In-Crease your odds for Fall topwater bass

My dad used to say that when mid-September came around, it was time to head to Toledo Bend for the best topwater bass action to be found anywhere.  Massive schools of threadfin shad would take to the surface, and sometimes there would be explosions of fish over acres in any one area of the lake.  Catching 40-60 bass a day on topwater was the norm for him.

You don't need to run to T-Bend to enjoy this level of action. Fact is, just about every reservoir across north and central Louisiana - as well as Mississippi and Texas - experiences this phenomena.

During summer, threadfin shad are often in deep water the entire day. But when water temperatures drop below 80 degrees, they begin to congregate toward the surface, especially in the late afternoon. Some attribute this to a secondary spawn. Others attribute to the fact that turnover reduces oxygen across the water column, and shad being intolerate of low oxygen, head to the surface.  Even others attribute it to an increase in plankton production.  Most likely it's all of the above.

What I do know is that when bass begin keying in on shad they become very selective.  The fly has to look like a shad to have much success.  I've always done well with Clouser Minnows, Coma Cocahoes, Whitlocks' Sheep Shad, and The Amnesia Fly when it came to submergent patterns.  For topwater, it's been Walt's Foil Pencil Popper and the Crease Fly.

I became a believer in the Crease the first time I saw it in action.  My friend and nationally renowned fly angler Nick Curcione came to visit, and due to weather, we canceled a marsh trip and went bass fishing instead.  I never got outfished on my home water, but Nick really put it to me that day!  

Joe Blados of Long Island, New York, created the Crease Fly some 26 years ago.  He explains in his book, "Innovative Saltwater Flies", that making balsa poppers was time-consuming and messy.  So he got the idea to use sheet foam, crease it over a hook, and use glue or epoxy to bond the sides together.

Blados discovered that unlike a popper, his creation made little plop when stripped. But instead had greater side-to-side action and as a result, more strikes.

Doc Andry with one of countless
bass taken on his Crease flies

In Louisiana, the Crease Fly had no greater ambassador than my good friend, Kevin "Doc" Andry (aka, "MusicDoc").  A nationally-awarded band director, Doc has gone on to master deer hair tying and is now, IMHO, one of the ten best deer hair tiers in America. But he still ties a gorgeous Crease Fly now and then. 

The materials required include a Gamakatsu B10S size 2 hook, white sticky foam found at most hobby stores, Lame fabric in “tissue” silver or gold, craft fur or bucktail and stick-on eyes.

The first step is to create a teardrop-shaped form that will be used to cut out identical shapes of sticky foam.  Put the form on a sheet of sticky foam, trace the form out, and cut out that shape.  Pull the backing off the sticky foam piece and attach a cut square of Lame fabric to the foam. This is the “crease piece.”

Wrap a thread base on the hook and tie in a tail of craft fur or bucktail. The tail should be no longer than the hook shank.

The next step is Doc’s improvement: He ties in a small rectangle piece of foam on top of the hook shank, closer toward the eye. This gives more surface area for the crease piece to bond to, and it adds more buoyancy to the front of the fly.   With this addition, the fly floats higher in the front than in the back. When the fly is stripped, it dips and darts like a Zara Spook.

Next, take the crease piece and add drops of Super Glue gel to the side opposite the fabric. Fold it over the top of the hook and pinch the sides down. Doc suggests using a tiny clamp instead of fingers.

The Lame tissue fabric emulates scales of a baitfish. You can use permanent markers to add color to the tops and sides.

Stick-on eyes come last.  To protect the eyes and body, use a coat of a clear water-based exterior acrylic (e.g., Delta Ceramcoat) or 30-minute epoxy. Another option is a UV-based epoxy. 

When we lived in Baton Rouge, our 7-acre neighborhood lake had large schools of threadfin shad that would surface starting in late September.  One of my favorite lures on commie tackle was a suspending lure - a gold Countdown Rapala to be exact.  

Doc advised me to try and use lead around the shank on a couple Crease Flies to imitate the Countdown Rapala. I was impressed with the results, and continue to experiment with this variation.

I once asked Alex Beane, former manager of the Orvis in Baton Rouge, why he converted most of his topwater offerings in the store to Crease Flies.  

