
Articles by Rusty Tardo


Big Brother’s Shadow
Lake Borgne has for a long time taken a back seat to its bigger brother, Pontchartrain, who likes to hog the spotlight and grab all the attention for the large trout it produces. […]

Grandfather Rigs of Black Bay
It’s funny how our memories retain bits and pieces of our past, and how we are able only to remember mere fragments of the days, years and decades gone by. […]

The Lafitte Lowdown
Maybe it’s just me, but it sure seemed like a long winter. Some of the poor folks up north dubbed it “the winter that wouldn’t die,” which sounded more like a pathetic plot in a Grade B movie than a weather condition.
And even though this winter finally lost its frosty grip on the thermometer, it left behind these blustery, nagging, unending winds specifically to pester and harass us fishermen.
But the long winter drought is over, the sun has steadily warmed up the water, the shrimp are beginning to make their annual appearance, and the trout are slamming baits all over the Southeast Louisiana coastline. […]

Flat-Lining
In medical parlance, flat-lining carries some very negative associations. […]

Pointed Therapy
Some people play golf. Women usually like to shop. Kids love the video games. Some people like to piddle in the garden or simply zone out in front of the TV. […]

Lead Pipe Cinch
Everybody likes to bet a sure thing. But a true “sure thing” is about as rare as a 10-pound speck. […]

Biloxi Blast
The Biloxi Marsh is truly one of our area’s greatest assets. I always look forward to any opportunity to fish the area, even if just to enjoy the scenery. […]

Thrilla in Leevilla
Sweet November! Ever been on a really bumpy plane ride? I mean the kind that tosses and bounces the airplane around like a yo-yo, jars open the overhead compartments, sends suitcases and stewardesses sprawling and has half the passengers screaming or spewing, and the other half praying. […]

Rigoletts Reds
When Hollywood hung the title “Red October” on a submarine movie some years ago, they had no idea how apropos it was for Louisiana anglers. […]

Fish on the Fringe
Blame it on the river.
Summer trout fishing, the passion of thousands of Southeast Louisiana anglers, has been inconsistent. And maybe inconsistent is too nice a word. […]

After Dark Action
Speckled trout tend to settle into deeper, cooler water around outside rigs and structures, and many anglers choose to stay home rather than deal with the insects and the heat. […]

Summertime, Seabrook and Specks
Capt. Eddie Adams (504-975-7902) met me at the Bonnabel Boat Launch just as daylight peeked over the eastern sky. I loaded my gear into his 22-foot Skeeter bay boat, and we headed toward Seabrook. […]

On Top of the World
Chalk it up to being in the right place at the right time. […]

Blind Bay Buffet
I once heard Frank Sinatra say, “A friend in need … is a pest.” […]

Disregarded Reggio
Reggio has to be the Rodney Dangerfield of fishing destinations; it gets absolutely no respect. It’s ignored, overlooked and disregarded by a vast majority of anglers even though its located smack dab in the middle of two of the most popular launching sites in all of Southeast Louisiana. […]