Louisiana free fishing days June 7-8

Each year, wildlife agencies in each state designate “Free Fishing Days” for the public to fish recreationally in public waters without a fishing license. These events are part of National Fishing and Boating Week, which this year runs June 1st to June 8th. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has designated Saturday-Sunday, June 7th and 8th, as free fishing days for our state.

Free Fishing Days are a perfect opportunity to try out fishing for the first time, or get a newbie into our sport.  LDWF will also be holding special events to teach beginners the skills of the sport.  Lessons will include tackle setup, casting, knot tying, fishing techniques, handling and taking the fish off the hook.  CLICK HERE for event locations, dates, and times.

If you're willing to travel, FFDs are an opportunity to partake of fishing in another state without needing a license. Some states may have certain restrictions. For example, you may not be required to purchase a freshwater license, but still may have to buy a trout stamp. So please check before making plans.

Here are the free fishing days for neighboring states:

• Alabama – Sat., June 7 (fresh, salt) *
• Arkansas - Fri, June 6 noon - Sun, June 8 **
• Florida – Sat-Sun, June 7-8 (fresh), June 14-15 (salt)
• Mississippi – Sat-Sun, June 7-8, July 4th (fresh, salt) *
• Texas - Sat, June 7 (fresh, salt)

* permits for "State Fishing Lakes" still required
** trout permit not required these dates

For a complete list of free fishing days in all states, go to www.takemefishing.org. 

Mark your calendar for the Caddo Expo July 19th

Caddo Fly Fishing Expo
Saturday, July 19th, 2025
9:00am – 5:00pm
Jefferson Tourism & Visitors Center
Jefferson, TX
hosted by North Louisiana Fly Fishers

On Saturday, July 19th, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers will hold their  inaugural Caddo Fly Fishing Expo.. This event will be held in historic downtown Jefferson, TX.   It will feature fly tying demonstrations, seminars, fly casting, exhibitors, raffles, and more. Held on the banks of Cypress Bayou which feeds Caddo Lake, there is fishing available as well as kayak rentals available locally. 

In the links below is an event flyer with more details.  Also, a show invite along with applications for tyers and vendors.  Spots are limited for vendors and tiers, so if you’re interested in tying or exhibiting please apply early. Also, NLFF would appreciate regional clubs giving a shout out about the Caddo Expo at their meetings.

Click on these links for Caddo Expo documents:

Caddo Event Flyer (pdf)

Caddo Expo Tiers Invite (pdf)

Caddo Expo Vendor Tyer Flyer (pdf)

Caddo Expo Vendor Invite (pdf) 

This Crawfish Pattern is Near Nuff Perfect

Near Nuff Crayfish: Cormier (t), Rupp (b)

At the FFI Gulf Coast Classic this past weekend, I took Allen Rupp's workshop on tying Dave Whitlock's Near Nuff Crayfish. If you don't know who Allen Rupp is, you should. He's a highly-acclaimed commercial tier who appears at many fly fishing events each year across the country, and a protege of Whitlock. You can read about him here.

Interview with Allen Rupp

In the last few years, I've connected with Allen on several occasions at various shows across the country. I've become a huge fan of his work... his flies are practical fish catchers, clean, well-designed and perfect in proportionality.  We also have something in common - we both were influenced by Gary Borger and have a deep appreciation for the contributions of Dave Whitlock.

If you look through my boxes of flies, you'll find the following Whitlock originals:

- Red Fox Squirrel Nymph
- Saltwater Swimming Baitfish
- Sheep Shad
- Dave's Hopper
- Whitlock's Damsel Nymph
- Dave's Diving Frog
- Near Nuff Crayfish

Of those, the only one I had not tied was the Near Nuff Crayfish. The first NNC that Dave gave me I put into an hermetically sealed jar and stored in an underground vault alongside other flies tied by legendary fly anglers such as Lefty Kreh, Gary Borger, Gary Lafontaine, Polly Rosborough, to name a few.

Soon after, I purchased three NNCs directly from Dave, and fished those extensively... with fantastic results!

Coma Crawfish

Now it must be noted that being a former bass tournament angler, born and raised in the heart of crawfish country, I had a lifelong experience with mudbugs. And with what bass preferred in their favorite crustacean. I combined that with a philosophy of using natural motion materials in flies (something I learned from Borger) and in the mid-90s, created my own crawfish fly called the "Coma Crawfish".

Over the years, I've tried other patterns and none had fished better for largemouth bass than the Coma Crawfish. But first time I fished the Near Nuff, it helped me win the first of several bass kayak tournaments, so automatically it became one of my very favorite bass flies.  So much so, it replaced my own ecrevisse. It also soon became my favorite for smallmouth bass.

