Field Notes
Keep a close eye on clear plastic baits
After a few fish, clear baits are more white than they are translucent, and that can make them less attractive to speckled trout and redfish.[…]
Statewide LA
Cobia
Gulf Council requesting input from anglers on potential cobia changes
In response to a potential decline in cobia numbers, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is considering ways to reduce harvests — including increasing the minimum size limit, decreasing the possession limit, imposing a vessel limit — or some combination of all these measures.[…]
Deer Hunting
Tree stand safety tips
With bow season now in full swing, that means hunters will once again be heading into the woods. Here’s some tree stand safety tips.[…]
Columns
Let’s call a spade a spade
They are everywhere. If you fish offshore at oil and gas platforms, clouds of the convict-striped fish are often visible underwater. Atlantic spadefish are a dominant species in the fish communities that develop around platforms.[…]
Bass Fishing
Best fall bass baits
Fall can be an unnerving time for bass anglers, as the fish seem erratic while transitioning out of summertime patterns. But Gonzales Bassmaster Elite Series pro Gerald Spohrer said that unpredictably is actually a misunderstanding.[…]
Field Notes
Prep your reels now for 2020 season
The 2019 fishing season is almost over for those of us diehard hunters. Charter guide Capt. Brent Roy said a little TLC on your reels could save you money.[…]
Apex Predator
Apex Predator shares his hog hunting tactics
To be successful at hunting hogs on Louisiana public land, I use a combination of tactics. Maximum mileage covered by foot has continually proved most productive. Last season I harvested 72 pigs on several WMAs and NWRs — with only two taken from my tree climber.[…]
Columns
Mississippi cooking … Louisiana style
Ricky Ruffin of Bay Springs, Miss., shares recipes for Panéed Snapper with Meunière Sauce and Cajun Cioppino.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Which artificial shrimp is best?
Buy enough live shrimp, and eventually you might have to sell off one of your children. But no one can deny speckled trout love the tasty crustaceans, and many anglers simply refuse to leave the dock without a couple hundred of them enjoying a nice Jacuzzi bath in the baitwell.[…]
Columns
Pay attention to the business end
My, how times have changed over the past 50 or so years in the whitetail woods, especially when it comes to the “business end” of the enterprise. […]
News Breaker
Teal opening weekend produces mixed results
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ aerial survey last week indicated only a fraction of the typical numbers of blue-winged teal had arrived in the state ahead of opening weekend— and for the most part, hunters who ventured out Saturday and Sunday validated those estimates.[…]
Fishing
Tippets
School is back in session: Not just for humans, but also for fish. As water temperatures begin to drop during the month, look for various predatory species to school up as the fall feeding frenzy begins. […]
Bass Fishing
Delta Lures’ Spinnerbait
Two longtime fishing buddies couldn’t keep a good thing to themselves 7 ½ years ago, which was a blessing for bass fishermen who love to catch on quality spinnerbaits.[…]
News Breaker
LDWF: Teal numbers plummet for aerial survey
Looks like there might be more mosquitoes than teal during tomorrow morning’s opener for the 16-day Louisiana teal season.[…]
Field Notes
Austin’s Handy Dandy Line Winder
Is there anything worse than having to spool a reel while on the boat? I mean, after you spend the time to snatch the old line off the reel, you then have the pleasure of fighting a plastic spool of new line rolling around the boat — and it’s a pain to ensure you’re putting the line on the reel tightly.[…]
Columns
New fly rods for 2019
At the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in July, it was yet another record-setting year for premium fly rods.[…]