Field Notes Archives - Louisiana Sportsman

Planting and cultivating a buffer of thick trees or bushes around a popular feeding area for deer can give animals a little more security to venture into the picture during daylight hours.

Make deer feel more secure

Deer hunters can improve their chances with a little buffering and protection around attractive sites on their properties. […]

Prespawn fish are moving and looking for food, so crankbaits allow you to effectively cover water to find the hot spots.

Crank up crankbaits for the prespawn

David A. Brown

Prespawn bass are moving and looking for food, so crankbaits allow you to effectively cover water to find the hot spots. […]

Mississippi pro Brock Mosley said a short mono leader is all that’s needed to provide a little stretch between braid and topwater lures like the Bill Lewis StutterStep.

Add a topwater ‘shock absorber’

Andy Crawford

Mono leader provides stretch Topwater strikes make anglers’ knees go weak, but the thrill of victory can quickly turn to crushing defeat when monster bass pull off. And the current trend of using braid with […]

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Combs said a topwater frog is a great all-around lure for shallow wintertime bass.

Top 3 wintertime bass baits

Andy Crawford

Nothing like topwater frog explosions Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Combs has to put fish in the boat year round, but he experiences what every other angler does during the summer: Tough fishing, when five […]

Put a skirt on – and punch that jig

Todd Masson

Bulk up your bait for more bites Punch skirts are popular with many bass anglers because they turn normal creature baits into essentially jig presentations. Madisonville bass angler Jeff Bruhl put the technique to good […]

Recycle old fishing lures into brand-new baits

Todd Masson

To some anglers, they’re “gut piles.” To others, they’re “dead soldiers.” But to Madisonville teenager Caleb Meyer, they’re tomorrow’s fishing lures. Every fisherman can look at the floor of his boat following a day’s fishing, […]

Glenn Young caught this redfish and a host of others on a Z-Man ChatterBait while fishing Venice last month.

How to have redfish success with a chatterbait

Todd Masson

Most Louisiana anglers have seen, either in person or in videos, redfish in water that’s so clear, it looks like it should have been delivered by the Kentwood man. But aside from that, even water […]

The key to effective decoy spreads is to make them realistic.

Duck decoy spread details

Patrick Bonin

Increasing realism ultimately leads to more birds on your strap Larry Reynolds criss-crosses the Louisiana coastline multiple times each fall — cruising at 100 knots with a bird’s-eye view from just 125 feet up, estimating […]

Layer up for winter fishing trips

Patrick Bonin

If you’re planning a wintertime fishing trip, it’s best to pay close attention to the weather forecast and dress accordingly. […]