Sidebars
How to rig a drop-shot
Perhaps the most popular way to rig a live shrimp for fishing the bottom is a Carolina rig. It’s been a staple setup for years, and there are still many people who use it today.[…]
Lake Pontchartrain
Sidebars
Other options for specks
The Lake Pontchartrain Trestles isn’t the only place Capt. John Falterman fishes in June for speckled trout. On calm days, he likes to run out to some of the near-shore rigs, particularly if he’s struggling at the Trestles that day.[…]
Sidebars
Want reds? Head here
One of the most underrated areas in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin is Lake Catherine. Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne receive a lot more pressure throughout the year, but Lake Catherine produces a lot of redfish this time of year, according to Capt. John Falterman.[…]
Features
Get the drop on Trestles specks
The legendary Trestles train bridge on Lake Pontchartrain is loaded with fish — and fishermen — every spring. When the speckled trout bite is super hot and winds are calm, the 5-mile-long bridge often has a boat on almost every piling.[…]
Inshore Fishing
What’s to use for alligator gar bait?
Striped mullet, that’s what.
This isn’t a finesse, artificial lure fishery. Gar and sharks are big, pug-ugly brutes that are looking for mouthfuls of meat.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Step-by-step: How to clean an alligator gar
Alligator gar are encased with an almost impervious layer of scales made of true bone. Here are 8 steps for how to clean them.[…]
Sidebars
Correct gear essential for deep-water jigging
When fishing the reefs around Lake Pontchartrain, deep-water jigging is definitely the most rewarding way to catch speckled trout.[…]
Sidebars
Seabrook, Bonnabel worth a look, guide says
To fish the reefs in Lake Pontchartrain, Capt. Ty Hibbs generally launches out of Seabrook, which gives him several good areas to hit before he tries the reefs.[…]
Inshore Fishing
The ol’ croaker hole
Catching a bunch of croakers and frying them up whole is a childhood memory many locals still cherish. Today, it’s pretty much gone because trout and redfish get all the attention.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Proper deep-water anchoring techniques
Not getting a proper anchor set is one of the most frustrating parts of fishing in deep water, both for those attempting to anchor, as well as others in the surrounding boats who are disturbed by it. […]
Inshore Fishing
Can you keep bull sharks?
While many people, in Andy Jones’ experience, fish for alligator gar and bull sharks for the excitement that comes with catching hard-fighting fish with mouths full of big teeth, both species are indeed edible and in fact, delicious.[…]
Features
South shore smackdown – How to target speckled trout in Lake Pontchartrain
Homework and studying are some of the biggest complaints from high school and college students. They go to class all day, then come home and have to hit the books again.[…]
Features
The Secrets of Seabrook
The New Orleans metropolitan area is ranked in the Top 50 cities in the country, with a population of about 1.3 million people. And situated in the middle of Orleans Parish, the waters surrounding the Seabrook Bridge (recently named the Senator Ted Hickey Bridge) make it one of the top inshore saltwater fishing areas located within the city limits of any major metropolitan area in the United States.[…]
Features
Lake monsters – How to catch and clean alligator gar
The kraken (pronounced KROK-in) is a legendary giant sea monster said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland.[…]
Fishing Hotspots
Spillway opening not the end of the world for fishermen
Spillway openings have been frequent in the last few years, and for Lake Pontchartrain anglers, that usually means short-term trouble.[…]
Fishing Hotspots
Pound the trestles for Pontchartrain specks
If you don’t like fishing around crowds, you’re probably not alone — but it can sometimes actually help anglers. The fish on the Lake Pontchartrain Trestles bridge receive a ton of boat pressure, but that can concentrate the fish, according to Capt. Justin Bowles.[…]