A is for ASIAN carp or feral hogs, which invasive species is despised more in the Sportsman’s Paradise? The Asian carp overrun our waters, drive away native fish, eat everything as they scour the bottom and pose a hazard when they leap out of the water. Feral hogs, located in every parish in the state, destroy the environment, consume all available food, from acorns to fawns and spread disease. My vote: Equally hated.

B is for BUSCH Light, a sponsor of Bassmaster Elite Seres angler Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas. Naturally, Livesay, one of the sport’s rising stars and a great personality, and his buddies imbibe in Busch Light. I smile when I see that wrapped logo on his boat. Best of luck in ’23, Lee. We are kindred spirits, although my chosen adult beverage is Busch. And, heck, do you know the hops of choice for our own Ray Escuriex, who celebrated his 90th birthday last Jan. 21? His cake was decorated with the image of a Busch beer can in a shirt pocket. Beautiful.

C is for COTEAU sac-a-lait fisherman Chad Romero, who fished the Crappie Masters All-American Trail National Championship on Sept. 23-24 at Grenada Lake in Mississippi. Romero and his fishing buddy Nick Menard of Coteau qualified for the big event by finishing third on the highly competitive Crappie Masters Louisiana State Trail. Romero plans to return to nationals and put crappie on the scale in 2023, something he was unable to do in September.

D is for DUCK hunts Nov. 14-15 with GatorTail’s Kyle Broussard, his father, Blaine Broussard, both of Loreauville, and “The Fowl Life” host Chad Belding of Sparks, Nevada. They weren’t typical duck hunts in the marsh near Pecan Island. Two cameramen chronicled both days of duck hunting for a show on The Outdoor Channel.

E is for EUGENE Island 51, site of the 32nd artificial reef project installed by the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana. An estimated 300-400 pieces of concrete and the same amount of concrete pipeline weights from Roadrock Recycling Inc. in New Iberia were dropped from a barge June 21 on the site 21 miles from Marsh Island.

F is for FOR goodness sakes, when will dredging get underway to deepen the channel between Charenton Lake and Taylor’s Point/G.A. Cut? There were reliable reports early last year it was supposed to happen but they never materialized. A golden opportunity was frittered away with the Atchafalaya River so low August through November.

G is for GOODBYE, perhaps permanently, to the Kay-Cee Saltwater Fishing Rodeo. A Kay-Cee fishing rodeo official announced the first week of May the Labor Day Weekend event would be canceled in 2022. The 61st (and possibly last) annual fishing rodeo was held in September 2021.

H is for HYDRILLA at Toledo Bend. After disappearing from 2013 to 2020, it’s back. And what a beautiful sight it was to see, thick and green, in October at Toledo Bend while bass fishing in Housen Creek with my son, Jacob. The bass were in it, too, suckers for our Super Bait Buzz Baits. Reports indicate hydrilla has resurfaced, so to speak, in most areas. Compare that to a 2013 study that showed 8,841 acres, or 9 percent, coverage on the Louisiana side compared to 760 acres, or 0.8 percent, in 2020. The ratio was just as bad on the Texas side.

I is for IT appears the Association of Louisiana Bass Clubs Best Six Bass Fishing Championship will be a thing of the past. Taking its place, in all likelihood, is the Bass Clubs State Championship. Louisiana’s state tournament is scheduled March 11 at Toledo Bend. The New Iberia-based Louisiana Bass Cats, for one, have expressed interest in joining the new venture. It’s a shame to see the demise of the Best Six, formerly the prestigious Louisiana Top Six hosted by the ALBC and Bayou Bassmasters of Alexandria.

J is for JOJA (pronounced jah-jay). The young pup, a Christmas present from our sons 15 years ago, became a loyal and protective pet. JoJa (name derived from first two letters of our sons Joshua and Jacob) tolerated a young newcomer within a year and co-existed with the lovable mutt before Matti died in my arms at 14 ½ years old on Oct. 9, 2021. JoJa, whose health deteriorated over the next several months, collapsed April 16, then died on her big, favorite pillow the next day in the wee hours of the morning, Easter Sunday.

K is for KAYAK fisherman Scott Mulcher of Jupiter, Florida, who was fishing a live bonito in bluewater May 23 off Azuero Peninsula in Cambutal, Panama. A 600-pound black marlin ate the bonito, got hooked and towed Mulcher one mile before getting “leadered” to count as a catch in less than 45 minutes. It was extreme fighting, er, fishing at its best in the Pacific Ocean.

L is for LOUISIANA High School B.A.S.S. Nation and other prep bass fishing circuits that give young bass anglers a chance to showcase skills and fish tournaments. The Teche Area boasts its share of the best in the state on fishing teams at Catholic High School and Erath High School. How popular is high school bass fishing? After a B.A.S.S. national championship tournament in August 2022, B.A.S.S. pointed to a 724 percent increase in the number of clubs and high schools competing.

