A is for ALBERTA, Canada, where two Catholic High School seniors took an early senior trip for a memorable duck and goose hunt. After talking about it for four years, close friends Logan Fowler and Austin Lipari went in September with Logan’s father Creig Fowler, his uncle Jerry Fowler, all of New Iberia, and the adults’ friends Todd Landry of New Iberia; Gordon Caffery of Franklin; Neal Begnaud of Broussard, and Pete LaCroix of Katy, Texas.

B is for BUCKET list, which has one less item on it for Rick Gravois of Jeanerette. Gravois, who has a family of ardent hunters and anglers, has macular degeneration, which means he is losing his eyesight. His wish was to kill the third moose of his career and he did in September while hunting in Alaska  with Dr. Stephen Ritter of New Iberia. His third moose, first in 14 years, weighed 1,600 pounds.

C is for CCA, specifically the local Sugar Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association and its over-the-top fundraising banquet that once again set the standard for such events in Louisiana. The Sugar Chapter’s banquet at the Cade Community Center raised $208,000.

D is for DISGUSTING news that another Louisiana black bear was found dead in the Sportsman’s Paradise. The 70-pound juvenile bear was discovered in the woods on the Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge after authorities were notified Dec. 5. A necropsy determined the bear was shot with a bullet in the stomach. Rewards are offered so the slob hunter(s) can be brought to justice for another senseless killing.

E is for EDUCATION, which is what my son Jacob and I got in our rookie season fishing for redfish on the Southcentral Fishing Association tournament circuit out of Quintana Canal Boat Landing at Cypremort Point. We learned so much while fishing with a patient Todd Semar of Lydia, a friend of ours who owns Bulls-Eye Charter Service.

F is for FLYFISHING, an angling method that seems to have faded around here over the years but is still practiced and perfected in some of his most enjoyable moments on the water by Daily Iberian managing editor Jeff Zeringue. There is a calmness about the art that is rewarded by the bite of a bream, redfish or other species.

G is for GREAT move by the Lydia Cancer Association to move its annual fundraising tournament, to July and just change the name a bit to the Anglers Addiction Tournament, removing the former first word August. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate this year for the July 18 evemt that benefits so many people in the area.

H is for HELPLESS, confused and angry over the state of red snapper management in the Gulf of Mexico. Count me and hundreds of other Teche Area outdoorsmen in the number who believe the federal government must get out of the picture and allow states to regulate the recreational harvest. Right now it is a travesty considering the amount of red snapper in the northwest Gulf.

I is for IR&GC Saltwater Fishing Rodeo, which has developed into one of the premier fishing contests in Acadiana. Kudos to the hard-working officials and volunteers from the Iberia Rod & Gun Club who make this holiday weekend event work every year at Cypremort Point. And to the anglers who make it so competitive. 

J is for JACOB Shoopman, my youngest son who wowed the crowd, and me, by weighing in the big bass of the hour for the first two time periods of the Top Rod Big Bass Classic in late April on Lake Dauterive-Fausse Pointe. I’m sure proud of the way he has developed into a top-notch fisherman who loves the outdoors.

K is for KIDS who shoot the first deer of their life. It’s been my pleasure to talk to the people who take them hunting and share that special moment. Those local and area boys and girls, whose smiling faces accompany each story on his or her accomplishment, are the future of hunting.

L is for LETTING 80,000 Florida bass fingerlings go on a stormy day in late May. State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists and their staffers in two specially rigged boats released the bass in borrow pits along the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee on the Lake Fausse Pointe side. I’m sure in a few years some of them will be “hawgs.”

M is for MAKING it work, which is what Jason Foster did as enthusiastic and hard-working chairman of the New Iberia Ducks Unlimited Chapter. First he recruited new volunteers and then helped organize the sponsors banquet in Oct. 20 at The Gouguenheim. In a new twist, the local general membership banquet is scheduled to be held this spring.

N is for NIGHTTIME fishing, a tactic so many local saltwater fishermen use to beat the heat and maddening crowds, especially at fishing rodeo time.

O is for OUTDOORS shows on television. There are some pretty good ones on down here, particularly Sportsman TV, which takes its lead from the Louisiana Sportsman Magazine. That show’s host now is the reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Greg Hackney.

P is for PLASTIC frogs … I believe I didn’t catch a single bass on one of my favorite artificial lures this year while fishing in Lake Dauterive-Fausse Pointe and the Atchafalaya Basin. Perhaps I was using Senkos most of the time but there’s nothing finer than a bite on a plastic frog.

Q is for QUOTABLE quotes that accompany each follow-up story on each saltwater fishing rodeo. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

R is for RANSONET, Phil and his teen-age son Devon, who emerged this year as a formidable father-son fishing team. They finished second in the Louisiana Bass Cats Fish Hell or High Water Open Bass Tournament in July. Devon is learning a lot from one of the top bassers in the Teche Area.

S is for SHOOPMANS, brothers Don, Bill and Keith, getting together in the heart of the Sportsman’s Paradise once again in 2014. The Missourians — Bill and Keith — visit here every two years without fail to sample the great freshwater and saltwater opportunities from the Atchafalaya Basin to Big Lake. We love it. We look forward to it. We thank  friends  here and there who contribute to the outings.

T is for TOP 10 Classic — Here’s hoping a date is scheduled now that bass clubs and other organizations will keep clear on their calendar for the annual competition. It’d be great to urge other bass clubs, such as Bullet Bass Club, Franklin Bass Busters and Lafayette area bass clubs, to compete.

U is for UMBRELLA rigs, which have proven to be effective as bass catchers in local waters and, especially, at Toledo Bend. However, their usage has been outlawed on more pro bass fishing circuits.

V is for V, that unmistakable V of geese flying in formation above the rice fields and marshes of southwest Louisiana. Goose hunters and waterfowl hunting guides like Jack Cousin and Elliott Sale, both New Iberia natives, have seen hundreds of Vs this season, much to their delight.

W is for WEIGHMASTERS, the men with the thankless job at each saltwater fishing contest, particularly rodeos. Hats off to Mackie Boudreaux, a veteran at putting fish on the scales. Boudreaux got a big assist this summer under the pavilion from T.J. Bonin.

X is for X marks the spot for The Pickets, the speckled trout fishing haven at Ship Shoal 26 in the Gulf of Mexico below Cocodrie. The oilfield-related structures and pilings were removed, much to the dismay of hundreds of speckled trout anglers, but an artificial reef, part of a $1.2 million project, was created with the center at 29° 06’ 26.7” N, 91° 03’ 14.8” W.

Y is for “YOU shoulda been here yesterday.” How many times have you realized that when you race to a fishin’ hotspot that has been the talk of the town for only a few days and realize the bite’s over? It’s happened to me plenty of times.

Z is for ZZZZZZZZZs, which I plan to catch on as soon as I type the last word of this column. Happy New Year, everybody!

 

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.