Columns
Come fall, Redzilla rules the marsh
As Halloween draws near, beware of monsters that lurk the marsh!Take late October of last year. There I was, enjoying a gorgeous day in my canoe just east of the Leeville bridge.[…]
Fishing
Bass Fishing
Rooted in the Red
I love the Red River. I’ve tried to impartially write about each of the Louisiana waterways I’ve covered so far this year, but I can’t recuse myself from this one. I’m biased toward the Red River, and I can’t withdraw my emotions.[…]
Ask Captain Paul
Can you point me to the tuna rigs?
Dear Capt. Paul:
Do you have the coordinates for Seven Mile Rigs, 109, Cognac, Lena and Elf?[…]
Fishing
Cooling system not just a water pump
Last month, a reader emailed to say he has a 1985 model 40-horsepower motor, and is having trouble with the water system. He replaced the impeller and the gaskets with an impeller kit, but the engine tell tale is still not as strong as it is supposed to be.[…]
Fishing
Frequency the key to fish-finder clarity
Boaters and anglers often assume that any old sonar unit will find the bottom and track it reliably as they cruise and fish, but that’s not necessarily true.[…]
Contents
Over the Rainbows
After several hours of driving from West Monroe, I finally reached my fishing hole. Conditions were perfect — calm wind, clear water and just enough current to keep bait moving.[…]
Bass Fishing
Comb Over Bass
Have you ever seen a comb over? You know what I’m talking about — a man in his 50s or 60s starts losing hair on top of his head, so he combs the hair on the side over the top.[…]
Contents
Flat Bottom Girls
Purple martins skimmed just above the water slurping tiny insects from mid air above the cypress-laden banks of Grand Pass as Capt. Cade Thomas’ 24-foot Skeeter sliced through the emerald green water.[…]
Contents
Mullet Tuna
October begins the best yellowfin tuna fishing of the year — as close as 5 miles south of South Pass. Big tuna move in to feast on the schools of spawning mullet as they migrate into the Gulf of Mexico.[…]
Contents
Cajun Sleigh Rides
Reading a Louisiana Sportsman article about kayak fishing on Lake Pontchartrain made me curious about how anyone fishes from one of those.[…]
Contents
Get to the Pointe!
It happens to me all the time. Somebody begins relating the account of some event or occurrence, and in telling the story their account is filled with unrelated and unnecessary details.[…]
News Breaker
Angler shatters Gulf swordfish record
Exactly 2 years to the day, and almost to the exact hour, that Hurricane Ivan struck Orange Beach, Ala., the Gulf of Mexico swordfish record was broken. Angler Del Sawyer, along with Capts. Randy Howland and Robby Griffiths and crew of the Sea Reaper III, hooked the swordfish at 3:45 a.m. on Sept. 16.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Judge rules much of Mississippi River off-limits to anglers
The right of outdoorsmen to fish and hunt on navigable waters was issued a stunning defeat Aug. 29 when a federal judge ruled that the public has no “right to fish and hunt on the Mississippi River.”[…]
Inshore Fishing
Trout action still fast in Ship Shoal blocks
A lot of people don’t have a lot of faith in the Ship Shoal rigs for trout this time of year, but Capt. Bill Lake of Bayou Guide Service (985-851-6015) reports there is a bunch of fish around the platforms in the 26 and 28 blocks.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Hopedale anglers catching early trout limits
Promises of easy speckled trout limits are often taken with a grain of salt. However, you shouldn’t have a skeptical ear if you hear Capt. Ben Leto of Louisiana Fishing Expeditions (985-630-2066) say he’s busting them. He’s been catching limits out of Hopedale the past few days before the clock hits 8 a.m.[…]
Contents
Up, Up and Away
Yellowfin tuna often get finicky as the temperatures rise and sea conditions become slick.[…]