Catfish
Look, mom: No bait!
Catfishing is supposed to be all about a gob of slimy worms, or bloody chicken liver, or smelly cut bait — or better yet some concoction of secret ingredients, usually including spoiled sour cheese. […]
catfish
Apex Predator
Apex Predator: Catfishing with double-baited hooks
One of the most important things when catching catfish is bait selection. After many experiments, I found a double-bait trick that has worked for catching more fish: I use a chunk of fresh cut bait — with the addition of a small pogy on the hook’s tip. […]
Catfish
Drown worms for D’Arbonne cats
The summer months bring many things, but nothing better than the opportunity to go drown some worms and catch a good mess of Lake D’Arbonne catfish. […]
Catfish
Gearing up
Although they caught catfish in about equal numbers, the two men had different philosophies when it came to choice of rods and reels. […]
Catfish
What’s for dinner, Mr. Whiskers?
The preferred bait for all of Rudy and Larry Roussel’s catfishing were Canadian nightcrawlers, often called “cold worms” in bait shop lingo. […]
Catfish
When to go and why
“I only fish for catfish in Lake Des Allemands at the end of March, all of April and the beginning of May,” said Rudy Roussel firmly. […]
Catfish
Know your limits
Louisiana’s limit for catfish is very liberal, 100 per person for channel, blue, and flathead catfish combined, and no limits for bullheads, locally called “pollywogs” or “mud cats.” […]
Catfish
One fishes, the other cooks – both like catfish
Rudy and Larry Roussel live in St. James Parish, along the Great River Road that follows the east bank of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. […]
Catfish
Des Allemands fat cats
It was a massacre.
Fish blood, poop, and slime covered the deck of the boat and the interior of the ice chest. […]
Catfish
Bayou catfishing
Catfish are available in almost all freshwater areas of the state. Regularly caught in lakes, bayous and rivers, these fish provide great food and sport. However, they also provide an opportunity for kayak anglers to catch some true giants. […]
Freshwater Fishing
It’s catfish time on Lake D’Arbonne
Noted historian William Camden wrote, “The sea hath fish for every man.” If he were around Lake D’Arbonne this month, he would need to say, “The lake hath catfish for every man. Plenty of catfish.” […]
Freshwater Fishing
Amazon catfish caught in Atchafalaya River
About 500 yards north of Melville on the Atchafalaya River, Barbara Ducote landed a strange looking fish earlier this month that even initially puzzled the experts. […]
Apex Predator
Apex Predator’s extreme noodling: Swim-fishing for big cats
During the hot summer months, Joshua Chauvin enjoys getting in the water to retrieve his noodle lines to bring in big catfish. […]
Columns
The cooking game warden strikes again
Abbeville resident and native Derek Logan shares his recipe for Camp Baked Fish and the author shares a recipe for Bream Fillets Thermidor. […]
Apex Predator
Apex Predator: Making custom-rigged catfish noodle lines
Setting lines is one of my favorite ways to fish. There’s just something exciting about the unknown of what is on the other end of a noodle line that’s darting back and forth, then going underwater only to pop up on the other side of the bayou. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Catch more catfish with this one tip
It’s not uncommon, especially during colder months, for catfish to hit baits without taking the hook in their mouths. These short strikes can be frustrating for anglers and often result in a long day of catching nothing. Capt. David Hilton had a few of those days in his years of fishing, but he found the solution for it some time ago. […]