Louisiana Sportsman

Wearing a safety harness and attaching yourself to a lifeline before ever leaving the ground are keys to tree stand safety.

Tree stand safety tips

October 10, 2018 Patrick Bonin

With bow season now in full swing, that means hunters will once again be heading into the woods. Here’s some tree stand safety tips.[…]

They are everywhere. If you fish offshore at oil and gas platforms, clouds of the convict-striped fish are often visible underwater. Atlantic spadefish are a dominant species in the fish communities that develop around platforms.[…]

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Gerald Spohrer of Gonzales turns to several baits during the fall, including (left to right) a Sixth Sense SplashBack popper, a Sixth Sense Dogma, a Delta Lures buzzbait and a Missile Baits D Bomb punching rig.

Best fall bass baits

October 3, 2018 Andy Crawford

Fall can be an unnerving time for bass anglers, as the fish seem erratic while transitioning out of summertime patterns. But Gonzales Bassmaster Elite Series pro Gerald Spohrer said that unpredictably is actually a misunderstanding.[…]

A summer of battling redfish in the salty waters of South Louisiana can shorten the life of your reels. But adding a little Corrosion X before putting them up for the winter can have them ready for action next spring.

Prep your reels now for 2020 season

October 3, 2018 Andy Crawford

The 2019 fishing season is almost over for those of us diehard hunters. Charter guide Capt. Brent Roy said a little TLC on your reels could save you money.[…]

Apex Predator shares his hog hunting tactics

October 1, 2018 Josh Chauvin

To be successful at hunting hogs on Louisiana public land, I use a combination of tactics. Maximum mileage covered by foot has continually proved most productive. Last season I harvested 72 pigs on several WMAs and NWRs — with only two taken from my tree climber.[…]

Mississippi cooking … Louisiana style

September 28, 2018 Jerald Horst

Ricky Ruffin of Bay Springs, Miss., shares recipes for Panéed Snapper with Meunière Sauce and Cajun Cioppino.[…]

Which artificial shrimp is best?

September 27, 2018 Todd Masson

Buy enough live shrimp, and eventually you might have to sell off one of your children. But no one can deny speckled trout love the tasty crustaceans, and many anglers simply refuse to leave the dock without a couple hundred of them enjoying a nice Jacuzzi bath in the baitwell.[…]

For whitetails, the author’s arsenal contains everything from rifled slugs all the way down to a .223. His overall favorite is the .35 Whelen.

Pay attention to the business end

September 22, 2018 Bill Garbo

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. […]

Teal opening weekend produces mixed results

September 18, 2018 Patrick Bonin

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ aerial survey last week indicated only a fraction of the typical numbers of blue-winged teal had arrived in the state ahead of opening weekend— and for the most part, hunters who ventured out Saturday and Sunday validated those estimates.[…]

Tippets

September 15, 2018 Catch Cormier

School is back in session: Not just for humans, but also for fish. As water temperatures begin to drop during the month, look for various predatory species to school up as the fall feeding frenzy begins. […]

Delta Lures started mass-producing spinnerbaits in 2011, and now their offerings are sold all over the country.

Delta Lures’ Spinnerbait

September 15, 2018 Don Shoopman

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.[…]

LDWF: Teal numbers plummet for aerial survey

September 14, 2018 Patrick Bonin

Looks like there might be more mosquitoes than teal during tomorrow morning’s opener for the 16-day Louisiana teal season.[…]

This simple line winder allows anglers to quickly and easily respool reels and change out leaders.

Austin’s Handy Dandy Line Winder

September 12, 2018 Andy Crawford

Is there anything worse than having to spool a reel while on the boat? I mean, after you spend the time to snatch the old line off the reel, you then have the pleasure of fighting a plastic spool of new line rolling around the boat — and it’s a pain to ensure you’re putting the line on the reel tightly.[…]

The author tested this new Mojo Trout series from St. Croix, along with 19 other new rods for 2019.

New fly rods for 2019

September 12, 2018 Catch Cormier

At the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in July, it was yet another record-setting year for premium fly rods.[…]

Deer in the 7-year-old age class will have a first molar with a flat surface, all the crests have been worn off and the second and third molars will have a narrow strip of infundibulum.

How to age white-tailed deer: Part V

September 12, 2018 David Moreland

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.[…]

Don’t toss it — button it up

September 11, 2018 L. Woodrow Ross

Deer hunters are often guilty of discarding items that are useful, and could be used to create reminders of a special hunt. […]

Statewide LA