Columns
Pre-season scouting plans
If you are reading this, you obviously survived the long, hot summer — even though the heat and humidity will still linger into September.[…]
Statewide LA
Inshore Fishing
Kayaking in Venice: Redfish plentiful in Yellow Cotton Bay
Some kayak anglers might be hesitant to toss a popping cork — attached to a twirling 2-foot leader with a Vudu shrimp dangling from the business end — straight at stands of leaning, swaying, hook-grabbing roseau cane, but not Capt. Brian Sherman.[…]
Fishing
Port Sulphur man arrested for alleged oyster violations
A Port Sulphur man accused of taking oyster from polluted waters for a third time last spring was arrested Monday after information taken from his cellphone linked him to off-limits areas, according to a release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.[…]
Fishing
LDWF stock assessment: Speckled trout not overfished
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on Tuesday released long-awaited stock assessments on several species — including speckled trout — that were being withheld because of ongoing litigation from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. […]
Events & Announcements
‘Clean Out Your Freezer Days’ set for Saturday and Sunday
In advance of the fall hunting seasons, Hunters for the Hungry is once again hosting its annual ‘Clean Out Your Freezer Days” this Saturday and Sunday to benefit food banks and pantries across the state.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Ponchatoula man dies in Lake Pontchartrain on Friday
A Ponchatoula man died in Lake Pontchartrain Friday afternoon after his 14-foot boat was found partially submerged just east of the Causeway Bridge, nine miles from the north shore of Mandeville.[…]
Alligator
Denham Springs man accused of running illegal gator-hunting guide service
A 54-year-old Denham Springs man accused of running an illegal alligator hunting guide service on Joyce Wildlife Management Area in Tangipahoa Parish was arrested this weekend, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. […]
Columns
ICAST 2016 – Pedal yak explosion
Every July, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades descends on Orlando, Fla., for what is the world’s largest sportfishing trade show.[…]
Field Notes
Knot of the month: Loop Knot
Anglers Robbie Hall and Tommy Jones tie their soft-plastic lures to their leaders the same way — with a loop knot — and they get results.[…]
Deer Hunting
10 tips to tame vegetation
Now is the time to begin thinking about trimming limbs, branches and brush that might otherwise interfere with a successful deer hunt this fall.[…]
News Breaker
Governor supports state management of red snapper — but not H.R. 3094
On the same day embattled Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Charlie Melancon called a full staff meeting to tell employees he was remaining in charge of the agency, Gov. John Bel Edwards said he still believed in state management of red snapper — even though funding concerns prevented him from getting behind a congressional bill that would give the Gulf states full control of the fishery. […]
Fishing
Two Breaux Bridge men die in Bayou Teche
Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recovered the bodies of two Breaux Bridge men in Bayou Teche Thursday afternoon after they did not return from an early-morning fishing trip in a pirogue.[…]
Hunting
The 411 on coastal WMAs
Harvest numbers are ultra-impressive from last season for one of the wildlife management areas in the Coastal and Nongame Resources Division — so high that many hunters might do a double-take and make immediate plans to hunt it in 2016-17.[…]
Deer Hunting
How breeding dates are determined
Biologists determine breeding dates based on measurements of deer embryos and fetuses using a fetal scale developed through research conducted by Quality Deer Management Association founder Joe Hamilton and other deer researchers.[…]
Deer Hunting
Is the rut on?
Hunters frequently tell me they do not see bucks chasing does when the rut should be in full swing. Lack of cold weather will certainly be a reason for deer activity to be poor.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Tippets
Water temperatures begin to drop this month — slowly at first due to radiative cooling but more so as cool fronts invade the state.[…]