Bass Fishing
How to make the most of the shad spawn
When working docks, bass pro Mark Davis said it’s important to cover all the angles — down both sides of the walkway, across the face and tracing the T ends.[…]
May 2015
Bass Fishing
Keep that A-rig under control in storage
Jerry Thompson of Living the Dream Guide Service uses empty jugs to keep his rigs from getting tangled up in the rod box.[…]
Inshore Fishing
How to fish for speckled trout at the MRGO rocks
Trout, redfish, sheepshead, drum, ladyfish, jacks, sharks and a variety of other species call the rocks at the end of the MRGO home. And, while anglers can catch fish along them all year round, the real season for the rocks kicks off this month.[…]
Bass Fishing
A-rigs produce numbers during shad spawn
Double-digit Toledo Bend bass are turning up seemingly every day — and on some days, several fish weighing more than 10 pounds are registered at Toledo Town and Tackle in Many.[…]
Inshore Fishing
History of the MRGO rocks
The MRGO “long” rocks were once considered the longest rock jetty in the USA, stretching out for 8 miles to the edge of Breton Sound.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Tippets
Speckled trout should begin their peak run starting this month. Along the beaches, waders can have success tossing chartreuse/white Clouser Minnows. In the marsh, topwater action will be good early using Perch Float Poppers or Bob’s Bangers in green/white or chartreuse, or Skipping Bugs in red/white. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Top bream-fishing tackle
Charles Johnson grew up as a country boy fishing bream. He cut his own cane poles from creek cane (bamboo that had escaped from cultivation).[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Best baits and tackle for Toledo Bend crappie
Jackson has fished Toledo Bend most of his life. He was a competitive bass angler early in his career, qualifying for the 1982 Bassmaster Classic in 1982 on the Alabama River.[…]
Bass Fishing
Rapala Shadow Rap
Rapala last introduced a jerkbait around 2000.
The Finland artificial lure manufacturer got back in the swim of things in a resounding way, although it was a well-kept secret, during the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell near Greenville, S.C.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
How to build a redneck ice machine
When Charles Johnson said, “Let’s go fishing,” his first stop was in his barn to get ice.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Dredging up deepwater crappie
When crappie go deep — which happens sometime this through November — shiners are the mainstay of most Toledo Bend crappie guides in the summer, and Jackson is no exception.[…]
Columns
Which way do we go?
Fishing kayaks become more sophisticated every day. Although conceptually a minimalist sport, kayak anglers are now incorporating many of the features found on modern powerboats.[…]
Columns
Does your deer herd measure up?
There was a lot of antler measuring going on during the Louisiana Sportsman Show in mid-March.[…]
Columns
Memorial Day memories
Sometimes fishing is more than catching fish. It’s about spending time with others.[…]
Ask Captain Paul
It’s springtime again
Dear Capt. Paul:
I have heard of a place called the Midnight Lump out of Venice that is supposed to be a great spot for line-breaking tuna and other big sport fishing, but I can’t find the location on any on my charts or maps.
Are the lumps protruding above the water surface or are they just underwater features? If they are only under water, how do you anchor around them?
Will 200 feet of anchor line be enough?
Thanks, John[…]
Columns
Hambones are a treat
Biologists need to be humbled sometimes.
When I was working at LSU in the 1980s, I spent a lot of time on commercial snapper boats documenting catches of reef fish and looking for new species that could be of interest to seafood consumers.[…]