Alex said that it was easier to cast than balsa or Styrofoam poppers and better for novice fly anglers looking to get into the thrill of topwater action. He also noted that for expert casters, a size 2 Crease Fly could be cast with as light as a 5-weight rod.  Both good reasons why Crease Flies have broad appeal.

These much above-average temperatures of late are only prolonging the inevitable. Sometime - hopefully soon - the shad will take to the surface, the bass will be there to greet them.  And hopefully, I'll be there to greet the bass.

Louisiana releases first stocking of redfish

30 day old juvenile redfish. 
Photo courtesy of Gena Lyons & USFWS

Over this past week, over 150,000 hatchery-raised red drum were released into Louisiana waters, marking the first redfish stocking in state history.  The releases were conducted by CCA Louisiana, the Recreational Fisheries Research Institute (RFRI) and the Lousiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

The fingerlings were raised at the Gulf Coast Research Lab at The University of Southern Mississippi, and released at West Cove near Sabine Wildlife Refuge, the Rigolets and at Grand Isle.  At each location, the fingerlings were first acclimated to local water temperature and salinity before being released.

According to CCA and LDWF, the purpose of the stocking is to enhance Louisiana's redfish population, which has been on the decline for a decade.  New regulations were passed in 2024, which narrowed the slot size, reduced the daily limit from 5 to 4, and eliminated the harvest of redfish over 27 inches.  However, several conservation groups supported a lower 3-fish limit since modeling showed that recovery of the spawning stock under a 4-fish limit would be 2 to 3 times longer.  

According to Randy Pausina of RFRI, using genetic identification, strategic release sites and long-term monitoring, they will be able to measure how many of these fish survive, and what level of contribution they make to the spawning stock.

Not everyone was impressed. Tony Friedrich, President of American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA), quickly pointed out that studies in Texas and elsewhere, where millions of fingerlings have been stocked annually for many years, have shown that only 2 percent of hatchery-raised redfish make it into the breeding population.

Glen Cormier, Conservation Director for the Fly Fishers International (FFI) Gulf Coast Council, referred to this as a "band aid" solution.  "We don't have a 'catch' problem, we have a 'breeding' problem. Hatcheries are pivotal in that they provide opportunities for anglers in ecosystems where there would be little or no viable fisheries.  But never in history have they been more effective than an existing wild population."

Things are about to get interesting...

What's up with tungsten - other than price?

Ask any fly tier about what's happening with tungsten beads, and they will give you an answer that might include expletives.  The price for a 20 pack of beads using this dense, non-toxic material has risen almost 220 percent in the past year.  This is in response to the price of the mineral itself rising from an historical average of about $750 per metric ton (up until March  2025) to a peak of $2800 in February of this year.

For fly anglers, the use of tungsten beads for beadhead flies allows them to sink quickly, yet maintain a smaller profile.  This is critical when fishing moving waters, where the trout,  smallmouth or other species might hold to the bottom.  Hundreds of popular patterns like the Zebra midge, Perdigon, Countach, and Rio Bandito were originated with tungsten beads.  Countless brass beadhead patterns now use tungsten when needed for deeper water use.  

Tungsten is twice as dense as lead, and 2.4 times as dense as brass.  Lead wire was the top material for constructing "deep flies" for decades but because of restrictions across many waters in the U.S. and elsewhere, lost favor.  In addition, the rise of beadhead flies resulted in use of harder materials like brass and tungsten.  There are other non-toxic alternatives, like bismuth alloys, but they can be equally expensive.  

So what's really happening with tungsten?  Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, and is critical for military and aerospace applications, and in particular, for the use of electronics in AI data centers.  And yet, nearly 80 percent of the world's supply comes from China.  Not because the rest of the planet has so little and China has so much, but because it was always much cheaper to buy from companies in that country than to mine it domestically.  In fact, the US has not mined tungsten since 2015.

This fact has not escaped the Chinese.  In the race for AI dominancy, their government has now capped the export of this valuable mineral - thus resulting in worldwide shortage and soaring commodity prices.

