It was opening day in Lacassine Refuge — time to officially kick off spring fishing. The wind and weather kept the number of anglers to the bare minimum. A late-season cold front pushed through just in time for the grand opening, leaving all but a few hardcore fishermen at the house. Most would wait for more warm weather, and less north wind. But not all.
Tray Goodwin and his marsh hawg.
Tray Goodwin was ready and waiting on opening Friday. Lacassine can be tough going when the conditions are not favorable. At the end of the day, Tray had fished hard with nothing to show for it. The front that blew through had given the fish an extreme case of lockjaw. But this young angler was unfazed.
Tray had fully recovered and was raring to return by Sunday. He brought his good luck charm in the person of his girlfriend, and she found a place on the bottom of the boat to try to stay warm. Tray headed into a brisk north wind and he was happy as a pig in slop.
The fish were mostly uncooperative, but it only takes one. A marsh hawg suddenly zeroed in and exploded on Tray’s bait. He set the hook hard, and, suddenly he was not cold anymore. This was a little payback for the pain inflicted by the harsh weather. Tray boated a healthy Lacassine hawg weighing in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and he was smiling.
He also had an absolute double-digit giant hit, but managed to miss the hook. This fish will have Tray coming back for more, hopefully along with warmer temperatures.
Tray’s better half convinced him to head home to a warm house, since he had already scored a lunker worth mounting. He reluctantly cranked up the motor, but vowed to return on another spring day. He was happy just to be there.
The spring turkey season in the great state of Texas opened recently to mixed reviews. With abundant rainfall responsible for greening up the countryside, birds were scarce.
Gus Stacy and Charles Gaspard packed up and headed west to Uvalde, Texas, in search of a Rio Grande turkey. They showed up early to scope out the birds, but didn’t have much luck. The turkeys were few and far between, and prospects were dim.
Gus went on point as a big tom closed the distance. He shouldered his gun at about 35 yards; it was show time, and a single shot rolled the big bird. The mature tom was a good one, and weighed in at more than 20 pounds. Stacy’s bone-chilling kill call could be heard for miles.
Overall, the birds were scarce, with so much green spreading them out. Gus was most grateful for his opening day tom.
It has been a great spring so far for McNeese athletics. Our girl’s softball team represented Cowboy Nation with class in an upset victory over a very solid UL team and put a feather in coach Landreneau’s cap.
The baseball team also beat the Houston Cougars and backed it up with a 2-0 nail biter over the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. Go Pokes!
Great efforts by both teams against all odds. Both are huge wins against some of the best in the country. Support McNeese!
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