Patrick Bonin, Author at Louisiana Sportsman

Epic blue marlin bite in the Gulf

Chris Hall has been on lots and lots of blue marlin trips — but none as successful as he and his crew experienced during the Louisiana Billfish Classic. […]

Justin Glover, of Zwolle, shows off the 10-pound largemouth bass he landed Monday, May 13, in the San Miguel area of Toledo Bend.

Zwolle angler lands ‘Perfect 10’ at Toledo Bend

Patrick Bonin

Justin Glover, of Zwolle, caught his first-ever double digit bass, a 10-pound largemouth, on May 13 in the San Miguel area of Toledo Bend. […]

Donovan Stoner, of Atlanta, La., shows off a couple of nice Black Lake bass. Stoner said May is a great month to target postspawn fish before water temperatures really ramp up and summer heat takes hold.

Black Lake perfect baits

Patrick Bonin

Donovan Stoner said he’d focus his attention on the multitude of cypress trees that cover Black Lake, and offered his Top 3 lures for Black Lake in May. […]

Kendall Mullins shows off a stringer featuring a nice limit of flounder from a recent trip in marshes near Big Lake. If you can find a good cut leading into a marsh featuring a drop-off, that’s a great spot to target doormats.

Big Lake flounder run

Patrick Bonin

Mike Malone, president of the Elite Kayak Club, is a firm believer in Berkley Gulp’s chartreuse Swimming Mullet when he wants flounder at Big Lake. […]

John Gillard shows off the 10.98-pound bass he caught on April 27 during the Toledo Bend Oilman’s Classic. The lunker bit a blueberry Texas-rigged Zoom lizard in 2 feet of water in the San Miguel area, and won Gillard Big Bass honors for the tourney. (Photo courtesy of the Toledo Bend Lake Association)

Lizard works on 10.98-pounder during Toledo Bend Oilman’s Classic

Patrick Bonin

John Gillard caught a 10.98-pound bass on April 27 during the Toledo Bend Oilman’s Classic. The lunker bit in the San Miguel area. […]

Photo courtesy of Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program

Big bite not done yet: Toledo Bend yields 11-pounder

Patrick Bonin

Eddie Jarrell caught an 11.15-pound largemouth bass on April 16 at Toledo Bend on a Carolina-rigged watermelon red 7-inch Zoom Magnum Trick Worm. […]

Mike White caught these two mega-trout while fishing Grand Isle last summer.

LDWF tight-lipped on 2019 speckled trout forecast

Patrick Bonin

Patrick Banks, assistant secretary for fisheries, said trout limits for 2019 “probably” would not be affected while the results were being reevaluated by department biologists. […]

Reefballs like this one, along with large chunks of limestone and some shells, will be used in construction of new artificial reefs proposed for four sites in Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound.

New reefs planned for Lake Borgne/Mississippi Sound

Patrick Bonin

Lake Pontchartrain area anglers will soon have four new areas to target speckled trout and redfish after construction of four artificial reefs in and around Lake Borgne and the Biloxi Marsh. […]

Bell City angler lands big 11-pounder at Toledo Bend

Patrick Bonin

John Reber, of Bell City, hooked an 11.14-pound largemouth bass on April 6 near Pirate’s Cove at Toledo Bend. The big fish earned him big bass honors in the Toledo Bend Open Shoot Out that day. […]

Big times at Toledo Bend

Patrick Bonin

Double-digit bass have been caught each and every month so far in 2019 at Toledo Bend, and action really ramped up during the first week of March. […]

How local fireman caught 5 double-digit bass on Lacassine

Patrick Bonin

Lacassine Pool once again opens up to bass anglers in the middle of March. Here’s how one angler — who caught five double-digit bass there last year alone — fishes the 16,000-acre impoundment inside the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Louisiana. […]

Photo courtesy of Toledo Bend Lake Association

No fooling: Texas angler lands 10-plus-pounder on April 1

Patrick Bonin

Craig Broussard, of Fulshear, Texas, had the last laugh when he reeled in this 10.41-pound largemouth bass on April Fool’s Day. […]