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The Patron Saint of Bream

July 1, 2005 Andy Crawford

The cricket skittered across the water’s surface, frantically trying to reach the nearest tree. Ripples that telegraphed its position to every fish within yards radiated from the insect with every kick of its legs.

The insect would pause every few inches, either to catch its breath or to allow the damning wavelets to dissipate. Then it would continue its voyage, drawing nearer to safe haven with every powerful surge.
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Washed Out

June 1, 2005 Andy Crawford

We had worked half the bay methodically, but with little success. Al Dusang landed one 16-inch redfish, and we had seen several others waking along the shoreline.[…]

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Top Ten Ways to Irk a Marina Operator

June 1, 2005 Todd Masson

It’s the beginning of the saltwater season, and that means boaters of every stripe and color, from neophytes to veterans, will be descending on South Louisiana’s many coastal marinas.

Marina operators will welcome them with open arms. After all, these cash-plunking anglers put food on the tables of anyone who works for or owns a marina.

But marina operators don’t exactly have the world’s easiest life. They get up early and work late, and this time of year that means spending hour after hour in the blazing summer sun.

Exhaustion is often the enemy of patience, and more than one angler has met a marina operator’s wrath after doing something stupid at the end of a long day.

So here’s a top 10 list of what to do if you really want to draw that wrath this summer.
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Timbalier Time

May 30, 2005 Andy Crawford

Boats stream across Timbalier Bay as the weather warms up and dreams of big trout draw anglers to the barrier islands, but guide Chad Dufrene doesn’t follow the pack.[…]

Bass Fishing

Tinkering with confidence

May 30, 2005 Marty Cannon

I had to look on the package to see if this would be OK or not. I mean, remove the hooks and put on red ones? Bend something, tweak this, and change that? Is it legal? No one ever told me I could do this before.

Well, the manufacturer did not say to keep away except for tying it on and casting it out, so it must be allowed, right?

Modifying your current stock of fishing lures may just be the most-important thing you do, ranking right up there with changing your line and cleaning your reels.

Sure, fishing is fishing, but we’ve all been there on days when our favorite lure just didn’t quite get the job done.

The idea of modified lures came from a good friend, Scott Louviere, who presented me with one as a going-away present last summer. Like me, Louviere likes to fish for bass in the Acadiana area.
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The Lafitte Lowdown

May 30, 2005 Rusty Tardo

Maybe it’s just me, but it sure seemed like a long winter. Some of the poor folks up north dubbed it “the winter that wouldn’t die,” which sounded more like a pathetic plot in a Grade B movie than a weather condition.

And even though this winter finally lost its frosty grip on the thermometer, it left behind these blustery, nagging, unending winds specifically to pester and harass us fishermen.

But the long winter drought is over, the sun has steadily warmed up the water, the shrimp are beginning to make their annual appearance, and the trout are slamming baits all over the Southeast Louisiana coastline.[…]

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Red Rage

May 25, 2005 Chris Ginn

Red is hot. Red is a strong color that conjures up conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. […]

Bass Fishing

Prehistoric Pearl

May 25, 2005 Jeff Bruhl

As the Pearl River flows past the town of Bogalusa on its way to Lake Borgne, the winding path provides a state line for Louisiana and Mississippi, but the scenic beauty offered by the river is boundless.[…]