The goggle-eye is, with the possible exception of a spawning bull bluegill, the prettiest of the bream clan. Males are especially beautiful, with a body mottled with bright orange and olive and a bright red spot behind each gill cover and at the rear base of the dorsal fin.[…]
When folks spool up their reels with line before heading off to Lake D’Arbonne, they typically use anything from 4- to 10-pound test.[…]
This large species of bream is properly called a “warmouth.” Its large mouth —larger than any other species of bream — and its more-elongated body shape have led some people (who should know better) to believe that they are hybrids between bluegills and bass.[…]
This species, with the book name of “green sunfish,” is one of the most interesting of Louisiana’s bream species.[…]
Sunfish hybridize more than any other family of freshwater or saltwater fish. Often a successful day will yield 200 bream, and it’s a rare day when at least one hybrid between species isn’t in the bunch.[…]
Freddie McMullen, now a successful 51-year-old Monroe orthodontist, spent his formative years on Black Bayou Lake. […]
Look at a map of eastern Louisiana, from Bastrop to New Roads, and you’ll realize the power of the mighty Mississippi. Over millennia, the great river has carved out dozens of deep waterways, most of which have become isolated from the river’s flow. […]
The day started out, well, rough. I hadn’t slept well at all, and then I lost an altercation with a coffee cup. I was left teary-eyed as the hot liquid dripped out of my close-cropped hair and down my face.[…]
We are constantly bombarded by television and radio commercials commanding us to “ACT NOW BECAUSE THIS OFFER WON’T LAST LONG!”[…]
The Atchafalaya Basin and google-eye bream just kind of go together — like grits and eggs or beans and rice. I was in the saddle with the old Atchafalaya Basin pro, Jim Looney, the author or four books on fishing bass and an astounding seven books on fishing for bream and sac-a-lait in the huge swamp.[…]
The broad-shouldered man actually tiptoed when he moved around in his boat. “Being quiet,” he explained, “is real important when you are fishing for bull bream in shallow, clear water.”
We were indeed in shallow water — 2 to 3 feet deep. Through the tea-colored water, multiple, round plate-sized bream beds could be seen as dark blotches on a lighter bottom. A resident male bluegill was likely hovering over or around the nest, guarding it against intruders that could eat his eggs or young.[…]
Is there anything better than the fast action of a spring bream bed? The big redears we call shellcrackers in South Louisiana and chinquapin up north go to the warming shallows first, followed by bluegill and other sunfish.
When that happens, it’s time to take advantage of the golden opportunity to battle big panfish on a fly rod or ultra-light spinning gear.
Filling the cooler with chunky “bull” bream can work up an appetite, remedied by a fish fry at sundown. It’s just one more reason to love spring in the South.[…]
Located in the small town of Farmerville, Lake D’Arbonne is one of the best lakes for fishing crappie in the state. At 15,000-plus acre, it is any angler’s dream location for catching slabs during these months of changing weather.[…]
Effective artificial lures for chinquapin include hair jigs (for instance the Poppa Chops), as well as Johnson, Betts or H&H Beetle Spins.[…]
Sac-a-lait season is in full swing in South Louisiana. This means the little fish are spawning and using up energy reserves causing them to be more aggressive than usual for a meal. Spawning sac-a-lait coupled with times of low atmospheric pressure will cause them to strike at most things you can throw their way.[…]
A question that any angler asks himself when he’s got a variety of live and artificial baits at his disposal is, “What should I use?”[…]