Freshwater Fishing
Add scent to catch more crappie
No matter where you fish in the country, sac-a-lait are notoriously finicky fish. They’re challenging to catch and are very sensitive to subtle weather changes.[…]
Sidebars
Freshwater Fishing
Go big for sizable sac-a-lait
Ultralight rods and reels are a staple for crappie fishermen across the country. However, Jeff Bruhl takes a slightly different approach — particularly when throwing Road Runners.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
How to identify black and white crappie
Black crappie and white crappie both roam the Tchefuncte River. Although most are the black variety, Jeff Bruhl has found a way to be certain what kind of crappie he is catching — and it’s not the way you might think.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
The best knot to catch more crappie
With a fish as challenging to catch as a sac-a-lait, you have to pay attention to little details.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Losing sac-a-lait? You’re setting the hook wrong
Sac-a-lait aren’t nicknamed “papermouths” for nothing.
Hooks easily tear from on the hook set, which isn’t conducive to getting crappie in the boat.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Crankbaits effective in the summer, too
Crankbaits certainly whack the speckled trout in the spring, but Arthur Borchgrevink doesn’t put them away when temperatures soar.[…]
Sidebars
The little turkey call that can
Jerry Antley has always had the itch to make turkey calls and other outdoor gear for outdoorsmen.[…]
Sidebars
Calling all turkeys
Every hunter has a favorite turkey call. Jerry Antley’s favorite is “all of them.”[…]
Sidebars
Sometimes turkey hunting is a marathon
Jerry Antley can’t count the times he’s been turkey hunting nor the number of turkeys he’s taken in the past 40 to 50 years.[…]
Fishing
Tippets
Spawning bass will be the top fly target this month.
Cast a woolybugger, leech pattern, Bass Bully, Sqwirm Worm, Grim Reaper or Y2K Bugger slightly past the fish, and then twitch it slowly across the bed.[…]
Other Hunting
Musking is important
Raccoon is a mystery meat to most game cooks. Much of it has to do with the mumbo jumbo associated with removing the musk glands from the animal.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Play the wind and the water
Taking into consideration all the variables of fish location, Capt. Billy Walbaum plans his day around the wind. Fishing in the lee inherently makes life easier in terms of boat control and casting, but it’s also a water-quality thing.[…]
Bass Fishing
Toledo Bend bass-fishing tip of the day
Dusty Anders loves his Trigger Happy Comfort Grips.
“Everybody loves them,” Ander said about the soft rubber sheaths on the triggers of his rods. “When I used to spend all day casting, the rubbing of the trigger would make a tender spot on my finger. Flipping hay grass with a 1-ounce sinker or cranking all day would also make my hand sore. […]
Bass Fishing
How Dusty Anders contracted bass fever
Dusty Anders has a bad case of bass fever.
In his case, it might be terminal.[…]
Bass Fishing
Top reels for bass fishing on Toledo Bend
“Bass fishing is way more technical than it used to be,” said Dusty Anders, expressing mixed emotions about the pace of the changes. “Rods and reels are lighter now — not as fatiguing. Reels now weigh 5 or 6 ounces, when they used to be 9 ounces.[…]
Bass Fishing
Learning to bass fish on Toledo Bend
Dusty Anders said Toledo Bend Reservoir is kind of intimidating for a fisherman new to the lake because it’s so big.
“I recommend that people pick an area, like one creek arm, and learn it,” Anders said. “Pick it apart.”[…]