Fishing Tournaments

Tietje’s top 5 Toledo Bend baits

Since he isn’t fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series Toledo Bend tournament this year because of a medical exemption, local bass pro Dennis Tietje didn’t mind revealing the five lures that he believes will play big parts in putting together a winning pattern when the pros stop at the Bend this month.[…]

Fishing Tournaments

Tournament schedule

The 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series will stop at Toledo Bend in early June, with the world’s top pros prefishing for the event beginning June 4, while competition will kick off at daybreak on June 7 and wrap up on June 10.[…]

Freshwater Fishing

No fancy stuff

Modern bass fishermen are known for their endless array of fancy and expensive equipment. Fishing with Jim Looney is like a throwback to a simpler time, a time when it seemed like any angler could be reasonably confident of catching bass.[…]

Freshwater Fishing

The 14-inch minimum:

The 14-inch-minimum-size limit on all black bass — both largemouth and spotted — in the Atchafalaya Basin, Lakes Verret, Palourde, Fausse Point/Dauterive areas has been in effect since the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.[…]

Freshwater Fishing

Best equipment

While shiners can be used to fish for post-spawning crappie, most fishermen ease through the stump fields fishing about 10 feet deep with jigs.[…]

Freshwater Fishing

Where to go

Lake D’Arbonne is located near Farmerville in north-central Louisiana, and there are several public boat ramps providing easy access to the stump fields in the Stowe Creek, Terral Island and Bear Creek areas of the lake.[…]

Inshore Fishing

Grand Isle trout

Zutie Auenson is clearly a man taken with Grand Isle, his April to September guiding headquarters. Although he is obsessed with speckled trout, he says that the island resort has it all.[…]

Inshore Fishing

Terminal tackle

What is on the business end of Auenson’s line varies very little. The vast majority of the time it holds a Carolina rig with a live croaker. The rig is simple — 18 inches of 30-pound-test monofilament.[…]

Inshore Fishing

Summer cycle

Capt. Zutie Auenson has two fishing seasons. From sometime in September until late April, he charters from his permanent home in Golden Meadow.[…]

Freshwater Fishing

Bay Cat Hot Spots

Anglers looking for a few locations to catch bay cats, both blues and channels, should start on the west side of East Cote Blanche Bay near Point Moroon, at the mouth of Bayou Carlin, Humble Canal and Jackson Bayou on the west side of the Bay.[…]