M.A. Fisher, Author at Louisiana Sportsman

Construction of latest Lake Pontchartrain artificial reef to add fishing opportunities

February 20, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Work that began recently on an artificial reef near the St. Tammany Parish Fishing Pier south of Slidell will increase fishing opportunities for shore-bound Lake Pontchartrain anglers, the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana said.

The work is being done between the new westbound span of Interstate 10 and the pier — the latter of which is part of the old Interstate 10 Twin Spans Bridge that partially collapsed during Hurricane Katrina. The pier opened on Lake Pontchartrain in 2012 to enormous support, but has been closed since Hurricane Isaac battered Slidell last August. […]

359 rigs slated for decommissioning, leading scientist says action is detrimental to red snapper plan

February 14, 2013 M.A. Fisher

The number 359 has taken on a new meaning for some Louisiana anglers and conservationists: That’s the estimated number of Gulf of Mexico rigs and platforms scheduled for removal this year, according to a release by DecomWorld distributed on Jan. 15.

And according to Dr. Bob Shipp, chairman of the University of South Alabama Department of Marine Sciences, that number is way too high because removal of any decommissioned rig is premature, if not blatantly detrimental to reef fish habitat.

“As a fisheries scientist, I think it’s a very big mistake,” he said. […]

Coastal-restoration projects approved in St. Tammany, Terrebonne parishes

February 12, 2013 M.A. Fisher

In late January, the Coastal Wetlands, Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Task Force, better known as CWPPRA, approved construction of marsh-building projects in both the Bayou Bonfouca area in St. Tammany Parish and Terrebonne Parish’s Lost Lake.

The projects are sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in conjunction with the state. CWPPRA projects are funded by the federal government with a 15-percent funding match coming from Louisiana. […]

Red River WMA gives up huge buck

January 25, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Hunting public land takes a bit of extra work. That’s a lesson Trent Boudreaux learned when he first started hunting Red River Wildlife Management Area as a teenager in 1998. […]

Red River WMA gives up huge buck

January 24, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Hunting public land takes a bit of extra work. That’s a lesson Trent Boudreaux learned when he first started hunting Red River Wildlife Management Area as a teenager in 1998. […]

Louisiana anglers ask for regional red snapper management during meeting

January 22, 2013 M.A. Fisher

A standing-room-only crowd turned out for a scoping meeting held in Baton Rouge by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council on Jan. 14 to collect public input on the ongoing management of red snapper — specifically, whether or not the Gulf of Mexico fishery should be managed as a single unit or broken up into regional management units. […]

Sterlington hunter takes 150-class Union Parish buck

January 18, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Some deer-kill stories come under wild circumstances — bucks that are bagged during storms, kills that precede a search that lasts more than a day or ones that conclude a decades-long drought of not even seeing a buck. […]

Hunter scores 167 6/8 B&C buck in Avoyelles Parish

January 16, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Hunting on a small piece of land can make deer management difficult. […]

St. Tammany 9-point could be biggest in parish, state deer records show

January 11, 2013 M.A. Fisher

To many, St. Tammany Parish is an ever-expanding collection of suburban towns that serve as a launching point to the metropolitan hubs of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. […]

Pair of Winn Parish bucks fall to father, son on same day from same stand

January 10, 2013 M.A. Fisher

For centuries, fathers and sons have shared hunting experiences that become family folklore – the stories that are told around the Sunday dinner table, at reunions, at holiday time. […]

Construction of Breton Sound reef begun

December 28, 2012 M.A. Fisher

Work began earlier this month on an artificial reef project in Breton Sound to increase fisheries habitat. […]

Determined bowhunter takes Avoyelles Parish 10-point

December 19, 2012 M.A. Fisher

Most seasoned deer hunters have been on a hunt that lasts a couple of days. But how many of them can say they essentially shot, tracked and shot again to kill the same deer over the course of a two-day period? […]

Foggy hunting trip ends with Vernon Parish trophy deer

December 17, 2012 M.A. Fisher

Call it beginner’s luck or call it fate.

Whatever you call it, James Faulk experienced it on the morning of Dec. 7 in a deer stand near Toledo Bend. Faulk, a 30-year old Erath resident, was hunting that day on his brother Clint’s Vernon Parish lease. […]

Buck of a lifetime comes for 61-year-old Minden hunter

December 12, 2012 M.A. Fisher

Some people are lucky enough to shoot the deer of a lifetime early in life or on their first hunt. Others have to wait much longer to bag the buck of their dreams. […]

Toll trouble in Leeville

December 7, 2012 M.A. Fisher

Every day, approximately 8,000 to 10,000 cars and trucks cross the new Leeville toll bridge on Louisiana Highway 1 in South Louisiana heading to or from Fourchon and Grand Isle. […]

Delta NWR fishing regs need clarification, angler says

December 5, 2012 M.A. Fisher

Craig Graham of St. Francisville is an avid angler who isn’t afraid to travel a few miles to catch a few fish. So when he heard that sizable speckled trout were being caught in Delta National Wildlife Refuge at the mouth of the Mississippi River, he didn’t hesitate to begin planning a trip there. […]