Louisiana Sportsman

Never pass wood in Blind River without casting to it.

Tips for Blind River summertime bass

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

• Look for places that bass go to eat. That’s where they congregate. Focus on sloughs and points without ruling out bank fishing.[…]

Overall, a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Tail Rage Craw is Johnson’s go-to lure on Blind River.

Johnson’s Blind River bait calendar

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Topwater frogs and Texas-rigged craws are “in season” on Blind River for Lyle Johnson from March to November. But he is quick to admit that the Texas craw is his mainstay lure. The clear water coming out of the sloughs draining into the river is what prompted his heavy use of the frog the day we fished.[…]

Lyle Johnson serves both as president of the Louisiana Outdoor Writer’s Association and chairman of the Louisiana Fish Records Program.

Don’t cook a record fish

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

“Get in the books.” That’s Lyle Johnson’s message to his fellow fishermen.

As chairman of the state’s Fish Records Program, he encourages people to enter their fish, even if it isn’t a No. 1.[…]

Lyle Johnson devotes a lot of time he could be fishing to maintaining the Louisiana Fish Records Program.

A ‘consumptive conservationist’

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Lyle Johnson wears a lot of hats.

The Gonzales native is the long-serving president of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association (LOWA), the state’s professional organization for outdoors writers and communicators.[…]

Sloughs leading into both Blind River and Alligator Bayou are dependably productive spots.

Blind River: Pros and cons

July 15, 2018 Jerald Horst

Blind River is one of Southeast Louisiana’s secret spots. Located between the major population centers of urban and suburban New Orleans and Baton Rouge, it may be accessed from U.S. Highway 61, which parallels Interstate Highway 10.[…]

When the tide is moving hard at Bayou Black, bass can be found out on the edges of the reeds.

Pitching tips for Bayou Black

July 15, 2018 Chris Ginn

Pitching plastics at Bayou Black doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are a few tips Engerran passed along to help you be more successful.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Cranking up crabs with incredible underwater footage

July 10, 2018 Todd Masson

Lots of parties in South Louisiana, of course, include some type of boiled seafood. Being a native of the best region on the planet, I wanted to celebrate the anniversary of our nation’s birth with some red, white and blue crabs.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Salted vs. Unsalted — which worm catches more fish?

July 5, 2018 Todd Masson

There’s a reason manufacturers produce worms infused with more salt than a bag of potato chips in addition to those designed for bass on a low-sodium diet. Each type of worm has its specific applications and patterns when it shines.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Line of rocks delivers the goods

July 3, 2018 Todd Masson

During the scorching heat of summer, anglers have to take what they can get. It’s not typically a season when you can motor the boat anywhere on the water, open the ice-chest lid and watch the fish jump in while you enjoy an icy-cold beverage.[…]

Capt. Bobby Gros said getting an early start is a vital to summertime trout fishing out of Leeville.

3 keys to being Lucky in Leeville

July 2, 2018 Rusty Tardo

Veteran charter guide Bobby Gros, over at Bobby Lynn’s Marina in Leeville (985-637-0118), says the fishing is as hot as the weather this month.[…]

Pitch Black

July 1, 2018 Chris Ginn

The Pipeline Canal was completely impassable.

And with that, Patrick Engerran immediately resorted to Plan B.[…]

Bass like these are called “normal OK keepers” for Blind River and there were lots of them.

The Record Keeper

July 1, 2018 Jerald Horst

The hits were explosive — water and pieces of vegetation flew wildly.

Or maybe it was Lyle Johnson’s violent reaction to the hits. He doesn’t like ‘em to get away, and he fusses at himself for every missed fis[…]

Capt. Bubby Lamy said tight-lining jigheads — instead of using popping corks — can be effective for specks in shallow water around islands in the Biloxi Marsh.

Outer islands of Biloxi Marsh holding trout

July 1, 2018 Joel Masson

Capt. Bubby Lamy with In & Out Charters takes a lot of his speckled trout clients to areas like Isle au Pitre and Martin Island this time of year.[…]

Jonathan Ryan prefers bright sunny days and calm water when sight-fishing summertime reds.

Sleep in if you’re sight-fishing reds

July 1, 2018 Joel Masson

While all the speckled trout anglers bust their tails to get on their favorite spots before the sun comes up, avid fisherman Jonathan Ryan hits snooze a few times on his alarm clock and starts his trips around 8 a.m.[…]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Summer heat ruining your fishing? Not anymore.

June 27, 2018 Todd Masson

Temperatures this summer have been hotter than all that gooey stuff shooting out of Mount Kilauea. […]

Marsh Man Masson vid: Where, how to catch summertime crappie — and bass

June 25, 2018 Todd Masson

My son, Joel, and I set out on a recent fishing trip to compare and contrast the bass-catching capabilities of Zoom Flukes and floating worms. With the test well underway, however, we became distracted by a smoking-hot crappie bite we just couldn’t ignore.[…]