Realizing the strategic need for more domestic tungsten production, yesterday the Department of War announced a $450 million investment in The Elmet Group, the only US-owned producer of tungsten and molybdenum materials.  The investment is expected to reopen tungsten mines in Nevada, as well as create high paying manufacturing and tech jobs in Michigan and Maine.  

In response to yesterday's news, tungsten prices fell 17 percent.  But before fly tiers rejoice over possible lower prices, they should remember that one of their favorite materials is in direct competition with the AI Data Center market.  It's doubtful we'll see (somewhat) cheap tungsten beads anytime in the near future.  

With that in mind, tiers might want to recycle the beads off of worn flies rather than chunk the entire fly into the trash can.  

Mark your calendar for these Fall regional events

Toledo Bend Rendezvous features top tiers 
from across the region

Fall is a very busy time in the Bayou State: football, dozens of festivals, and even a few events featuring fly fishing and/or fly tying.  Those include club fishing trips (members only) but also some that are open to the public.  

Here are some coming up in the next few months:

Sept. 19 – Flies & Pies Fly Tying Event, LA Sports Hall of Fame Museum, Natchitoches, LA. Admission charge for non-tiers. Casual fly tying event hosted by the ArkLaTexOma Fly Tiers. It’s the same weekend as the world famous Meat Pie Festival so there’s plenty of activities for non-fishing person in your life. For more info, go to www.arklatexomaflytyers.com .

Sept. 26 – National Hunting and Fishing Day. NHFD is recognized by Congress as the last Saturday in September each year. Several states hold festivities, including Louisiana. LDWF holds celebrations at four venues statewide. Admission is free. There are hands-on activities for all ages, plus exhibits, food, and more. The Woodworth and Baton Rouge venues have fly fishing and fly tying supported by local clubs. For details, go to www.wlf.louisiana.gov .

Oct. 3 – Rio Grande Rumble. Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers, it’s the oldest freshwater fly fishing tournament in the South. The target species is the Rio Grande Cichlid. Pre-registration is now open, and onsite registration is available. Weigh-in and other activities will be held at Lafreniere Park in Metairie. Registration fee $30, includes lunch and refreshments. Benefits Casting for Recovery – Southeast. For details and to pre-register, visit the NOFFC website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com .

Oct. 10 – 11 – The Gathering , Millican Reserve, College Station, TX. 8:00am – 3:00pm. This gathering of casting instructors is hosted annually by Good Fly and the FFI Texas Council. It’s an opportunity for anyone who instructs to spend a day sharpening their casting and instructing skills. Lunch provided.  On Saturday, from 2pm to 7pm, there’s a pre-gathering fishing and socializing for Gathering registrants at a local lake. This activity includes dinner and drinks.   Spots are limited and fill quickly. For details or to register, go to www.goodfly.org

Nov. 6 – 8 – Toledo Bend Rendezvous, North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, LA. A tradition for over three decades, fly tiers and other fly fishing enthusiasts from across several states – along with their families – gather for a casual weekend of fly tying and fishing with only a minimal fee to cover lodging and meals. Some are members of clubs, some are not. Rendezvous is open to all!

There are no organized activities. Everyone is welcome to come fish, tie flies, watch some of the region’s top tiers, or tie themselves. You can come for the day or the entire weekend. If you come as a family, the rate for the entire weekend for the whole family or individual is just $40 which includes lodging. For one night lodging, the fee is $20 and for day only the fee is $10. For details, go to the Toledo Bend Rendezvous website at:
https://rendezvousannually.blogspot.com .

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In addition to these events, there are a few smaller events such as club casting clinics, and outside events like Sugar Day in Alexandria where the Kisatchie Fly Fishers will demonstrate fly tying. Check our Calendar Page for all activities in your area. 

August is here, and what that means

Spanish are active in the surf

1. The last full month of SweatFest ... the festival no one likes to celebrate. It's fairly common for us to have several days this month with heat index at or over 110. So stay hydrated and limit your time outdoors if possible. Also be aware that water temperatures are at their highest of the year, and several strains of aquatic bacteria are active. Especially on the coast where we've had 9 cases of vibrio in Louisiana so far in 2026 (above average).  So bring an antibacterial and treat any cuts or wounds immediately.

