The drive from Morgan City to Natchitoches was a long four hours after I knocked off from my day job at 5 o’clock. And, by the time my wife and I checked into the Chateau Saint Denis Hotel downtown, it was after 9 p.m. — and I was just hearing from Pure Fishing ambassador Jimmy Jeansonne.
It was September.
It was hot, and it was late in the day.
After Chad Wiley weighed-in on the final day of the 2014 Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River, his three-day total of 34 pounds, 14 ounces landed him in fifth place.
The grizzled veteran perched on the bow of the small flatboat expertly swung it in a half-circle in the swirling current of the Tangipahoa River.
Biologists from each of Louisiana’s seven wildlife management area regions crunched the numbers and analyzed data from last year’s hunting seasons to give you an idea of how some of the 50 state WMAs might perform this fall.
The water was a sheet of glass when Capt. Austin Plaisance wheeled his Blazer Bay out of the canal into the shallow, grass-filled pocket.
It takes a diehard deer hunter to brave the elements that are pervasive during Louisiana’s early bow season, which opens for most residents on Monday, Oct. 1.
I refer to the Lafitte Edge area as the location in the Southeast Louisiana marsh in St. Charles, Lafourche and Jefferson parishes between the Bayou Segnette launch in Westwego, Lakes Cataouatche and Salvador, areas in the Lake Salvador Wildlife Management Area, southwestward to Bayous Gauche and des Allemands, Lac des Allemands and Bayou Boeuf and eastward toward The Pen and Bayou Du Pont, then continuing south to the northern part of Barataria Bay.
Two longtime fishing buddies couldn’t keep a good thing to themselves 7 ½ years ago, which was a blessing for bass fishermen who love to catch on quality spinnerbaits.
The older age classes, 7 ½ on up, represent the end of the trail for a deer population. The average lifespan for a white-tailed deer is around 5 years; in captivity deer may live up to 14 years. Much depends on the degree of hunting that takes place on the landscape.
Ricky Ruffin of Bay Springs, Miss., shares recipes for Panéed Snapper with Meunière Sauce and Cajun Cioppino.
At the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in July, it was yet another record-setting year for premium fly rods.
Many people are prone to getting seasick, and if you fish a kayak in rough waters, the tiny craft is prone to being tossed around — which can make things even worse.
My, how times have changed over the past 50 or so years in the whitetail woods, especially when it comes to the “business end” of the enterprise.
Kayak anglers are always looking to catch big fish out of their tiny boats. In coastal Louisiana, bull redfish easily fill the bill. They are hard fighters and regularly weigh up to 40 pounds. Plus, bulls are easy to catch in the right locations — and there’s no better time than the present.
The first split of Louisiana’s 2018-19 dove season will open Sept. 1 in both north and south zones. The north zone’s first split will run through Sept. 23. Subsequent splits are Oct. 6 – Nov. 11 and Dec. 16 – Jan. 14. In the south zone, the first split ends on Sept. 9. The second split dates are Oct. 6 - Nov. 25, and final split is Dec. 16 – Jan. 14.
Bowhunters make these common mistakes each and every year. Hopefully, these tips will help you be more successful this season.
There’s a vicious predator out there.
It lurks deep in Louisiana’s vast coastal marshes.
They say records are made to be broken — and it finally happened at the 90th Annual International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.
As hunting season approaches, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is cautioning deer hunters about the use of urine lures because the products could potentially contain chronic wasting disease.
A 52-year-old Ville Platte faces violations of the Endangered Species Act — which bring up to a $50,000 fine and one year in jail — after admitting to shooting and killing a male whooping crane in Evangeline Parish on July 25, according to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Is there anything worse than having to spool a reel while on the boat? I mean, after you spend the time to snatch the old line off the reel, you then have the pleasure of fighting a plastic spool of new line rolling around the boat — and it’s a pain to ensure you’re putting the line on the reel tightly.
Deer hunters are often guilty of discarding items that are useful, and could be used to create reminders of a special hunt.
Todd "Marsh Man" Masson is best known for his speckled trout-catching prowess. After all, he wrote a book on the subject.
In addition to color, the profile of your lure will also determine its effectiveness depending on what forage predators are feeding on.
Teal hunters with the ability to move around a bit would do well to put in some scouting time for best odds on opening day.
It's easy to look upon Louisiana's prairie marsh and only see a bunch of grass and water.
It’s been a crazy year on the Ouachita River. Spring flooding pushed waters far out of the river’s banks. Then a summer drawdown by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for repairs on the Columbia lock and dam drew the river down to a 40-year low. The drop emptied many smaller tributaries, brought D’Arbonne Bayou back to its channels and cut off most river lakes.
Despite lingering warm temperatures, September’s trout transition is already underway, according to Capt. Casey Kieff.
Redfish have been the star of the Buras stage throughout the summer, but this month should add speckled trout to the mix for anglers heading to the fishing village south of New Orleans.
September is a month that drives anglers crazy.
“You can smoke them one day, and then next day wonder where they went,” Calcasieu Charter Service’s Capt. Erik Rue said.
Redfish in South Louisiana are plentiful 12 months out the year, and there are as many ways to catch them as lures to use. As with almost any fish, though, there’s no more fun way to catch a bull red than on a topwater lure.
Mother Nature unfortunately doesn’t always cooperate for fishermen, and that forces anglers to change their patterns this time of year, according to Hopedale guide Capt. Charlie Thomason.
My old friend Capt. Keith “Herk” Bergeron said there’s still plenty nice trout to catch this month, but you’ll have to fish deeper for them.
Hot weather has redfish right where many Acadiana fishermen want them this summer — in the deep holes of bayous inside Marsh Island. And the good news is they’ll still be there in September.
The Boeuf River’s name comes from the French, and means beef or bull. The Bouef won’t win any beauty contests or make it on many peoples’ Top 10 lists, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great place to fish — and that’s no bull.
If you asked avid Louisiana trout anglers what their favorite month for targeting specks was, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single one that said September. However, that doesn’t mean trout can’t be caught — and after a long hot summer, one of the best places to catch during the transition is Bayous Liberty and Lacombe.
The drive from Morgan City to Natchitoches was a long four hours after I knocked off from my day job at 5 o’clock. And, by the time my wife and I checked into the Chateau Saint Denis Hotel downtown, it was after 9 p.m. — and I was just hearing from Pure Fishing ambassador Jimmy Jeansonne.
It was September. It was hot, and it was late in the day.
After Chad Wiley weighed-in on the final day of the 2014 Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River, his three-day total of 34 pounds, 14 ounces landed him in fifth place.
The grizzled veteran perched on the bow of the small flatboat expertly swung it in a half-circle in the swirling current of the Tangipahoa River.
Biologists from each of Louisiana’s seven wildlife management area regions crunched the numbers and analyzed data from last year’s hunting seasons to give you an idea of how some of the 50 state WMAs might perform this fall.
The water was a sheet of glass when Capt. Austin Plaisance wheeled his Blazer Bay out of the canal into the shallow, grass-filled pocket.
It takes a diehard deer hunter to brave the elements that are pervasive during Louisiana’s early bow season, which opens for most residents on Monday, Oct. 1.
