Features from July 2020
The heat of summer is a time when you can expect to get just a handful of bass bites, right? Not according to this Bassmaster Elite Series pro.
Most anglers look deep, but plenty of bass look shallow when hot weather arrives. Here’s how not to overlook the hot-weather bank runners.
Long-time owners of Big Lake Guide Service, Jeff and Mary Poe, set up shop in Alabama after spending 35 years putting Louisiana anglers on plenty of fish.
The barrier islands that separate Louisiana’s coastline from the Gulf of Mexico offer some great fishing opportunities, but they aren’t sitting still.
Consider the .25-06, a century old cartridge, if you’re getting ready to look for your next deer rifle. It might just be the best purchase you ever make.
Learning to recognize which plants are important and when can help you manage your property’s deer population to the fullest.
Reaching the northeastern stretches of the Biloxi Marsh is less than 12 miles from Pass Christian. Here’s how to catch limits without burning a lot of fuel.
Columns - July 2020
- These three bow manufacturers have great additions for 2020.
- Big speckled trout have particular times they feed during the moon cycle. Pay attention to your success and pinpoint when that big-fish feeding window is.
- Stalk hunting with a recurve bow is one of the hardest types of hunting, but it can be very productive in the right conditions.
- Crappie are one of the most popular gamefish among anglers in America. Many anglers don’t realize it, but crappie come in two varieties: black and white.
- The Mega Matrix, which fits in between the 2-inch Matrix Mini, the original 3-inch Matrix Shad and the 5-inch Monster Matrix, works great on redfish.
- The combination of January’s cold weather and lack of native forages will have the deer active and eating in the green patches and at feeders.
- Capt. Charlie Bush, who tagged a little over 12,000 speckled trout in 4 years for the TAG Louisiana Trout tagging program, shares his top 5 fishing lures.
- As with any other service industry, some game processors and taxidermists are better than others. Here's some tips on choosing the right ones.
- Change up your tactics when it comes to fishing from a kayak this winter. Slow down the presentation of your bait and fish later in the day.
Outdoor Updates - July 2020
- Jack Romero, Mark Christenson, and Larry Richard were fishing out of Freshwater City on April 9, and the three friends caught a unique-colored cobia.
- Hunter Myers caught a blue bullfrog on a trip with his father, Jay, and best friend, River Hebert, on a frogging trip to a small lake in Iberia Parish.
- Thom Franklin and Joey Tripi were shrimping when their boat sank on Sunday, May 24 in Bob’s Lake out of Hopedale. The were rescued by the Coast Guard.
- The Grand Isle International Tarpon Rodeo was first conceived in 1928, and is also one of the biggest annual events on the island.
- Dr. Jerald Ault has documented a grave threat to the speckled trout fishery along Louisiana’s coast: commercial fishing of menhaden.
- Every five years, Larry Reynolds and the LDWF conduct a detailed informational survey with the state’s waterfowlers. This year had some unhappy hunters.
- In the early morning hours of May 27, Darryl Zar faced off with an elk that stepped out in front of his truck on Highway 23 near Myrtle Grove.
- Will fishing for bass, bream and sac-a-lait cease and desist as we know it in the marshy Orange Grove area of Terrebonne Parish?
- Ian Kelly and his fishing buddy, Chase, launched from the two kayak slips out of Hopedale Marina on May 7 and Ian hooked a giant speckled trout.
- Greg King of Bush had an awesome weekend in Bogue Chitto on April 18 and 19. He landed a 68-pound flathead on the 18th and la 70-pounder on the 19th.
- Ben Fabre of Slaughter, Louisiana, killed a record-book bear in Wyoming. He shares his reader report with Louisiana Sportsman.
- Wesley Verret Jr.’s Alabama bass fishing tactics paid BIG dividends on a trip May 16 to Lake Fausse Pointe, the lake he grew up bass fishing.
- Ville Platte’s Jake Ortego and Henry West of Mermentau both caught bass over 10 pounds while fishing at Toledo Bend in May.
Field Notes - July 2020
- Night-fishing options are greatly expanded for those who have boats and the willingness to deal with the dangers of navigating at night.
- Paddle boats offer no-hassle summer fishing, and this avid angler shares his tips for making the most of the quickly growing sport.
- Football jig catches big fish in July for bass pro Darold Gleason. His football jig of choice is a ¾-ounce V&M Flatline Pacemaker with a V&M J-Bug trailer.
- The father-son due of Hank and Andy Johnston of The Boat Doctor Inc. were the perfect people to interview on getting a duck boat ready to hunt.
- Since the limit for red snapper is two per person, Capt. Robert Earl McDanie tries to get the biggest he can for his customers.
- Plastic worm is summer bass-catcher, according to Louisiana pro Greg Hackney. His favorite is a 6- or 7-inch Strike King Rage Tail Cut-R.
- Swim jig is go-to July lure for Quentin Cappo. The Bassmaster Elite Series angler prefers to use a ½-ounce Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover swim jig.
- Love them or hate them, snakes are a part of life in Louisiana. Forty-eight species of snakes can be found in Louisiana, but only seven are venomous.
- Bass pro Jake Ormond will tie on a big plastic worm a lot in July. He opts for an 8-inch, Grande Fishing Megatail worm as his go-to soft plastic.
- While many factors come into play in successfully fishing the Atchafalaya Basin, what the Atchafalaya River is doing dominates decisions on whether and where to go fishing.
- Bream fishermen have a wide variety of lures to choose from. Here are Dr. Ray Jones, aka Dr. Bream’s, top picks for a summer bream buffet.
Hot Spots - July 2020
- Cypress Bayou Reservoir in Bossier Parish is known for its slab crappie, and summer fishing trips there can be excellent.
- Those who have fished False River this spring and early summer understand why it could easily be renamed Catfish Lake because of the great catfish fishing.
- When the water heats up, bass pro Brett Preuett of Monroe looks for bass around ledges and humps at Toledo Bend this month.
- Big redfish invade Four League Bay and other big bays in July. No one knows that more than Bradley Matte, a 30-year-old Morgan City outdoorsman.
- Fishermen have a full menu of options for Leeville in July, including speckled trout, redfish and big white trout, according to Bobby Gros.
- High water is pulling many Toledo Bend bass toward shallows, lily pads. Late June and July are prime times to fish plastic frogs in the lily pads.
- Stable water spurs good summer bite for crappie on Ouachita River. And that’s something to which crappie fisherman Jimmy Watt of Bastrop looks forward.
- Good summer speckled trout pattern sets up on Sabine River. Barring any major storms this pattern should only get better and last well through the summer.
- Venice has been called the “Tuna Town.” It’s located where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which creates the ideal conditions.
- Delacroix anglers hope speckled trout return for good summer action. Capt. Ron Broadus said redfish won’t be affected by freshwater intrusion.