Louisiana Sportsman

June 13, 2026

Never pass wood in Blind River without casting to it.

Tips for Blind River summertime bass

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

• Look for places that bass go to eat. That’s where they congregate. Focus on sloughs and points without ruling out bank fishing.[…]

Overall, a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Tail Rage Craw is Johnson’s go-to lure on Blind River.

Johnson’s Blind River bait calendar

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Topwater frogs and Texas-rigged craws are “in season” on Blind River for Lyle Johnson from March to November. But he is quick to admit that the Texas craw is his mainstay lure. The clear water coming out of the sloughs draining into the river is what prompted his heavy use of the frog the day we fished.[…]

Lyle Johnson serves both as president of the Louisiana Outdoor Writer’s Association and chairman of the Louisiana Fish Records Program.

Don’t cook a record fish

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

“Get in the books.” That’s Lyle Johnson’s message to his fellow fishermen.

As chairman of the state’s Fish Records Program, he encourages people to enter their fish, even if it isn’t a No. 1.[…]

Lyle Johnson devotes a lot of time he could be fishing to maintaining the Louisiana Fish Records Program.

A ‘consumptive conservationist’

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Lyle Johnson wears a lot of hats.

The Gonzales native is the long-serving president of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association (LOWA), the state’s professional organization for outdoors writers and communicators.[…]

Sloughs leading into both Blind River and Alligator Bayou are dependably productive spots.

Blind River: Pros and cons

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Blind River is one of Southeast Louisiana’s secret spots. Located between the major population centers of urban and suburban New Orleans and Baton Rouge, it may be accessed from U.S. Highway 61, which parallels Interstate Highway 10.[…]

When the tide is moving hard at Bayou Black, bass can be found out on the edges of the reeds.

Pitching tips for Bayou Black

July 15, 2018 Chris Ginn

Pitching plastics at Bayou Black doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are a few tips Engerran passed along to help you be more successful.[…]

Time invested in thoroughly probing laydowns is usually rewarded.

Hot topics

July 15, 2018 David A. Brown

When planning your summer bass outing, keep these points in mind:[…]

Toledo Bend guide Jason Courville reeled in this 11.18-pound giant on June 28 in the 6 Mile area with a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog. Moments before he caught this fish, he lost another double-digit bass at the boat.

Guide lands sixth Toledo Bend lunker bass

July 10, 2018 Patrick Bonin

For a little while at least, Toledo Bend guide Jason Courville figured his trip on June 28 would be about the big one that got away.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Salted vs. Unsalted — which worm catches more fish?

July 5, 2018 Todd Masson

There’s a reason manufacturers produce worms infused with more salt than a bag of potato chips in addition to those designed for bass on a low-sodium diet. Each type of worm has its specific applications and patterns when it shines.[…]

David Harrell caught this big D’Arbonne bass chasing shad along the channels.

Big bass fireworks on D’Arbonne

July 3, 2018 Kinny Haddox

It’s July — time for fireworks on Lake D’Arbonne in Union Parish.[…]

Hanna White of Baton Rouge holds a chunky bass caught on a white Stanley Ribbit earlier this summer at Toledo Bend on a trip with guide John Dean and her husband, Zach.

Nothing tops Toledo Bend bass fishing

July 3, 2018 John Dean

I can’t believe I’m already writing about midsummer bassin’ on Toledo Bend.

The year is flying by, and it’s already time to talk about deep patterns that are effective in July.[…]

Sid Havard’s son Chance always monitors his electronics to try to find schools of big bass that never break the surface but can be as easy to catch.

Schools of thought

July 1, 2018 Chris Ginn

The siren song of schooling bass has lured many an unsuspecting angler to spend the rest of his days wondering what the heck just happened.[…]

Bass like these are called “normal OK keepers” for Blind River and there were lots of them.

The Record Keeper

July 1, 2018 Jerald Horst

The hits were explosive — water and pieces of vegetation flew wildly.

Or maybe it was Lyle Johnson’s violent reaction to the hits. He doesn’t like ‘em to get away, and he fusses at himself for every missed fis[…]

Pitch Black

July 1, 2018 Chris Ginn

The Pipeline Canal was completely impassable.

And with that, Patrick Engerran immediately resorted to Plan B.[…]

Summertime bass will relate mostly to shady cover like logs and laydowns.

Shallow-minded tactics

July 1, 2018 David A. Brown

Nature is dynamic; and like a well-composed symphony, its performance comprises multiple complementary elements that rise and fall at the conductor’s direction. […]

Top 3 summertime bass baits

June 20, 2018 Patrick Bonin

For Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cliff Crochet, summertime fishing conjures up images of time out on the water as a youngster, making both early-morning and late-afternoon trips, and learning to throw a buzzbait with some parental input.[…]