Louisiana Sportsman

June 23, 2026

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.[…]

Huge gar are fun to catch and provide a tasty fish dinner when cleaned and prepared correctly. (Photo by Ricky Aucoin)

Catching, cleaning and eating huge gar

January 28, 2024 Ricky Aucoin

Baylor Allen has devoted a lot of time to studying and researching techniques on how to most efficiently deal with alligator gar.[…]

ICEMULE Pro 23L Backpack Cooler

January 27, 2024 Brian Cope

The ICEMULE Pro 23L is easy to carry and keeps its contents cold for days.[…]

Dart tagging is the most common method used by citizen scientists to tag for fish for fisheries programs.

How fish tagging programs help our fishery

January 26, 2024 Jon Miller

There are different fish tagging programs. There is a fishery research and management program and there are at least two reward programs.[…]

Thick marsh bass like this one are hunkered down in the deep holes this month. Kaesy Lusher caught this bass on the bottom using a black and blue jig made by Delta Lures.

Bayou Cane winter bass

January 26, 2024 Keith Lusher Jr.

Located on the northern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane is a hit when it comes to wintertime bass fishing.[…]

Living and loving the outdoors, this angler gets in his last few minutes of fishing on Bussey Brake near Bastrop.

Eight Louisiana towns with great outdoor opportunities

January 26, 2024 Kinny Haddox

Bastrop, Farmerville, Grand Isle, Holly Beach, Madisonville, Many, Morgan City and Venice provide elite outdoor recreational opportunities.[…]

The thrilling and not-widely known secret dangers of outdoor writing

January 25, 2024 Kinny Haddox

Outdoor writing is a dangerous business. Writing about the outdoor life and putting it down on paper for everyone to see and comment on.[…]

“The Cut-off” is an old Bayou Bartholomew channel that offers excellent fishing. (Photo by Terry L. Jones)

A closer look at the Bartholomew/Chemin-A-Haut connection

January 25, 2024 Terry L. Jones

A section of the old Bartholomew channel was dammed off years ago. Known as “The Cut-off,” it offers fishing for bass, crappie and bream.[…]

Final Louisiana red snapper landing estimates for 2023

January 23, 2024 From News Reports

The LDWF estimates that 878,464 pounds of Red Snapper were landed during the 2023 private recreational season.[…]

A Sucka Punch is lodged deep in the mouth of a nice-sized bass. The Xcite Baits soft plastic punchin' bait was introduced to the bassin' world in January 2023.

Lure Review: Sucka Punch

January 21, 2024 Don Shoopman

Inspired and designed by bass pro Tyler Rivet, the Sucka Punch presents a different profile and a hook slot on the side.[…]

Ohio pair make huge Louisiana catfish famous

January 19, 2024 Nick Vaccaro

Corey Jeffers and Christopher Minnehan of Ohio were fishing in Venice when Jeffers landed an 118.05-pound catfish.[…]

Loreauville angler lands 11.22-pound hawg on last-minute Caney trip

January 11, 2024 Don Shoopman

Noah Louviere of Loreauville was fishing at Caney Lake with his brother-in-law, Connor Nimrod, on Dec. 21 when he hooked an 11.22-pound bass.[…]

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.[…]

This angler was lucky that he fell out of his kayak during the summer and had many people nearby. However, doing so alone, during the winter, could have disastrous consequences. There is no need to avoid most kayak fishing during the winter, but common-sense precautions must be utilized.

The fish are biting, but kayakers should be prepared

January 11, 2024 Chris Holmes

Kayak fishing in the winter can be fun and rewarding, but common sense must be applied. Carry some type of emergency bag.[…]

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.[…]