M is for MORE shark encounters in the Atchafalaya Basin. Tim Choate of Youngsville, formerly of New Iberia, was bass fishing with his son, Eben, and daughter, Phebe, July 29 in a borrow pit near Verdunville Boat Landing. On one end of the fishin’ hole water exploded as a carp jumped in a futile attempt to escape the jaws of a shark. Blood boiled. After the Choates fished to the other end there was more commotion, then a shark bit a carp in half. Choate said his children want to fish for the shark(s). A previous encounter happened in July 2018 when Eric and Ali Provost of New Iberia caught and released a shark on a jug line in the G.A. Cut near Myette Point.

N is for NEW YEAR’S resolutions. Mine include catching my first-ever bass via a drop shot rig, a shaky head, a tube jig, a Ned rig and a Neko rig. Got my first one on a Tokyo rig this past summer in the Atchafalaya Basin.

O is for OH so proud to know that one of our own, Kirk Sieber, a St. Martin Parish resident and co-founder of the local Sugar Chapter of CCA-Louisiana, has been named to the conservation organization’s Hall of Fame.

P is for POGEY commercial fishing problems along Louisiana’s coast. Many sport fishermen believe stricter regulations on where pogey boats can harvest should be considered before any proposed restrictions on the harvest of speckled trout and redfish.

Q is for QUICK thinking helped save a 7-year-old girl who fell out of a capsized boat May 7 and wound up under the vessel within sight of the beach at Grand Isle. Acadiana outdoorsmen Brock Pellerin and Craig Hebert and Grant Hebert used their ATV to take a LDWF Enforcement Division agent to his two vehicle and boat, then helped him launch in time to save the girl. Pellerin and the Heberts received LDWF Citizens Meritorious Service Award plaques June 2.

R is for REACTION to the exploits of Buck 140, a tagged and GPS collared deer in southwest Mississippi that made two round trips to eastern Louisiana from 2020 to 22. One way is 18 miles, including crossing the Mississippi River.

S is for SPECKLED TROUT decision. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted 5-0 on Oct. 6 to reduce the daily creel limit to 15 and increase the minimum length limit to 13 ½ inches. Commissioners based their decision on two-plus years of studies by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Local and state reaction definitely leaned against the NOI. If nothing changes it will become law in 2023.

T is for THREE-fish daily creel limit on red snapper for recreational fishermen was a welcome change in 2022. For many years the limit was two.

U is for UNBELIEVABLE but true story: Former New Iberia resident Mike Walker, who retired as an LDWF fisheries biologist in 2014 and moved to Toledo Bend, found a cellphone dropped March 26 out of a helicopter at 1,000 feet into woods along Cypress Bend Resort, where he loves to play golf. The woman who lost it contacted the pro shop and sent a screenshot of its location. Walker entered GPS coordinates into his phone and found it in the woods near No. 18.

V is for VIDEO GAME bass fishing … the use of forward facing sonar in bass tournaments big and small. It’s cringe worthy to watch a bass angler fish that way – hunched over, head down, eyes locked on the screen while positioning an artificial lure to bass that can be seen. Critics question how ethical it is. Even the iconic Mike Iaconelli of New Jersey, asked Sept. 19 on his Facebook page “if it’s right or an unfair advantage?” He sought feedback and got plenty, aye and nay. Don’t ask Missouri bass pro Randy Blaukat, who’s against it.

W is for WALLEYE tournament cheating scandal. In a scene that blew up on social media, Jacob Runyan of Cleveland and Chase Cominsky of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, went from tournament partners on their way to an apparent win Sept. 30 to co-defendants in a criminal case after tournament director Jason Fischer slit the bellies of five walleye they weighed. “We got weights in fish!” Fischer shouted in a video and the crowd of fishermen went wild with anger on the edge of Lake Erie. Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley called it “not only dishonorable but also criminal.” The anglers were indicted Oct. 12 on charges of attempted grand theft, cheating, possession of criminal tools and unlawful ownership of wild animals. Each entered a not guilty plea to those fifth-degree felony charges Oct. 26 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

X is for XHILARATION … What I felt after catching and releasing my personal big bass, a 6.85-pounder that smashed a Super Bait Buzz Bait on Oct. 5 in Lake Fausse Pointe’s Big Dogleg.

Y is for YHEC, the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, and the Teche Area’s young outdoorsmen who excel at various disciplines at annual state and national events. Three youngsters, Evan Dupre of Charenton and twins Gavin and Gage Naquin of Centerville stood out in July at the 2022 Central regional YHEC National Championship in Bentonville, Arkansas. Dupre powered Louisiana YHEC’s Gold Junior Team to defense of its national team title while the Naquins helped Louisiana YJEC’s Gold Senior Team to a runner-up finish in the Senior Division.

Z is for ZERO trips to Grevemberg in 2022, my first year ever without a ride to one of my all-time favorite, ultra-scenic bass fishin’ spots in the Spillway. Water conditions never got right in there after the Atchafalaya River dropped to a fishable level and there also was a report from a reliable source of a fish kill in Grevemberg.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.