Louisiana Sportsman

2018 Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo cranks up Thursday

July 25, 2018 Patrick Bonin

The International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo — billed as the oldest fishing tournament in the United States — will get underway Thursday, July 26, at sunrise.[…]

Capt. Johnny Nunez with a good eating-sized redfish out of Shell Beach.

Three keys for Shell Beach specks

July 24, 2018 Rusty Tardo

Capt. Johnny Nunez, AKA the Fishing Magician (504-239-3159), was born and raised in Shell Beach and has spent his life pulling fish of every kind from the surrounding waters. When Nunez speaks, fishermen listen — and he told me the keys to speckled trout success this month are rocks, reefs and rigs.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: What’s biting on the rocks? Apparently everything

July 23, 2018 Todd Masson

Daily west winds mean the outer bays are rough and muddy and the interior marshes are lower than the average politician’s ethical standards. So South Louisiana anglers could do a whole lot worse right now than finding stretches of protected rocks and catching whatever will bite.[…]

Through July 8, LA Creel estimates that offshore recreational anglers have harvested about 407,000 pounds of red snapper so far, or 54 percent of the annual allocation of 743,000 pounds.

LDWF: Red snapper landings at 407,000 pounds

July 19, 2018 From News Reports

Through July 8, recreational offshore anglers have harvested just over 407,000 pounds of red snapper, according to the LA Creel program with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.[…]

LDWF schedules August drawdown on Henderson Lake

July 18, 2018 From News Reports

In conjunction with St. Martin Parish Government, the town of Henderson and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will be conducting a drawdown on Henderson Lake beginning in August.[…]

A rip line is a great place to land a big bull dolphin like this 45-pounder, caught with Capt. William Wall of Pelagic Charters.

Rip lines provide lots of options out of Venice

July 18, 2018 Capt. Martha Spencer

Summer is in full swing, and that means rip lines and red snapper.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Catching redfish after wicked west winds

July 18, 2018 Todd Masson

Westerly winds have been as much a part of the South Louisiana fishing scene this summer as humidity so thick you can almost drink the air while you breathe it. Winds from that direction empty the marshes in a lot of areas, and can make usual hotspots drier than fine red wine.[…]

Chas Champagne, with Matrix Shad, always keeps a close eye out for snot grass like this because he typically finds redfish in the area.

Sight-fishing support

July 17, 2018 Patrick Bonin

If Matrix Shad lure owner Chas Champagne is cruising through marsh and duck ponds sight-fishing for reds — but doesn’t actually spot any fish — he’s typically keeping a close eye out for two other reliable indicators of reds in the neighborhood.[…]

Hobie Fishing Team member Butch Ridgedell makes sure everything is just right for Elizabeth Blades as she heads out to participate in the First Cast program.

First cast

July 17, 2018 Chris Holmes

When someone is interested in beginning kayak fishing, the standard advice is to demo several kayaks before deciding which one to buy. However, you still can’t truly get the feel of how a kayak performs under actual fishing conditions.[…]

Todd "Marsh Man" Masson catches numbers of marsh bass using weightless worms in clear water.

How to use weightless worms to catch more bass

July 17, 2018 Andy Crawford

Todd “Marsh Man” Masson is best known for his speckled trout-catching prowess. After all, he wrote a book on the subject.[…]

Huge goggle-eye are thick in the lower Atchafalaya Basin right now — and there seems to be no pressure on them.

Hit the Basin now for beastly goggle-eye, bluegill

July 16, 2018 Andy Crawford

Darren Cooper and I sat in Doiron’s Store at 6:30 a.m., waiting for an early morning thunderstorm to pass over the lower Atchafalaya Basin. It had been several years since we had gotten together to catch bream in the huge swamp — and a slowly falling Atchafalaya River gave great promise to our day.[…]

Pellegrin uses a No. 4 treble hook when fishing shrimp because he knows they will sink into flesh and won’t let go without the use of pliers.

Treble hooks hold tight

July 15, 2018 Andy Crawford

Capt. Tommy Pellegrin uses slip corks because they make it so easy to cast.

He uses slip corks because they make it so easy to cast, even working over deep water.[…]

Tippets

July 15, 2018 Catch Cormier

Early July should be great surf fishing for speckled trout. Try poppers starting at first light. An hour after the sun rises, switch to Clouser Minnows or other baitfish patterns. An intermediate or sink tip line will help get the fly down in the trough areas where the larger trout are feeding.[…]

Fishing