Sidebars
Union Long Spurs walk the talk
The love of turkey hunting and the desire to make it better drives Nathan Pilgreen and Peyton McKinnie to be active in the Union Long Spurs, the local affiliate of the National Turkey Federation.[…]
April 2015
Freshwater Fishing
Best kayak-fishing tackle
Dustie Latiolais had armed himself for the morning with two casting and two spincasting rods. One baitcaster was rigged with a Rat-L-Trap and the other with his favorite bass lure, a 5-inch Zoom Finesse worm rigged wacky worm style on a weighted 3/0 hook. […]
Sidebars
It’s all about the call
It should be no surprise to anyone who knows Peyton McKinnie that he still has the first turkey call he ever owned, a Cedar Hill Little Scratch that has been made since 1982.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Why fish from a kayak?
“All my fishing is kayak fishing,” Dustie Latiolais said with a grin. “I’ve been doing it three years. Cory Werk, who owns Bayou Teche Experience in Breaux Bridge, got me into it.”[…]
Sidebars
Top turkey gear
Besides calls, the list of turkey hunting gear used by Peyton McKinnie and NathanPilgreen is pretty simple.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Scaled-down Matrix Shad a super crappie-fishing bait
Until the big trout start showing up in Lake Pontchartrain, just about all Ty Hibbs — who will fish for anything that is biting — fishes for is sac-a-lait.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Best baits for Cocodrie’s spring specks
Finding healthy numbers of late-spring speckled trout in the eastern Terrebonne estuary is one thing. Tempting them to bite is quite another — something that tends to change seemingly day by day.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Best Atchafalaya Basin fishing tactics for chinquapin and bream
Berwick resident Michael Broussard knows a few things about fishing the lower Atchafalaya Basin. It’s like a second home for the naval architect student who works as a draftsman for Conrad Shipyards.[…]
Sidebars
Best turkey hunting tactics
It is generally a good idea to go out and scout for turkeys prior to the season opening. The excellent mast crop this year no doubt kept the birds in the creek and river drainages where the hardwoods are.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Deep trout-fishing option
As endless as the shallow-water trout fishing options are to the east of the Houma Navigation Canal are, those choosing to fish bigger — though just as accessible — water in the same general area shouldn’t feel left out.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Top fishing tips for Atchafalaya Basin bream
1. Be there when water temperatures are right for the spawn — 68 to 75 degrees.[…]
Sidebars
On turkey-hunting calling and equipment
A good turkey hunter will generally have an arsenal of turkey calls in his pack, and he should be proficient with all of them. You do not have to be a contest caller, but it helps to know how to properly use a particular call.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Where to go bream fishing in the Atchafalaya Basin
Beadle has several regions that are easy to get to with short runs from local landings in Berwick and Morgan City.[…]
Sidebars
What to do if a gobbler hangs up
The challenge in turkey hunting is that every tom is different in the way it responds to a call, and this is where the fun begins.[…]
Offshore Fishing
Dog snapper provide more meat for the table
Snapper fishermen have little trouble separating a mangrove snapper (properly called gray snapper) from a red snapper, since the popularity of mangrove snappers has soared in recent years.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
When to go bream-fishing
Local angler Ray Beadle typically starts getting the itch to fish bream in February when the willows start to bud. I kind of get that, because for me it’s when I can hear the steady singing of prothonotary warblers and northern parulas.[…]