Joel Masson, Author at Louisiana Sportsman

Lakes in Dularge area fill with specks in April

April 2, 2021 Joel Masson

Read the wind and the birds for a crack at April’s Dularge speckled trout. Use these tips from Capt. Travis Miller. […]

Popping corks are ticket for Lake Catherine trout

February 25, 2021 Joel Masson

The past three years in March, Capt. Kris Robert of One Last Cast Charters has found very good speckled trout action in Lake Catherine. […]

Biloxi marsh redfish have never quit biting, guide says

August 30, 2019 Joel Masson

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin has had quite a unique year, but that’s fine with Capt. Justin Bowles, who targets September redfish in the Biloxi Marsh. […]

Canals around Lake Des Allemands and Bayou Gauche produce nice crappie in May and June.

Des Allemands: Crappie Psychic reveals a pattern that delivers in late spring

May 2, 2019 Joel Masson

For many anglers, sac-a-lait are seasonal fish. But for Clyde Folse, the owner of Crappie Psychic, sac-a-lait are a staple 12 months a year. […]

Capt. Marty LaCoste says the fish can roam the entire lake, but his favorite areas include the west and south sides.

Dularge offers close trout action

February 19, 2019 Joel Masson

A convenient and easy area to target speckled trout this month is Dularge’s Lake DeCade. […]

Author Joel Masson shows off a sac-a-lait he caught from a cut off the Tchefuncte last spring.

Find this pattern for Tchefuncte River sac-a-lait

February 11, 2019 Joel Masson

There’s no better tasting fish than sac-a-lait, and this month, the Tchefuncte River is typically full of them. […]

Jeff Bruhl likes to throw jerkbaits for January prespawners in the Tchefuncte River.

Prespawn Tchefuncte bass

January 21, 2019 Joel Masson

The winter is a fantastic time to throw jerkbaits and twitchbaits in the Tchefuncte River while hunting down prespawn bass. […]

Capt. Charlie Thomason said low water conditions in January typically move redfish further away from the shoreline, so position your boat closer to the bank and cast away from it.

Target reds off the bank in Hopedale

January 18, 2019 Joel Masson

Hopedale guide finds most of his redfish away from the shoreline in January. […]

Matrix Shad’s Chas Champagne said trolling is one of the most effective ways to target speckled trout right now simply because you can cover so much area with the technique.

Trolling for North Shore specks

January 12, 2019 Joel Masson

For the past couple of winters, instead of jigging, Chas Champagne has been dragging baits behind his boat to entice bites from speckled trout. […]

During some of the last cold fronts, Scott Toups fished the bayous around Catfish Lake in Golden Meadow. "There's a lot of fish close to the public launch, and they can easily be reached by kayak or a small boat. We focused on deep, dead-end bayous fishing with a variety of soft plastics."

Catfish Lake specks: Target shallow or deep as the temperature dictates

January 3, 2019 Joel Masson

Cold weather and north winds mean speckled trout can be caught in deep holes close to the launch out of Golden Meadow. […]

Capt. Mike Gallo targets specks in deeper spots when water temps hit about 55 degrees.

Target deeper water for Lake Pontchartrain trout

December 19, 2018 Joel Masson

The Lake Pontchartrain estuary provides a lot of different types of fishing, and that can be super advantageous this time of year. […]

Soft plastics and spinnerbaits are both effective if you’re targeting redfish out of Lafitte this month, according to Capt. Theophile Bourgeois.

Watch the wind when fishing out of Lafitte

December 15, 2018 Joel Masson

What to do if you want to catch fish in Lafitte in the month of December. […]

Will Shell Beach fishing shine this month?

December 11, 2018 Joel Masson

The keys to having success with speckled trout at Shell Beach this month. […]

November is typically a prime month to catch speckled trout at the Trestles in Lake Pontchartrain.

The Lake Pontchartrain Trestles trout parade begins

November 22, 2018 Joel Masson

The Lake Pontchartrain Trestles becomes a boat parade in November, and with good reason. […]

Bass fishing can be phenomenal this time of year on the West Pearl River, according to Jason Pittman.

West Pearl River getting right for bass

November 21, 2018 Joel Masson

There are so many great fishing options during the fall that it can be hard to choose one. Speckled trout are practically committing suicide in the marsh, redfish are everywhere, shrimp are popping for their lives and huge flocks of birds are diving. […]

After October’s high river, Capt. Dustin Bounds suggested starting on the outside and working your way in for Venice reds.

Follow the river for Venice redfish

November 17, 2018 Joel Masson

The fishing in Venice depends on the Mississippi River more than humans rely on oxygen, and a slowly falling, high river in October will shove the November redfish farther from the river, according to Capt. Dustin Bounds. […]

Articles by Joel Masson