Exciting New Program for Louisiana Bass Anglers

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 03.06.13

“Where’s the best place to fish for bass?” It’s a common question inquiring minds of Louisiana anglers want to know. And the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will soon be able to provide that information through the launch of their new Louisiana Bass Tournament Program, an organized, mutually beneficial method of collecting bass tournament data.

The program compiles input from clubs and tournament trails, and the data is made available to anyone interested in the status of selected bass fisheries in Louisiana.

An annual report will be generated at the end of each year and made available online. Our 2013 report will be available in early 2014. Results will give anglers a good idea of what they can expect when fishing different lakes and a way to see how they stacked up against other anglers.

Anyone who hosts a bass tournament on Louisiana’s waters can participate, and completing the report card takes just a few minutes. Please contact Chase Chatelain at cchatelain@wlf.la.gov or (318) 748-6914 to request a report card or visit http://www.wlf.la.gov/louisiana-bass-tournament-program for more information.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.