But here's the problem.  Once when Dave's stock was depleted, I tried purchasing them from different sources and discovered that like gumbo, you never know what recipe you'll get with the Near Nuff Crawfish.  In fact, most of the NNCs I got were just horrible - like gumbo made with hot dogs and a cauliflower roux. They didn't look anything like Dave's flies and fished like sh*t!

Then I saw Allen's version and tears came to my eyes! This was perfection... everything in it's right place and proportion. At one of the shows, I sat and watched Allen tie and it was an education even for an experienced tier like myself. Attention to every detail, and purpose for every material and how it adds to the effectiveness of this pattern.

Allen Rupp workshop at Classic

The workshop we took last weekend lasted a full two hours but it seemed like it went all too fast. As Allen applied a material, I was able to recall what he showed me a year ago, and it made it easier for me to keep up. I think my Near Nuff came out pretty Near Nuff indeed. Check out the photo at the top. One is Allen's and the other is mine. There is one difference, and is the reason his rendition is better than mine. Can you see it?  

There's a video on Allen tying the NNC on April Vokey's YouTube Channel. It's an hour and half long, and includes some fishing techniques mostly for trout fishing the fly. 

Video: Allen Rupp tying the Near Nuff Crayfish

Most of my Coma Crawfish are tied in orange, tan or olive. These are colors of most crawfish I find in the primary areas I fish. I imagine I'll be tying NNCs in those colors as well. But just last month, I discovered a couple of deep blue crawfish near my dock. So maybe yet another species / color to consider?

Regardless of color, now that I'm able to reproduce this fly in quality and quantity, the basskeens - with mouths large or small - are in serious trouble!

Learn fly fishing basics thru Orvis classes

The Orvis store in Baton Rouge routinely conducts introductory fly fishing clinics at their store at 7601 Bluebonnet (in Perkins-Rowe). Based on 50 years of running schools and fly-fishing education programs, the Orvis classes provide the basics on fly casting, rigging, fly selection, and more. Perfect for beginners of all ages to get started fly fishing (under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult).

Orvis FF101 is a FREE, one day, two hour clinic designed to introduce the basics of fly fishing and fly casting.  It includes hands-on rigging and casting instruction. Equipment is provided. 

There is NO cost, but pre-registration required as class size limited. For more info, call (225) 757-7286.  Or to register online, CLICK HERE.

Classes in May:
Fly Fishing 101 - Saturday, May 3rd
Fly Fishing 101 Panfish edition - Saturday, May 10th
Fly Fishing 101 - Saturday, May 17th

Bill to allow mature redfish harvest halted in committee

Earlier today at the state capitol, in the House Natural Resources Committee hearing,  Rep. Joe Orgeron agreed to defer House Bill 604, which he had sponsored. This bill would've allowed harvest of overslot red drum (over 27 inches) under a proposed tag program. Redfish over 27 inches are considered sexually mature and critical to maintaining a viable abundance of the species.

HB604 would've allow anglers to kill spawning size bull reds with a $25 tag for the purpose of funding a private hatchery.  As Tony Friedrich, Executive Director of American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA) keenly stated, science shows that redfish hatcheries have virtually no impact on adult populations. Several states currently stock millions of redfish fingerlings each year, but data shows that on average only a mere 2% ever reach escapement to the spawning stock. To summarize, hatchery fish are pretty stupid compared to their wild counterparts.

ASGA, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, and Fly Fishers International lobbied against the bill. Some members of the committee acknowledged later hearing from guides, kayak anglers, and fly fishers in opposition.

During testimony before the committee, fly fishing charter guide Ty Hibbs spoke on behalf of many fishing guides pointing out that new regulations had just been put in place, and that the record freeze earlier this year killed many redfish and no assessment of that freeze has yet been fully completed.  Glen 'Catch' Cormier of the FFI Gulf Coast Council also testified reminding legislators the year before they had voted 90 to 0 in favor of eliminating mature harvest of redfish. He also stated that while hatcheries are appealing because they provide anglers more easy-to-catch fish, they do almost nothing to increase spawning stock recruitment. 

While a voluntary deferred bill can be reintroduced, it's extremely rare that it does. Rep. Orgeron also stated after the testimony that he would like to meet with interested parties in the future for alternative solutions to giving the major saltwater tournaments a means to again having a redfish division.

