Apex Predator
Test
Almost everything that could go wrong Saturday morning did go wrong for Scott Houk.[…]
February 2014
Columns
Manchac swamp stranding shows importance of survival gear
If you’ve ever traveled Interstate 55 south to New Orleans, you have passed over that exotic, and almost mystical area between two of Louisiana’s major lakes — Lake Maurepas, and Lake Pontchartrain.[…]
Fishing
New SpotlightScan side-looking sonar
Classic bass-fishing destinations like Toledo Bend Reservoir and Lake Sam Rayburn had a lot more standing timber in them back in the 1970s. In fact, once you got above their lower basins the only way to get around was to follow the many boat lanes cut through the trees.[…]
Columns
Crappie crooks
February can be a little slow, as far as hunting and fishing goes. Hunting seasons are ending. The fish aren’t spawning yet, and besides it’s still pretty cold for getting in a boat.[…]
Columns
Does the moon really matter?
As regular readers of “Happy Trails” have come to know, I am a trail/scouting camera fanatic, and use the data I derive each season from my web of cameras to tell me when and where deer, and bucks in particular, move on my personal hunting property.[…]
Columns
Stand up and fish
After three days of northwest winds, the winter cold front left the water in Fourchon only inches deep and muddier than the Mississippi. These conditions don’t build high expectations.[…]
Sidebars
Tips to up your turkey hunting odds
Whether he’s on a private lease with his Horseshoe Hunting Club or vying for a good position on public lands near the Pearl River, Franklinton’s Mike Williams wants his back against a big tree, log or the roots of a fallen tree.[…]
Bass Fishing
Tandem-rigged baits serve targeted purposes
How quick are you on the follow-up cast? Can you reel up the first rod, grab a different one and drop a new bait at the point of a missed strike in, say, 10 seconds?[…]
Sidebars
Habitat work can improve turkey hunting success
In Southeast Louisiana, hunter Mike Williams loads his Remington 870 12-guage with 3 ½-inch magnum shells for longer shots in open areas and 3-inch magnums for dense areas with lots of cover.[…]
Bass Fishing
Other dynamic duos
Hollow Body Frog and Buzz Toad: Similar to topwater hard baits, a Spro Bronzeye Frog or a Snagproof Ish’s PHAT Frog can bring out the beast in a bass, but the aggression doesn’t always equal a connection.[…]
Sidebars
Strange sightings
During his years of turkey watching, LDWF biologist Jimmy Stafford has seen a few memorable moments.[…]
Fishing
Why buy a handcrafted rod?
For some anglers a fishing rod is just a fishing rod. Their selection process is simple: They go into a store, pick up a rod without a reel and without any weight to load the tip and whip it up and down.[…]
Fishing
If you want to go where Tony went
The marshes of Terrebonne Parish are huge, and offer endless fishing opportunities. Like the fingers of a hand, five major bayous extend toward the Gulf of Mexico from Houma, easily the largest town in the parish.[…]
Bass Fishing
Tippets
Fly anglers want to know where’s that global warming we were promised?[…]
Inshore Fishing
Sheepshead make great table fare
I’d venture that a rig-caught winter sheepshead actually beats a deep marsh redfish as table fare. The saltier the water, the better tasting the fish.[…]
Inshore Fishing
How to prepare fish
The key to filleting sheepshead is using a sturdy-bladed boning knife and cutting over and around the thick rib bones by going into the fish from the top rather than from behind the gills.[…]