Features from September 2018

Columns - September 2018

  • Capt. Paul’s Fishing Edge: GPS waypoints for Lafitte
    I refer to the Lafitte Edge area as the location in the Southeast Louisiana marsh in St. Charles, Lafourche and Jefferson parishes between the Bayou Segnette launch in Westwego, Lakes Cataouatche and Salvador, areas in the Lake Salvador Wildlife Management Area, southwestward to Bayous Gauche and des Allemands, Lac des Allemands and Bayou Boeuf and eastward toward The Pen and Bayou Du Pont, then continuing south to the northern part of Barataria Bay.
  • Delta Lures’ Spinnerbait
    Two longtime fishing buddies couldn’t keep a good thing to themselves 7 ½ years ago, which was a blessing for bass fishermen who love to catch on quality spinnerbaits.
  • How to age white-tailed deer: Part V
    The older age classes, 7 ½ on up, represent the end of the trail for a deer population. The average lifespan for a white-tailed deer is around 5 years; in captivity deer may live up to 14 years. Much depends on the degree of hunting that takes place on the landscape.
  • Mississippi cooking … Louisiana style
    Ricky Ruffin of Bay Springs, Miss., shares recipes for Panéed Snapper with Meunière Sauce and Cajun Cioppino.
  • New fly rods for 2019
    At the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in July, it was yet another record-setting year for premium fly rods.
  • New gear reviews
    Many people are prone to getting seasick, and if you fish a kayak in rough waters, the tiny craft is prone to being tossed around — which can make things even worse.
  • Pay attention to the business end
    My, how times have changed over the past 50 or so years in the whitetail woods, especially when it comes to the “business end” of the enterprise. 
  • Riding Barataria bulls
    Kayak anglers are always looking to catch big fish out of their tiny boats. In coastal Louisiana, bull redfish easily fill the bill. They are hard fighters and regularly weigh up to 40 pounds. Plus, bulls are easy to catch in the right locations — and there’s no better time than the present.
  • Safety tips for opening day of dove season
    The first split of Louisiana’s 2018-19 dove season will open Sept. 1 in both north and south zones. The north zone’s first split will run through Sept. 23. Subsequent splits are Oct. 6 – Nov. 11 and Dec. 16 – Jan. 14. In the south zone, the first split ends on Sept. 9. The second split dates are Oct. 6 - Nov. 25, and final split is Dec. 16 – Jan. 14.
  • Sweat the small stuff — all the time
    Bowhunters make these common mistakes each and every year. Hopefully, these tips will help you be more successful this season.
  • The bigorneaux is escargot
    There’s a vicious predator out there. It lurks deep in Louisiana’s vast coastal marshes.

Outdoor Updates - September 2018

  • 208-pound tarpon breaks Grand Isle rodeo record
    They say records are made to be broken — and it finally happened at the 90th Annual International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.
  • LDWF cautions hunters on using deer urine lures
    As hunting season approaches, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is cautioning deer hunters about the use of urine lures because the products could potentially contain chronic wasting disease. 
  • LDWF: Ville Platte man admits to shooting whooping crane
    A 52-year-old Ville Platte faces violations of the Endangered Species Act — which bring up to a $50,000 fine and one year in jail — after admitting to shooting and killing a male whooping crane in Evangeline Parish on July 25, according to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Field Notes - September 2018

Hot Spots - September 2018

  • Bass follow bait on the Ouachita
    It’s been a crazy year on the Ouachita River. Spring flooding pushed waters far out of the river’s banks. Then a summer drawdown by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for repairs on the Columbia lock and dam drew the river down to a 40-year low. The drop emptied many smaller tributaries, brought D’Arbonne Bayou back to its channels and cut off most river lakes.
  • Biloxi Marsh: Trout in transition
    Despite lingering warm temperatures, September’s trout transition is already underway, according to Capt. Casey Kieff.
  • Buras fishing ‘will be off the chart’ this month
    Redfish have been the star of the Buras stage throughout the summer, but this month should add speckled trout to the mix for anglers heading to the fishing village south of New Orleans.
  • Catch Big Lake’s transition trout
    September is a month that drives anglers crazy.  “You can smoke them one day, and then next day wonder where they went,” Calcasieu Charter Service’s Capt. Erik Rue said.
  • Chasing reds in Cocodrie
    Redfish in South Louisiana are plentiful 12 months out the year, and there are as many ways to catch them as lures to use. As with almost any fish, though, there’s no more fun way to catch a bull red than on a topwater lure.
  • Focusing on reds
    Mother Nature unfortunately doesn’t always cooperate for fishermen, and that forces anglers to change their patterns this time of year, according to Hopedale guide Capt. Charlie Thomason.
  • Grand Isle — Still hot in September
    My old friend Capt. Keith “Herk” Bergeron said there’s still plenty nice trout to catch this month, but you’ll have to fish deeper for them.
  • Monster reds at Marsh Island
    Hot weather has redfish right where many Acadiana fishermen want them this summer — in the deep holes of bayous inside Marsh Island. And the good news is they’ll still be there in September.
  • No bull about Boeuf River crappie
    The Boeuf River’s name comes from the French, and means beef or bull. The Bouef won’t win any beauty contests or make it on many peoples’  Top 10 lists, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great place to fish — and that’s no bull. 
  • Trout tough – but still doable
    If you asked avid Louisiana trout anglers what their favorite month for targeting specks was, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single one that said September. However, that doesn’t mean trout can’t be caught — and after a long hot summer, one of the best places to catch during the transition is Bayous Liberty and Lacombe.