So how hot is the Atchafalaya water leak?
Not hot under the heat of this summer, but hot like the sizzle on the working end of a reel attached to a rod.
“The bottom fell out of the flood” Joey Stein he said. “I think we caught it at a good time. That’s the lowest I’ve seen it in a long time, and most of the good sacks were coming from the spillway. The first place came from the flood, and four of the top five came from there.”
In this case, the “sacks” are filled with bass, not crustaceans, and the term “sacks” refers to the bags filled with water that bass fishermen use to bring the still-living bass from their boats’ livewells to the weigh station. The bass are left to swim and hopefully bite another day.
In this case, it was last weekend’s Veterans Open bass tournament, an event Stein and his fellow Westside Bassmasters hatched from an idea that generated $40,000 for Louisiana-based Wounded War Heroes.
“We had 48 (military) veterans enter — the most we’ve ever had — and 132 (two-angle) teams,” Stein said. “We had 15 gold and platinum sponsors and gave away another $40,000 in raffles and door prizes. That was great.”
Jacob Pourciau and David the hunter They took home $5,000 from this pot for catching five bass weighing 19.58 pounds. This includes the big bass of the day, £5.
Coming from a veteran, it was the runner-up’s 16.83-pound “sack” that got the most applause. Kenny Miller and his fishing friend Malcolm Smith. Miller bought a wooden replica of our American flag for that second stringer.
“We’ve had over 100 boats in the last three years, and this year we paid for 26 spots,” Stein said. “And we will continue to do so to help our wounded heroes.”
In total, 382 fish (760 pounds) were caught.
in Henderson
Wildlife and Fisheries Inland Fisheries staff will begin the drawdown on Lake Henderson on Monday. The plan is to lower the lake 2 to 4 inches per day until the lake is 3 feet below pool level to “manage aquatic vegetation and improve fishing habitat.”
Depending on rain, the demolition gates are scheduled to close on November 1.
bring sheep
I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I have a laugh to add to last weekend’s Jesuit High Rodeo.
About Monsignor Christopher Nalty “bringing the sheep – head” when he won the Sheepshead category of the Adult Division at £5.85.
Red snapper
Through July 10, the private recreational redfish catch reached 389,543 pounds – 48% – of our state’s annual allocation of 816,233 pounds. Estimates are from the Wildlife and Fisheries LA Creel survey.
Anglers should remember that we operate with a 16-inch minimum size and a daily limit of three fish per person.
If you’d like to see the full allocation as of the end of May, visit the agency’s website: wlf.louisiana.gov/page/red-snapper
Have you lost your license?
Wildlife and Fisheries has made it easier for lifetime license holders to obtain a duplicate card online: louisianaoutdoors.com/licenses-and-permits or in addition to the old method of obtaining a duplicate card by mail or other means from an approved retailer – Baton Rouge on Quail Drive person at provincial headquarters. The fee is $7.50, and if you get it online, you’ll have to add a $5 “convenience fee.”
Hunting season
A brochure on the regulations for the 2022-23 hunting season is available on the Wildlife and Fisheries website at: wlf.louisiana.gov/page/seasons-and-regulations.
Along with seasons, bag limits and new license fees, the brochure includes dates and regulations for our state’s wildlife management areas and federal lands.
The agency expects hard copies to be available in late August at state offices and vendors selling hunting and fishing licenses.
Amberjack season
Hopefully, not all offshore anglers were expecting a bigger amberjack season opening bonus on August 1st.
That won’t happen: federal fisheries managers have said the season will run from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1 to avoid the annual bycatch. 31, not the August 1 opening as in previous years.
The release stated, “The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has requested that NOAA Fisheries take immediate action while developing long-term management measures to restore greater amberjack populations. The most recent population assessment shows that greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished (too low a population) and underfished (too many fish are caught).
No, not again
Just when you thought selling ducks was banned from our state, along comes the conviction of two Shreveport men for doing just that.
Through the joint effort of Wildlife and Fisheries and conservation agents of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Frank Canizaro Jr.34, Mansfield, and aged 54 years Jason CordovaLogansport was convicted of migratory game bird violations in Federal Court for the Western District of our state.
After prolonged surveillance, state undercover agents purchased waterfowl collected from Córdoba and the small Canizaro on seven separate occasions.
Canizaro was found guilty and sentenced for “aggravated trafficking in migratory game birds” and is currently on 24 months of supervised probation. He cannot hold a hunting or fishing license during this period.
Cordova is under 18 months of supervision and “ordered to attend an outpatient substance abuse program.”
Now that both have been convicted of felonies, they face lifetime bans from possessing firearms.
No, Part II
Warnings about drinking and boating this summer appear to have been ignored Albert Hebert Jr. and David McQuiston.
State Patrol agents were patrolling the Atchafalaya River on July 9 when they arrested Hebert, 57, of Berwick, for DWI and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
On July 9, the report said, “agents made contact with McQuiston while he was operating the vessel.”
Both St. Mary was booked into the Parish Jail and now faces up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail for DWI if convicted. Hebert’s detention carries a penalty of up to $400 and up to 15 days in jail, with both losing their driver’s licenses and boating privileges.