Today the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries Commission rescinded the proposed Notice of Intent (NOI) for new redfish regulations of a 3-fish daily creel, 18"-27" slot with no overslots, and replaced it with a 4-fish daily creel, also with a 18"-27" slot (no overslots).  So basically added 1 more fish to the proposed daily limit. But in doing so, that extra fish will add 11 more years to the Spawing Potential Ration (SPR) recovery to the Conservation Standard.  Comments were evenly divided between the 3-fish and 4-fish proponents, but you could sense the decision by some of the Comm ..read more

This Thursday, March 7th, the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries Commission will once again review arguments and consider amendments to proposed redfish regulations. This comes after the 3-fish, 18-27 inch slot proposed Notice of Intent (NOI) passed in December by the Commission was only days away from taking effect. By now, it's common knowledge that redfish are being overfished. In addition to a number of environmental problems that plague the species, the amount of fishing pressure has more than doubled since the current regulations were established in 1988. Biologists say that changes ar ..read more

The bass spawn is on in some parts of the state. This is an opportunity to catch a trophy-sized fish, or even just a larger specimen, on your fly rod. Back in the days when I fished conventional tournaments - and even some that I've fished more recently - the key to getting a spawning bass to eat was to present the lure in the most delicate way possible and keep it near the fish as long as possible.  These "finesse" tactics can be applied to fly fishing as well. The key is small and near-weightless flies, and longer leaders 8 to 9 feet. I leave the 8-weight at home and bring a 6-weight ..read more

One of my favorite alien invasion movies is "The 5th Wave" starring Chloe Grace Moretz. In part because Ms Moretz is a great action film heroine. And in part because the story makes far more sense than most others. If an alien race wanted to invade Earth, given the small amount of resources they could bring through the vastness of space, a series of devastating non-confrontational attacks works far better than an all-out military assault. Speaking of invasions, we have a series of panfish invasions to shallow water starting right now. For us humans, our weapons in this battle will be lightwe ..read more

When it comes to fly fishing, Spring is event season across the deep South. There's a wide range of events from large commercial expos like the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show and Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival to club festivals like "Red Stick Day" and to the larger Fly Fishers International regional events like the "Gulf Coast Classic". In the past, we referred to these club and FFI regional events as "conclaves". There was some resistance to the name because it's definition is "a private meeting".  When in fact, these events are open to the public. However, we made a strong case to t ..read more

To come to the aid of their favorite clubs and causes. With the new year comes "conclave" season, those 1 to 2 day fly fishing events, often sponsored by clubs, that feature programs, fly tying demos, casting, exhibitors and more. All are open to the public, and most are free. All of these events hold raffles as part of fundraising activites. Some of the most popular items in raffles are boxes of flies. The weather forecast for the next few weeks ahead in the Bayou State is colder and wetter than normal - which is typically pretty cold and wet! If you're a tier, use this opportunity to flies ..read more

This Thursday, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will hear an assessment from LDWF inland biologists about the current status of crappie (sacalait, white perch) and any consideration for regulation changes.   Here are the current regulations for Louisiana and how they compare to neighboring states. State creel minimum size Louisiana 50 none Texas 25 10" Alabama 30 9" Georgia 30 none Florida 25 10" Mississippi 30 / 15 none / 12" Missisippi has a statewide limit of 30 fish, but a 15-fish limit on four popular reservoirs: Enid, Arklabutta, Sardis, Grenad ..read more

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has officially published the change in spotted seatrout (speckled trout) regulations. They will go into effect Monday, November 20th. According to biologists, these new regulations will allow the Spawning Potential Ratio of specks to return to 18 percent within 3 years.  Currently, the SPR is 8 percent which is below the Conservation Standard of 14 percent. The new regulations are as follows: Size limit: 13-20 inches total length, only two fish included within the daily creel limit can be greater than 20 inches total length Daily Creel: 15 ..read more

At yesterday's monthly meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission acted on two items of significant interest to saltwater anglers. 1) Passed on NOI establishing a coastwide one-mile buffer zone for commercial harvesting of menhaden. The vote was by the narrowest of margins, 4-3, and must get a final approval based on economic considerations. But it's the first time we've gotten this far in establishing a one-mile buffer. 2) The Commission gave final approval to an NOI setting new redfish limits of 3 fish per day, 18-24 inch slot with no overslot. Now it goes to the Legislative ..read more

Yesterday the Fly Fishers International (FFI) announced the recipients of their 2023 Awards of Achievement. These annual awards acknowledge individuals and organizations who have advanced the FFI’s mission of conservation, education, and community. Two Louisiana residents were recognized. Chris Williams of Sorrento will recieve the FFI Fly Fishing Skills Education Award. This award is based upon extraordinary contribution or continuous prominent effort promoting comprehensive fly fishing education.   Jeff Ferguson of Lafayette will receive the FFI Mel Krieger Fly Casting Instructor Aw ..read more