Inshore Fishing
How to guard against hypothermia while kayak fishing
Hypothermia is as much a danger during the winter in Louisiana as it is in northern climates. But, using common sense can make all the difference.[…]
Sidebars
Recipes
Chuck Buckley’s Duck (Coot) Gumbo
According to Martin Close, Chuck Buckley loved coots (poule d’eaus).[…]
Inshore Fishing
Catching Cocodrie trout all about timing
Speckled trout show a fairly dependable annual cycle. Most (remember that I said most) spend winters in low-salinity, interior waters — lakes, bayous and canals.[…]
Deer Hunting
Thistlethwaite WMA – the 10-year quality deer management experiment
Thistlethwaite WMA’s 11,000 acres of palmetto-laced hardwoods, located six miles north of Washington on state Highway 10 will be entering year eight of a 10-year experiment designed to deliver quality whitetail bucks such as Ducote’s.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Picking conditions for December trout fishing
Bryce Michel has so much confidence in the Lake Mechant/Lake de Cade area in November and December that he thinks the biggest mistake a fisherman can make is staying at home instead of going fishing.[…]
Deer Hunting
Know what you’re shooting at
Tensas Nation Wildlife Refuge is home to a number of Louisiana black bears, and hunters should be aware that they are still protected from hunting.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Slow your bait down to catch sluggish specks
There is no question speckled trout have to eat during the winter, but that doesn’t mean they eat the same way they do during the summer.[…]
Deer Hunting
Bucks by the numbers
Refuge Manager Kelly Purkey said the chances of killing a buck on Tensas NWR is pretty good. Last season the refuge produced three bucks scoring over 200 non-typical points.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Get light baits deep quickly with fluorocarbon line
As much as some folks have settled on braided line for much of their saltwater fishing, Nick Poe said a guy fishing deep in Lake Charles and Prien Lake may have a tough time getting down to the trout.[…]
Deer Hunting
About Tensas River NWR
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1980 with the aim of saving and preserving “one of the largest privately owned tracts of bottomland hardwoods remaining in the Mississippi Delta.”[…]
Inshore Fishing
Sweet tea-looking water up north still salty
Anglers used to fishing the near Baffin Bay-looking water of Calcasieu Lake might be surprised to find Breton Sound-looking water the father they venture into the city limits of Lake Charles.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Fly-fishing a great Wilkerson Canal redfish option
Capt. Dave Marino’s other passion is to fish the same areas with a fly rod.[…]
Sidebars
Hen dekes bring in more ducks
Although he’s had times when he’s killed nothing but greenheads, D’Arbonne Refuge and Upper Ouachita Refuge duck hunter Chance Havard said he has learned a little decoy trick he believes helps him get more ducks within shooting range.[…]
Deer Hunting
How natural mortality figures into deer management
It is a given that deer are going to die annually on your property due to factors other than legal deer hunting.[…]
Sidebars
Top picks for North Louisiana public duck hunting
The Ouachita River itself offers some good duck hunting in many of its backwaters, but there is a collection of publicly managed federal refuges and state wildlife management areas within a short drive of Monroe that would make any hunter green with envy.[…]
Deer Hunting
You’ve got to let deer grow
According to Dugas, once hunters have decided just what is possible on their lands of choice for quality deer management — they then have to make a decision on what can be harvested.[…]