Louisiana Sportsman

Delta Lures started mass-producing spinnerbaits in 2011, and now their offerings are sold all over the country.

Delta Lures’ Spinnerbait

September 15, 2018 Don Shoopman

Two longtime fishing buddies couldn’t keep a good thing to themselves 7 ½ years ago, which was a blessing for bass fishermen who love to catch on quality spinnerbaits.[…]

While many river bass are around a pound or two, fall is an excellent time to land Ouachita lunkers like these.

Bass follow bait on the Ouachita

September 5, 2018 Kinny Haddox

It’s been a crazy year on the Ouachita River. Spring flooding pushed waters far out of the river’s banks. Then a summer drawdown by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for repairs on the Columbia lock and dam drew the river down to a 40-year low. The drop emptied many smaller tributaries, brought D’Arbonne Bayou back to its channels and cut off most river lakes.[…]

Brian Matthews holds a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught on a plastic frog while fishing with his son Max and guide John Dean at Toledo Bend.

Heat on high at Toledo Bend

September 4, 2018 John Dean

Toledo Bend bass anglers stymied by the dog days of summer can’t wait to escape the blistering heat and welcome the cooler temperatures of (hopefully) late September.[…]

Cranking the rocks in the main river can still produce lots of bass as long as you can find some that aren't silted in.

Hills and valleys

September 1, 2018 Chris Ginn

After Chad Wiley weighed-in on the final day of the 2014 Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River, his three-day total of 34 pounds, 14 ounces landed him in fifth place.[…]

Spotted bass, named for the rows of small spots arranged longitudinally on their lower sides, are Joe Lavigne’s fishing passion.

Hitting the spots

September 1, 2018 Jerald Horst

The grizzled veteran perched on the bow of the small flatboat expertly swung it in a half-circle in the swirling current of the Tangipahoa River.[…]

Jerry Coutee with a huge Black Lake largemouth.

Black Lake big boys

September 1, 2018 John Flores

The drive from Morgan City to Natchitoches was a long four hours after I knocked off from my day job at 5 o’clock. And, by the time my wife and I checked into the Chateau Saint Denis Hotel downtown, it was after 9 p.m. — and I was just hearing from Pure Fishing ambassador Jimmy Jeansonne.[…]

Tyler Carriere, of Youngsville, is currently in third place after Day 1 at the Bassmaster Elite Series stop on the St. Lawrence River. Thursday, he weighed in 26 pounds of smallmouth bass and is less than 2 pounds behind leader Matt Lee.

Youngsville’s Carriere third after Day 1 at St. Lawrence Bassmaster Elite

August 23, 2018 From Bassmaster.com

Giant limits of smallmouth bass exceeded expectations during Thursday’s opening round of competition as Matt Lee of Guntersville, Ala., weighed a tremendous 27-pound, 12-ounce limit of smallmouth bass to take an early lead at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River.[…]

Bass like this one caught by Jerry Mitchell make an August Red River bass run worth the effort.

Cool off with ‘bass on the rocks’

August 18, 2018 Kinny Haddox

The hot summer weather got you down? Well, why not cool off with some bass on the rocks — Red River south style.[…]

Louis Laville of Baton Rouge caught this 4 ½-pound bass in June while fishing with John Dean.

Nighttime is the right time at Toledo Bend

August 16, 2018 John Dean

Getting bites during the heat of the day in August could be a challenge for bass anglers at Toledo Bend.[…]

Charlie King doesn’t go to the Red without a push pole stowed in his boat.

Tip of the day

August 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

“A push pole is an absolute must to fish here,” Charlie King half-grimaced and half-grinned. […]

King is fishing what he calls a ridge, simply the completely flooded old bank of an oxbow lake.

Four seasons of the Red

August 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

The Red River Waterway system offers a huge array of bass habitats, including stump fields, backwater lakes, the original river’s banks, rock piles, log jams, reeds (cut grass), oxbow ridges and shorelines, as well as lily pad fields that have bounced back after the floods.[…]

Movement from one pool to the next is done through locks. Although they are very large, built to accommodate barges and tugs, the lock tenders will lock through the smallest fishing boat without hesitation.

Off limits

August 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Pools No. 5 and 4 are large complex areas because a variety of habitats and properties were flooded by the 7- to 8-foot rise in water levels that followed damming. The two pools are where Charlie King focuses his Red River guiding efforts, and also where Trent Toups does much of his personal bass fishing.[…]

Navigation buoys mark the river’s barge channel and for obvious reasons, are located outside the ends of toppled wing walls. King stressed that it is dangerous to operate a boat on plane between any buoy and the shoreline.

The big challenge on the Red

August 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

The Red River system has lots of bass —and it has big bass. Catching fish isn’t the biggest challenge that visiting anglers face. It’s navigation.[…]

Clipping packs of commonly used hooks onto a carabiner keeps the terminal tackle at easy reach.

Tackle organization bolsters efficiency

August 15, 2018 David A. Brown

Wherever you hunt largemouth bass, opportunities can rise and fall quickly, so preparation is paramount. An important element of your readiness is the organization of, and easy access to, your terminal tackle. Hooks, weights, swivels, etc. all need to remain conveniently reachable, lest you miss your chance.[…]

A jig is a very effective spotted bass bait because it casts well and quickly reaches bottom.

Keep the party going

August 15, 2018 David A. Brown

Spotted bass are an aggressive, competitive lot; but even a robust school sees peaks and valleys in its feeding. When this happens, you certainly have the option of giving them a rest and returning later. However, Bassmaster Elite pro Gerald Swindle would first try a little spot stimulation strategy.[…]

This chunky 3-pounder couldn’t resist a white swim jig and trailer after it struck at and missed a black Spro frog on the previous cast.

Frog follow-ups

August 15, 2018 Kinny Haddox

Frogs can’t do it all by themselves. But fishing frogs in combination with other lures is the most productive plan of attack. That’s especially true when a bass blows up on a frog, but misses it. When that happens, Tyler Stewart has three very specific baits he follows up with.[…]