Louisiana Sportsman

Skip navigation

CLOSE X

September 1, 2026

Chris Nguyen of Monroe enjoys getting out on the water and catching Caney Lake lunkers this time of year.

Patience pays this time of year at Caney

April 30, 2024 Justin Adkins

Local Monroe native Chris Nguyen fishes Caney Lake regularly and shared how he targets these feisty fish in May.[…]

The warmer waters found in dead ends are inviting to bass right now. (Photo courtesy Sam Jenkins)

Tchefuncte River bass action heats up

April 5, 2024 Nick Vaccaro

According to Sam Jenkins of Abita Springs, a bass tournament competitor, now is the time to seize the moment at the Tchefuncte River.[…]

Tanya Jinks had her hands full with this big trout she hooked and boated in West Cove on the west side of Calcasieu Lake while fishing with Hackberry Rod & Gun.

West Cove is where the specks stack up

April 5, 2024 Don Shoopman

Kirk Stansel of Hackberry Rod and Gun knows the potential this time of year for West Cove. It’s a gold mine for speckled trout.[…]

Capt. Ryan Vincent caught this 16-pound redfish off a rock point in Bayou Pirogue, fished off the bottom with dead shrimp on a 3/8-ounce jighead.

Lafitte fishing heats up

April 4, 2024 Rusty Tardo

According to Capt. Ryan Vincent of Reel Cajun Fishing, fishing action picks up in April and just gets better after that in Lafitte.[…]

Zachary Faircloth, a local angler who loves to fish Toledo Bend, has his hands full with a 9.2-pound bass, his new PB, caught on a watermelon/red Senko in the back of a creek on Feb. 28.

April should be a slugfest for bunches of bass on Toledo Bend

March 31, 2024 John Dean

April’s going to be on fire. Things are going to pop big time at Toledo Bend and we’ll see more double-digit bass.[…]

A tabletop covered in crappie like this is a normal sight along the shores of Lake D’Arbonne this month.

Simple approach to target D’Arbonne crappie

March 8, 2024 Justin Adkins

Lake D’Arbonne boasts one of the state’s most abundant populations of quality crappie. Brad Black turns it into his playground.[…]

Mark Romero of Lafayette got his hands on this nice-sized bass at Toledo Bend while fishing with John Dean. Romero slammed the hook home on the bass after it bit on a Carolina-rigged Zoom Super Fluke in 3- to 5-foot depths.

Gloomy weather doesn’t deter the Toledo Bend bass bite

March 7, 2024 John Dean

We know when March rolls around there will be more water at Toledo Bend, enough water to give us a chance to go bush fishing for bass.[…]

Laurette Mequet often fills out a limit of sac-a-lait on a trip on Henderson Lake.

Henderson Lake sac-a-lait

March 4, 2024 Don Shoopman

Laurette Mequet of Cecilia, who has pulled beaucoup sac-a-lait out of Henderson Lake, knows where she’ll target sac-a-lait in April.[…]

Large speckled trout like this are the norm when throwing hard-plastic lures in Hopedale this month. (Picture by Photo courtesy Capt. Charlie Thomason)

Target bigger Hopedale specks

March 2, 2024 Joel Masson

According to Capt. Charlie Thomason, large speckled trout are the norm when throwing hard-plastic lures in Hopedale this month.[…]

David Cavell, foreground, and Corey Wheat get their hands on big bass like this one a lot while fishing False River in late January and February.

False River is giving up bass in increased numbers and size

February 5, 2024 Don Shoopman

False River’s habitat, especially on the flats at both ends of the old oxbow lake, has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years.[…]

Capt. Kris Robert said the speckled trout he and his clients catch this month are big, like this one a customer caught.

Chasing big specks in Lake Pontchartrain

February 5, 2024 Joel Masson

Capt. Kris Robert finds great success fishing the Lake Pontchartrain area this time of year. Speckled trout and redfish can be plentiful.[…]

Damon Cuhidy of Lafayette cradles a nice-sized bass he hooked and boated after it inhaled a gold/orange Smithwick Rogue while fishing with veteran guide John Dean.

Rat-L-Trap, Rogue stand the test of Toledo Bend time

February 1, 2024 John Dean

The Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and the Smithwick Rogue, both introduced in the 1960s, were tailor made for the fishery in Toledo Bend.[…]

Capt. Mike Gallo caught this nice trout tightlining a glow plastic on a 3/8-ounce jig in 6 feet of water.

Winter speckled trout in Chalmette area

February 1, 2024 Rusty Tardo

Capt. Mike Gallo said one of the reasons the Chalmette area is so good in the winter is because the water is deeper and significantly warmer.[…]

Ron Castille gets his hands on bass, big and small, while fishing the Calcasieu River.

A plan for January bassin’ on the Calcasieu River

January 11, 2024 Don Shoopman

Ron Castille explains how to fish on the Calcasieu River from the Moss Bluff public ramp south to the Saltwater Barrier at West Lake.[…]

Jimmy Watt shows off the kind of crappie that make D’Arbonne popular in January.

Death, taxes and deep crappie on D’Arbonne

January 11, 2024 Kinny Haddox

Lake D’Arbonne is one of the top places to catch crappie this time of the year according to Jimmy Watt of Bastrop.[…]

George Thompson of Lafayette has a firm grip on the lip of an 8.5-pound bass he caught on an unseasonably warm day last February in the Blue Lake area at Toledo Bend. (Photo courtesy John Dean)

Bass wishes at Toledo Bend

January 11, 2024 John Dean

Toledo Bend bass anglers are hoping for a January with warmer weather and a rising pool level to start off 2024.[…]