Registration now open for 2025 Gulf Coast Classic

3rd annual Gulf Coast Classic fly fishing festival
Friday & Saturday, May 2-3, 2025
Gulf State Park
20249A State Park Rd, Gulf Shores, AL
www.ffigulfcoastclassic.com

Click on the image for full size poster

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual Gulf Coast Classic on Friday May 2nd and Saturday May 3rd at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL.  The Classic is the largest fly fishing event on the Gulf Coast, and features seminars, fly tying demonstrations, casting and tying workshops, a fishing contest, a film festival, and much more!  Many of the tiers are nationally-recognized and some are even professional tiers. Several of the tiers will be leading workshops as well.

Hosted by the Gulf Coast Council (GCC) of Fly Fishers International (FFI), it's a fundraiser and community gathering for the council.  The GCC consists of clubs and members in Louisiana, Mississippi, south Alabama, and northwest Florida.  

On the registration pages, you can pay for admission, signup for a workshop, purchase film festival tickets, and even procure inexpensive onsite lodging on the campus. Or you can register for the Classic now, and register for the workshops later.  But don't wait too long...  workshops and lodging can book up in advance of the event!

Fly tier bios are currently available, and later this week schedules, seminar descriptions, and speaker bios will be posted. Seminar topics cover a wide range of fishing opportunities, from bluegill and bass to tarpon and speckled trout to Louisiana redfish and more.  In addition, there are speakers on conservation topics, including the Director of Alabama's Marine Fisheries Division, and Friday Keynote Speaker, William Strickland of Mobile Baykeepers.

There's also an incredible array of raffle and silent auction items courtesy of our amazing sponsors.  And our always popular "Mixed Bag" fishing contest - it's FREE entry with registration!

Again, to learn more about the Classic, and links to registration and workshops, go to: www.ffigulfcoastclassic.com. 

Red Stick Day coming March 8th

30th annual Red Stick Day
Saturday, March 8th, 2025
8:30am to 3:00pm
LDWF Waddill Outdoor Education Center
4141 North Flannery Rd, Baton Rouge, LA

RSD is one of the longest-running fly fishing festivals in the South. There’s seminars by local and regional experts, fly tying demos by several of the top fly tiers on the northern Gulf Coast, casting instruction, food, loads of raffle items, and more. And best of all, admission is free!

The ponds on the premises at the Waddill Education Center are full of bass and bluegill. In addition, Masseys Outfitters of Baton Rouge will be on hand with a variety of kayaks from Hobie, Native and other brands for folks to test paddle/pedal.

Details about the event, including speaker and tier bios, schedule of activities, and more can be found by clicking on the “Red Stick Day” at the Red Stick Fly Fishers website at www.rsff.org.

 

LDWF gives statement on fish kills

The Great Blizzard of January 20-21, 2025 gave us record low temperatures and record snowfalls up to 13 inches across most of southern Louisiana, and a winter playground wonderland.  But it came at a high cost for our inland coastal fisheries.

Almost immediately after the cold snap, reports began to surface on social media of fish kills across the coast, mostly mullet, speckled trout, black drum, and redfish. Now the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has released their own assessment.

Once travel advisories were lifted, LDWF field biologists began investigating coastal areas for dead fish resulting from the historically cold weather and continue with those field efforts.  Water temperatures in a large portion of the state's coastal areas fell below critical temperatures (40 degrees F) for saltwater species such as Spotted Seatrout and Red Drum for several days.

LDWF has investigated 71 fish kills statewide while documenting coastwide observations in each major basin.  The collected data indicates fish mortality occurred coastwide with concentrations of kills occurring in some areas where fish likely did not have time to leave shallower areas or have access to deep enough, and slightly warmer, water in which to take refuge.  

While kills were spread throughout the coast, not all coastal areas were affected and not all to the same level.  It appears the highest levels of speckled trout and black drum mortalities were in the Terrebonne/Timbalier Basin, and the highest redfish and sheepshead mortalities were in the Barataria Basin.  In general, the highest overall mortalities of all species occurred in the marshes between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. One exception was striped mullet, which had high mortality east of the Mississippi River.

When compared to the freeze of late December 1989, where water temperatures remained near freezing for about 100 hours near Grand Isle, LA, this freeze was not as long in duration. Based on some social media reports, it appears the scope of the kill was not nearly as bad as 1989, but still significant enough to impact fishing for the next couple of years. LDWF biologists will continue to document dead fish encountered and investigate fish kills relayed to them by the public.

At this time, LDWF is not anticipating the need for any management or regulatory changes as a result of this event. However, several groups such as the Fly Fishers International (FFI) Gulf Coast Council are encouraging all anglers to practice catch-and-release. And if they must keep fish, keep only what they need and release the rest.  

LDWF is encouraging the public to notify of any fish kills by calling 1-800-442-2511.  For more information about fish kills, visit https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/fish-kills.