Freshwater Fishing
Catfish bait should ‘match the hatch’
There doesn’t seem to be anything all that special about catfish bait. I mean, find something that stinks and put it on a hook, and the catfish will find it.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Freshwater Fishing
Bank fishing essentials
Bank fishing might not be as equipment intensive as fishing from a boat, but Prairieville angler Aaron Langlois said bringing the right gear makes the experience a lot more pleasant.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Sliding corks are deadly bream-fishing rigs
“We love to fish sliding corks,” 55-year-old Martin Close said. “They are the best thing that we have ever done.” […]
Freshwater Fishing
The life of a bull bream
For some unknown reason, big male bluegills are called “bulls.” Why is hard to figure out. Females aren’t called “cows,” and young bluegills aren’t called “calves.”[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Aerial herbicide application on Spring Bayou set for Aug. 8
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will conduct an aerial herbicide application on Spring Bayou in Avoyelles Parish on Thursday to control aquatic vegetation.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Sac-a-lait biting on southern end of Atchafalaya Basin
It took Eric Williamson a while to find some good clean water in the southern end of the Atchafalaya Basin Sunday morning, but his perseverance paid off.[…]
Contents
Firecrackers — Grand Bayou offers some great August chinquapin fishing
As far as clichés go, few are more frequently used than, “Dynamite comes in small packages.”[…]
Contents
Internal Alarm — Catfish go on a feeding frenzy when the Mississippi River begins to fall
Aaron Langlois has an internal alarm clock set by his ancestors through Canada all the way back to France.[…]
Contents
Stump Jumpin’ — Catching bull bream during the heat of summer
OK, it’s August.
It’s hot — really, really hot. Bass have lockjaw. Crappie have disappeared. Catfish have retreated into the deepest holes in the river.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Atchafalaya Basin crappie, goggle-eye fishing cranked up
With the last pages of the August issue of Louisiana Sportsman heading to the printer, my thoughts wandered to catching a few fish. And the phone call from buddy Eric Williamson of St. Gabriel only fed the deal.[…]
Columns
Here kitty kitty
Gaze over the mighty Mississippi River in southern Louisiana and you’ll see a parade of tugs and barges, work boats, ocean-going cargo ships and the weekly cruise ships.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
You gotta have an attitude to clean a turtle
Before Dirk Matherne sits down to clean turtles, he has to dispatch them. For this, he uses a .22 pistol, placing each shot neatly through the top of the head.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Louisiana’s turtles
Louisiana has 25, maybe 26 species of turtles within its borders or along its coastline. Not all of these are targets for freshwater turtle fishermen.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
What’s legal as a turtle trap?
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division, the definition of a turtle trap is quite liberal, essentially calling it any device used to catch turtles.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
The feast
“This is plain, old pot-frying, not turtle soup like at those French Quarter tourist restaurants,” Dirk Matherne said wryly. “Of course, ours has turtles in it. I don’t know if those restaurants even have any turtle in their soup.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
How to make a turtle trap
Dirk Matherne’s turtle trap is simple in construction, requiring nothing more than 2-inch-by-4-inch animal wire fencing material and hog rings to hold it together.[…]