasty.
College bass fishing is taking off across the country. Louisiana has almost a dozen schools sending teams out to national competition.
Plenty of factors influence where redfish live in Delacroix’s marsh. Casey Brunning of Hurricane Bay Charters knows where to look.
When is the peak of the deer rut in Louisiana? Here are 2020’s dates.
Don’t pass up small-lake or pond fishing; it can be very rewarding. They provide plenty of good times for the savvy angler.
Biodiversity explains how all parts in the Gulf Coast’s fishery depend on each other, and how changes can have far-reaching effects.
Columns - October 2020
- When it comes to early season scouting for bucks with trail cameras, monitoring rubs and rub lines can be a very effective technique.
- Louisiana kayak anglers are blessed with year-round fishing availability, but October generally makes for pleasant days on the water.
- October can be a tricky month for inshore speckled trout fishing. But when the migration is early, the fish are easy to find.
- Buzzbait aficionados and bass have been going ape over the Gorilla Buzz since it was introduced four years ago by Prototype Lures.
- When your field points shoot straight, but your broadheads won’t group, examine your hunting bow’s setup with these tips.
- Most anglers have far fewer chances at tarpon than other fish. Along the Gulf Coast, they usually appear in late spring or early summer.
Outdoor Updates - October 2020
- Nicholas Bourgeois caught this black jack, aka black trevally, out of Fourchon in August aboard the “Southern Pride.”
- Austin Meche of Crowley hooked a three-pound piebald flounder on his first fishing trip to Lake Pontchartrain.
- When Hurricane Laura came barreling through it left a swath of destruction more widespread than many have ever seen or imagined.
- Billy Willis, a 62-year-old bass angler from Ruston, hooked a trophy bass on Kepler Creek Reservoir on Aug. 22, 2020.
- The LWFC adopted a two-zone East-West boundary option for the 2021-25 waterfowl hunting seasons during its September meeting.
- Checking your equipment is the first step towards a successful hunting season. Here’s a checklist to keep you safe and legal this season.
- Two lunkers on the same day, two …
Hot Spots - October 2020
- Expect great, shallow bass action on Toledo Bend in October. Bass will start tearing up topwaters, particularly buzzbaits and plastic frogs.
- Ledges along the Intracoastal Waterway will hold plenty of bass in October. Angler Bill McCarty said the bassing gets good to excellent.
- Bayou Lacombe heats up as water cools in October for bass and bonus fish. Corey LaBostrie, aka “Marsh Martian,” shares his top spots.
- Sabine Lake fishing has been shining light after Hurricane Laura’s exit. Plenty of redfish, trout and flounder are showing up.
Field Notes - October 2020
- October is a prime time to throw topwaters almost anywhere, according to bass pro Robbie Latuso of Gonzales.
- Derek Hudnall’s south Louisiana bass-fishing experience tells him in October he should still be punching grass mats.
- With the shad bite on and getting stronger in October, bass pro Cliff “Cajun Baby” Crochet chunks a modified buzzbait more often than not.
- Hunters interested in improving the quality of bucks in their herds often make mistakes when it comes to which deer need to be culled.
- Bass pro Greg Hackney of Gonzales favors going up top with his favorite sputtering artificial lure for October bass.
- Giving a flounder time to grab a bait and get it ready to slide down its throat will usually result in a good hookset.
- When marine electronics aren’t working properly, the culprit is often the wiring. Follow these tips to get to the bottom of the problem.
- All of these snakes are in the Nerodia genus and are commonly known as watersnakes. These are non-venomous, semi-aquatic snakes.
- Jeffrey Wood is a die-hard small-game hunter. Here are his tips for getting the most out of the early squirrel hunting season.
- Rattling during the pre-rut should be understated; you’re just trying to get a traveling buck’s attention, not bring him in for a fight.