Louisiana Sportsman

Lady Luck

February 1, 2012 Chris Ginn

It is easier to predict a winning roulette number than it is to guess who’s going to win a Bassmaster Classic. Take Skeet Reese for example. Nobody predicted this California kid going to the Red River and winning in 2009.

However, fishing being what it is, all the variables and proverbial stars aligned for Reese three years ago as he found enough Red River bass to bring home the title of Classic Champion.

Unfortunately for Reese, he won’t be able to defend his Red River championship because for the first time in 10 years, he didn’t qualify for the Classic.[…]

Bigger trap stays closer to bottom

February 1, 2012 Chris Ginn

The 3/4-ounce Rat-L-Trap is such a large lure that I couldn’t help but ask Capt. Eric Dumas why he chose to fish with it rather than the more typical 1/2-ounce Trap.[…]

Break the Rules, Catch More Fish

February 1, 2012 Rusty Tardo

If I were a betting man, I’d be willing to bet that when Capt.Charlie Thomason was a kid, he was always in trouble. I picture him as the mischievous type, cutting up in class, constantly talking and generally disruptive.[…]

Cover: February 2012

February 1, 2012 Louisiana Sportsman

Bring some big Rat-L-Traps to the Causeway this month, and you won’t go home empty handed.[…]

Quality care

February 1, 2012 Jerald Horst

Ricky Richoux has strong opinions about the right way to handle fish to get a quality product for the table.[…]

Tools of the trade

February 1, 2012 Jerald Horst

The Slimeslinger travels light, with all his tools in a single plastic tool box. Naturally enough, the man’s most important tools are his knives.[…]

Find it all at The Boat Show In New Orleans!

January 19, 2012 Louisiana Sportsman

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome floor will be covered with boats of all kinds Feb. 2-4 during The Boat Show, which offers those looking for great deals one-stop shopping in a family friendly atmosphere.[…]

Public hearing scheduled to discuss greater amberjack management

January 5, 2012 From News Reports

Anglers have an opportunity to comment on how greater amberjack will be managed in the Gulf of Mexico during a public hearing scheduled for Wednesday (Jan. 11) in New Orleans.

The meeting, hosted by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, will begin at 6 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport at 2829 Williams Blvd. in Kenner.[…]

Instigator Lures spinnerbait

January 1, 2012 Don Shoopman

A growing number of bass fishermen in and around the Atchafalaya Basin are tuning into a spinnerbait that hums through the water much the same way a piano makes its melodic music.[…]

Bayou Bienvenue is BACK!

January 1, 2012 Rusty Tardo

Everybody wondered if the fishing action around Bayou Bienvenue could ever recover. Like so many other fishing areas in Southeast Louisiana, Bayou Bienvenue was adversely affected by the BP oil spill and the opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway.[…]

Great Wall is amazing

January 1, 2012 Rusty Tardo

The Great Wall is almost 2 miles long and runs across the St. Bernard marsh, blocking the MRGO (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, or Ship Channel), Bayou Bienvenue and the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway).[…]

Do we have a tiger by the tail?

January 1, 2012 Jerald Horst

Louisiana is a shrimp-crazy state. Until being battered by cheaper imports, shrimp fisheries were the backbone of the economies of many coastal communities. The value of the fishery dwarfed the others.[…]

Red Storm

January 1, 2012 Bob Mathews

It is your classic good-news/bad-news tale. The good news is there are more red snapper around the oil rigs in the northern Gulf of Mexico today than ever before, and they are much bigger than they have ever been.[…]

Closing the Gap

January 1, 2012 Chris Ginn

A huge gap exists between amateurs and professionals in most sports.[…]

Crankbait Campaign Trail

January 1, 2012 David A. Brown

This one leans to the left; that one goes far right. Here’s one that keeps a centrist course.[…]

Don’t lose your cool — or your lure

January 1, 2012 David A. Brown

About the only thing on a lake’s bottom that never gets tired of biting is the bottom itself. Particularly with moving “reaction” lures like crankbaits, snags are practically an assumption.[…]