2. Closer to the Gulf, the better it gets.  The interior marshes offer limited action unless you enjoy catching hordes of ladyfish and sailcats.  The water is simply too hot.  On the plus side, August is the best time for catching pelagic species like jacks, spanish and king mackeral, and bluefish either nearshore, in passes, or  in lower bays.   Bull reds are making their spawning run and big schools can be found in passes or lower bays.  At night, there's tons of 10-12 inch white trout under lights.  In two months, these fish will be 12-14 inches, so I'm holding off until then.     

3. Lake fishing windows are narrow.  Lake surface waters are hot (upper 80s) so the peak times to fly fish are at night and in the very early hours of morning.  Here on the home lake, the bass are feeding on threadfin shad and small bluegill from first light to about 8:00 am, and after that it's deader than Elvis (assuming Elvis is really dead!).  There's decent action on bluegill, but they tend to be smaller and thinner than the ones caught in Spring or in October.

4. Rivers are an exception.  In August and September, rivers are at their low stages and usually run fairly clear.  In the past, I've enjoyed excellent fishing on the Red River, Atchafalaya River, and Mississippi River, and their oxbows and immediate distributaries.  These waters have cooler temperatures, therefore higher oxygen levels.  For bass, one location that was always golden for me this time of year were the canals and waterways off the Intracoastal Canal near Houma. 

5. It's peak hurricane season - now through September.  NOAA has revised their original prediction for 2026 after confirmation that the strong El Nino in the eastern Pacific will persist for the next several months.  The new estimate is 9 named storms (average is 14.4),  4 hurricanes (average is 7.2), and 1 major hurricane Cat 3 or above (average is 3.2).  So far, we've had only two named storms, with Tropical Storm Bertha hitting southeast Louisiana with minor impact, mostly coastal flooding.  While the update is good news, when Gulf water temperatures are this high, storms can intensify rapidly once they form.

6. Football season kicks off. Louisiana fly anglers love their football just slightly less than they do their fishing.  Saints preseason games start August 15th against the Jaguars.  Fall practice for colleges and high schools start the second week of the month.  This year, there are no Week 0 (August 29th) games for Louisiana college teams, but no one is complaining about having games in August. 

2026 State of Fishing: Fly fishing steady, but concerns loom

Last week at ICAST, the American Sportfishing Association - along with the Outdoor Foundation - released its annual survey of fishing participation in the United States. The report comes out each year during or just prior to ICAST, the world's largest fishing trade show.  

It should be noted that previously this report was prepared by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) which lost its federal funding in 2025.  RBFF and it's associated organization, Take Me Fishing, had been funded by the excise tax we pay every time we purchase fishing or hunting equipment.

The 2026 Special Report on Fishing details participation trends in overall fishing, saltwater fishing, fly fishing and other areas of our sport based on licenses, surveys, tackle sales and many other metrics from the previous year (in this case, 2025).  The survey counts anyone ages 6 and over who fished at least one time during the calendar year. 

Overall trend. Participation declined slightly from 57.9 million in 2024 to 57.0 million. This marked only the second decline in 13 years. And in fact, in the last decade (2015-2025), participation has grown 25 percent. The participation rate is 18 percent, just under the all time high of 19 percent. However, the number of anglers who fished more than 11 times per year continues on a slow but steady decline. This despite 39 percent of respondents describing themselves as "avid" anglers.

Youth participation ages 6 to 12 declined slightly to 7.4 million, while ages 13 to 17 increased slightly from 5.2 to 5.4 million.   Among minorities, black participation reached an all-time high at 5.9 million. Hispanic participation continues to break new records. In the past decade, this group has gone from 3.4 million anglers to 6.9 million. Women anglers dropped very slightly, from 21.3 to 21.1 million, but still an impressive number from the 15.7 million only a decade ago.

Fly Fishing.  Our sport remained somewhat steady with 7.9 million  participants in 2025 compared to 8.0 million the year before. Fly fishing had been growing at roughly 2.2 percent since 2010 (5.5 million anglers).  While there were significant numbers of new fly anglers, this segment - like all other types of fishing - suffers greatly from a high "churn rate" - the percentage of anglers who leave the sport compared to first-time anglers.  

