Inshore Fishing
Hopedale hotspots full of hard-plastic-munching specks
The action out of Hopedale could hardly be any better than it is right now.[…]
Fishing Videos
Inshore Fishing
Ponds around Lafitte’s Bayou Dupont loaded with fish
Capt. Theophile Bourgeois led a boatload of anglers to an ice chest filled to the brim with speckled trout, redfish and bass Monday, and said the hot action out of Lafitte is just beginning.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Delacroix trout smackdown continues
It was drizzling when I stepped out of my truck at Sweetwater Marina early Monday (Dec. 5), the first signs of a front that was barreling through the state. I just shook my head, wriggled into my rain suit and headed to meet the two guys I’d be fishing with that morning.
I had told Scott Walker that I didn’t want to waste a day out of the office because I was slammed, and he had promised me it wouldn’t take long to fill our limits of speckled trout.
His confidence was more than braggadocio: I was back at the dock barely more than two hours later, loading up an ice chest full of speckled trout and heading back to the office.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Delacroix marshes full of mixed-size speckled trout
The recent cool weather has sent the signal to speckled trout that it’s time to hunker down in the interior marshes, and that’s exactly what’s going on in Delacroix.[…]
Bass Fishing
River fishing red hot in cool, dry autumn
During autumn in Louisiana, it’s not only the leaves that fall.[…]
Cobia
Cobia thick around near-shore rigs
Steve Herbison and Eddie Permenter both know that Venice is a great jumping-off point for hot ling fishing action.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Look for clean pockets for downriver redfish
The wind was howling when a group of outdoor writers and fishing-industry sponsors gathered in Venice on Saturday evening, and the anglers spent most of the three-day fishing trip fighting wind near the marina.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Redfish biting at Lafitte’s Little Lake one week after Lee
This time last week, residents of Lafitte were praying for a north wind to blow all the water out that fell from Tropical Storm Lee. Only six days later, as I drove to Joe’s Landing, I wouldn’t have known the effects of the storm had I not seem them in the news.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Atchafalaya Basin bream fishing hot as the weather
I guided the boat toward the location canal deep in the southern reaches of the Atchafalaya Basin, memories of one of the most-exciting goggleye trips in my life running through mind.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Hunt-and-peck fishing east of the Mississippi River produces plenty of fish
The east side of the Mississippi River has been all over the radio and TV recently for being one of the best places to fish right now. Whether outside, inside or somewhere in between, saltwater anglers can find hungry speckled trout, redfish and flounder.[…]
Apex Predator
How to throw a cast net
There are various ways to throw a cast net, yet many anglers don’t know about the flip trick to help throw their cast net with tremendous ease and quickness.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Big specks showing up in the Rigolets
The opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway didn’t seem to have as much of an effect on the fishing in the eastern part of Lake Pontchartrain as was anticipated. Trout continued to bite out in Lake Borgne until not too long ago.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Seaplane makes fishing barrier islands a breeze
I’m not a huge fan of flying, but when Capt. Theophile Bourgeois invited me and Louisiana Sportsman editor Todd Masson to fly with him in a seaplane out to Gosier Island to wade-fish for speckled trout I knew I would have to cast my fears aside, especially after Bourgeois texted me pictures of the trout he had been catching.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Excellent fishing action within sight of Delacroix water tower
When Scott Walker, a.k.a. “nightfisher” on LouisianaSportsman, messaged me that I needed to tie on a MirrOlure Top Dog Jr. before I left for our trip, I knew we were in for some fun.[…]
Offshore Fishing
Snapper season off to an incredible start
Snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico has been as good or better than many anglers can ever remember in the week that it’s been open. Crews are landing 10-man limits of snapper in as little as 25 minutes.
Capt. Joey Palmisano and his son Billy Joe with Cocodrie Fishing Charters have been getting it done like this every day since the opening of snapper season, and he believes the bite will stay this good the entire season.
“Snapper season opened on June 1s, and it’s really just been incredible,” Palmisano told me as we idled away from Trade Winds Marina in Cocodrie earlier this week. “We’ve been fishing every day, and we’re fishing the snapper on the top.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Rig-jumping in Lake Borgne productive despite river water
Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne have been getting an underserved bad rap since the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway several weeks ago. Nervous anglers have been watching the mud line creep eastward across Pontchartrain, but those in the know have discovered that mud hasn’t as shut down the trout bite.
“Guys in Venice have been dealing with mud for as long as they’ve fished down there,” Capt. John Falterman with Therapy Charters said. “And that hasn’t stopped them. They’ve learned that beneath the ugly surface is the green water that trout love. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”[…]