Features from August 2018

  • Bass after dark
    Summer fishing trips are much more productive when you want until the sun sets to hit the water. Here are some nighttime tips for more bass.
  • Shallow-minded bass tactics
    Nature is dynamic, and like a well-composed symphony, its performance comprises multiple complementary elements that rise and fall at the conductor’s direction.
  • Sight in on redfish
    Sight-fishing for bull reds in the Biloxi Marsh gives anglers a chance to hunt and fish at the same time. Capt. Mark Wright explains how.
  • Stick a WMA whitetail
    Choosing a Wildlife Management Area to hunt during Mississippi's archery season can be as simple or as complex as your desired result, from chasing a trophy, putting meat on the table or just enjoying deer encounters.
  • Summer’s slab trio
    Standing on the lower deck of his boat, Torch Tindle paused after unhooking another crappie from his brightly colored jig to reflect on a crappie fishing experience a few summers ago.
  • Welcome back, old friend: The Rez
    In June in a normal year, Gene Bishop of Ridgeland would be looking for a first-place check after catching a five-bass tournament limit weighing 18 pounds on Barnett Reservoir.

Columns - August 2018

  • Bow prep now is time well spent
    As we enter August, early archery seasons are around the corner in many areas.  With that in mind, my thoughts always shift from fishing to bowhunting. It's time to prepare for the season, and what you do now could very well determine outcomes later this fall. 
  • Cajun Cooking is a family affair
    “Tonight we do Cajun,” proclaimed the rugged man’s man with a flourish. “I’m a Coonass — but I’m really half-Italian and half-Cajun. My Momma was a Baldissaro.”
  • Head to the Tombigbee River for August bass

    I like to fish rivers for bass in August, because they always have some current moving, and fish like that. The Tombigbee River that divides Alabama and Mississippi is one of my favorite rivers for August bassing. I’ll start fishing at the Columbus pool and also fish the Aliceville pool.

  • Mister Twister’s Nightcrawler

    Glen Freeman of Zwolle has a new weapon in his bass fishing arsenal. So does Zack Hughes of Quitman, Texas, who boated a 10-plus-pounder on the first day he fished with it at Lake Fork.

  • Time is short
    With deer season just over the horizon, it’s time to do all of that preseason work on trails, stands and weapons.
  • Zebra mussels, friend or foe?

    The population of non-native zebra mussels has recently expanded in the Pickwick Lake and other Tennessee River impoundments. Although we will have to contend with this unwanted invader for a long time to come, some new information suggests zebra mussels may benefit fisheries as well as harm them.

Outdoor Updates - August 2018

  • Wildlife Extravaganza sets the mood
    The symbolic start to the Mississippi hunting season remains the Mississippi Wildlife Federation’s annual Wildlife Extravaganza, which will have its 32nd run Aug. 3-5 at the Trade Mart in Jackson.
  • Youth sets hardhead record
    Every saltwater angler who has logged hours in the shallow of the Gulf of Mexico has caught a hardhead catfish, a bait-stealing scourge with sharp fins that can inflict infectious wounds.

Field Notes - August 2018