While numbers remain strong, activity is on the decline. Only 3 percent of fly anglers fish more than once a week in 2025 compared to 6 percent a decade ago. Only 18 percent make more than 11 days fly fishing per year, also on a downward trend.  

If there's good news in the fly fishing sphere it's that female numbers continue to grow. Of the 8 million fly anglers, a whopping 21 percent were female first timers.  Women now make up 31 percent of all flyfishers. Hispanic participation also continues to grow with 14 percent, while African-American numbers continue to lag at 12 percent. 

By age, the distribution is quite even, with age group 25-34 making the largest segment at 19 percent, followed by group 35-44 at 14 percent.  Historically, fly fishing has the highest income and highest education levels, and again, there was basically no change from 2024. Nearly 54% of longrodders have income of $50k or more, and 51% have some college or college degree. 

Since revamping the regional participation metric (fewer regions), in 2024, it's been difficult to do historical comparisons here. However, it does appear that the South region continues to grow, while the Northeast region continues to decline. The South region - Virginia to Texas - accounted for 40 percent of all fly anglers, and 52 percent of all saltwater fly anglers.

The Leaky Bucket.  At ICAST, Stephanie Vatalaro of Wave Maker Strategies went into detail about the "Leaky Bucket" that is of great concern to the industry. It should be pointed out that Ms. Vatalaro was with RBFF for many years, so her analysis was consistent with previous work that RBFF provided the industry.  

Earlier we mentioned the "Churn Rate". This is the percentage of anglers who joined or continued fishing compared to those who quit the sport. For example, in 2024 we had 57.9 million anglers. For 2025, we had 18 million new or returning participants. However we LOST 19 million anglers.  The Churn Rate was therefore 33 percent.  

As Ms. Vatalaro pointed out, if we could keep even a third of those lost anglers, we would've had many more anglers in 2025.  While many of us are happy with less competition on the water, for the industry it's loss of potential sales. For some businesses in these economic times, it's the difference between staying open or closing doors.  The reasons for the Leaky Bucket are many, and include: death or illness, loss of job or other life event, or simply a case of not enjoying the sport. 

However, with fly anglers the biggest obstacle to retention remains lacking success with basic skills. For example, the failure to make a consistently decent cast, or determine what leader to use or what fly to use, etc.. This results in many folks taking up the sport and then dropping it the next year. This is why the Churn Rate in fly fishing is higher than other types of fishing. 

At some point, we'll go into more detailed discussion on the Leaky Bucket and what the causes are, and what can be done to remedy.  

New regulations coming for Atchafalaya Watershed

Starting August 1, 2026, new recreational fishing regulations for black bass and crappie will take effect in portions of the Atchafalaya Basin and adjacent waterbodies in south-central Louisiana.  

Unlike most fishing regulations - which are implemented by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission - these were initiated through Senate Bill 111 by Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter during the 2026 legislative session.  SB111 passed both chambers by unanimous votes and was signed into law by Gov. Landry.

The following regulations will apply to all waters within the designated area indicated below:

Black bass (incl. Largemouth, Florida, Spotted and hybrids)

•  Daily Creel Limit: 5 fish
•  Minimum length: 12 inches

Crappie (incl. Black, White, and hybrids)

•  Daily Creel Limit: 25 fish
•  Minimum length: 8 inches

Major waterbodies within the area of regulation change include, but are not limited to:  Henderson Lake, Pat's Bay, Alabama Bayou, Grassy Lake, Lake Verret, Lake Palourde, and the majority of the Atchafalaya Basin.

The area covered by the new regulations is within the area south of US 190 from the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee to the intersection of LA 1 and US 190 due north of Port Allen, east of the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee from US 190 to US 90, north of US 90 from the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee to LA 20, north and west of LA 20 from US 90 to LA 1 in Thibodaux, south and west of LA 1 from LA 20 to US 190.

Anglers utilizing any boat launch within the regulated area must be in compliance with the new regulations regardless of where their fish were caught.

Areas outside of the designated area will maintain the statewide regulations for black bass and crappie which continue to be:

Black Bass - 10 daily creel, no minimum size limits
Crappie - 50 daily creel, no minimum size limits

Full recreational fishing regulations can be viewed on the LDWF website.