Fishing
Tippets
September is a month of transition as water temperatures begin to drop. Slowly at first due to radiative cooling, and moreso as cool fronts invade the state. Cooler water invigorates the fish. […]
Sidebars
Inshore Fishing
Tarpon from a ‘yak
I got to Orlando for ICAST a few days early this year and was able to go and play in my own kind of Disney World: You know it’s going to be a great day out of Cocoa Beach when you’re greeted by flat seas and an Atlantic sunrise. […]
Fishing
A big fish tale
David Prevost’s big day was October 15, 2015. Only two boats were fishing that day, his 31-foot Contender, the White Kap, and Coon Schouest on the Little Coon.[…]
Fishing
How to rig a Coon Pop
Coon Pop heads are made of a bullet shaped lead with a piece of ½-inch PVC pipe with BBs in it glued to the head.[…]
Sidebars
Seven deadly speckled trout sins
According to Capt. Chad Billiot, not catching speckled trout in September is usually due to one or more mistakes people make.[…]
Sidebars
Teal gear this Hunter won’t leave home without
When Hunter Simmons heads to the teal blind, he usually has his Browning Maxus 12-gauge over his shoulder.[…]
Bass Fishing
Frog fishing tackle
FLW pro Todd Castledine trusts his frogging to a 7-foot, 3-inch Falcon Cara swimbait rod with an 8:1 Lew’s Super Duty reel carrying 65-pound braided line. This outfit, he said, affords him the elements essential to effective frogging.[…]
Bass Fishing
Best topwater frogs for different applications
Everyone has their favorite frog, but putting aside the debates over brand and color patterns, we can break down the basic shape/style options based on their applicability.[…]
Hunting
Coastal Wildlife Management Areas
A combination of Mother Nature and state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries technicians and biologists has left coastal Wildlife Management Areas in fair to good condition for hunters before the 2017-18 seasons.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Crappie dock shooting tips
1) Practice before you go. The concept looks easy, but shooting a lure into the constricted space between the dock and the water’s surface accurately is challenging.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Crappie gaining popularity at Toledo Bend
Dusty Anders smells a change in the air.
In spite of being recognized in both 2015 and 2016 by Bassmaster as the best bass lake in the United States, crappie are slowly, but steadily gaining in popularity on largemouth bass in the massive reservoir.[…]
Sidebars
Perfect places for clays practice
Louisiana hunters are fortunate to have a wide range of attractive options for brushing up on their shooting skills.[…]
Bass Fishing
“Pick” your peg
Texas rigging those big worms is a no-brainer for summer fishing, but have you given much thought to the notion of pegging that sinker? Todd Faircloth sure has, and the Bassmaster Elite Series pro offers some insight worth considering.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Don’t knock the stumpknocker
Louisiana has a bunch of bream (if you are one who doesn’t consider “bream” to mean only bluegill) species. Most people can identify bluegills, goggle-eyes, and chinquapins, but the rest of them are often just lumped together with a shrug.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Trolling motors: An expert’s view
In the years that he has owned Dixie Trolling Motors (985-809-0685) in Mandeville, Louisiana, Todd Schultz has probably seen it all, not just with trolling motors he sells and services, but with Power-Poles and marine electronics as well.[…]
Bass Fishing
Cajun Lures: A lure innovator
Twenty-four years old seems to be awfully young to own a lure company. But that doesn’t faze Zac Dubois, the mind behind Cajun Lures LLC, a Kaplan-based soft plastic lure maker.[…]