bluemoons

Nice review. I've eaten there quite a few times and generally agree. It's been consistently good. The duck pasta and tripletail are phenomenal. Service has been good at both lunch and dinner each time I've gone.

My minor gripes are that (a) it feels a bit expensive for what it is, and (b) I haven't been crazy about any of the appetizers except for the escargot. I also hope that they start to change their menu up a bit, similar to Del Porto.

Paradise is sweet. The patio will be really nice in the fall when it cools off a bit.

I use Dobyns Champion 733 M for popping corks and topwaters. 702 M for jerk baits and jigs. I have a 702 MH that I use for one specialized rig with heavier weight. That rod doesn't get a whole lot of use.

Some people prefer MH rods for popping corks because of the weight of the overall rig. I just rarely use them and would prefer to fight a trout on a M rod as opposed to a MH.

1. Mirrodine/corky floater
2. Matrix on 1/8oz or 1/4oz depending on depth
3. Topwater. This goes to #1 when conditions allow.

These are just what I like. Everybody has their thing.

That's what I was thinking as well. Just lots of OH NO DON'T DO THAT on Reddit. I may just add some limes to the sauce and can it.

Per Boveda, 3 months in a wooden humidor, and 6+ months in an airtight acrylic humidor. I feel like mine generally last 8 months or so, and I open the humidor fairly often. Just always make sure it's resealed.

I spent about an hour in the garden this afternoon cleaning up and trying to get the plants ready for more production. I’m up to my neck in tomatoes. Had to pick a bunch to prevent cracking. Made 7 quart jars of pickles and going to make some salsa this weekend. My peppers rebounded well after the deer murder. Getting tired of blistered shishitos at this point.

Also still picking trombone squash, regular squash, and zucchini. I think I’m about to pull my squash plants and plant okra.

Need to spray peroxide tomorrow. Plants are definitely showing signs of the constant rain we’ve gotten.

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I have a 5wt and an 8wt. What # leader should I use for my 5wt for bass?

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I just use a few feet 20lb mono and a couple feet of 10-12 (or whatever I have around) mono for tip but I keep it pretty simple. Mono is better for poppers because it floats. If I were taking it more seriously and fishing super clean water with fish on beds or something I’d probably go fluoro.

A 6wt is a lot of rod for bream, even coppernose. Also too much rod for most bass IMO.

If you want one rod to do both, I'd get a 5wt. 5wt is light enough to still be fun on coppernose, but has enough power to throw larger bass flies like bigger poppers or buggers. I bass fish with a 4wt just because it's more fun, but it won't throw larger flies as far as my 5wts will. No need to overcomplicate it really. Just get a decent 5wt combo like this: LINK

I have access to a pond with coppernose in it and they destroy the smaller boogle bugs. Super fun on a 4wt.

Just got back from a week out of the country and the garden is finally starting to produce, though the deer wrecked some of my peppers for the second year in a row. I'm going to have to build a fence prior to next year, or figure something out. This is the second year they ate half of my early pepper crop - both times when I was out of the country :lol:.

Starting to steadily pick jalapenos, gypsy peppers, squash and cucumbers, and have a few tomatoes ripening.

I bought three of them when we built our house just because I felt like they completed the shower, but I rarely use them. If you have hard water, they will also catch calcium because of the inevitable dripping when you shut them off. If I did it again, I'd probably leave them out.

Here is an email I sent to the Committee. Feel free to modify/use for yourselves. Just send an email.


Dear Committee Members,

Good afternoon. My name is XXXXX. I am a lifelong recreational angler in Louisiana writing to express serious concern regarding industrial menhaden (“pogie”) fishing in Louisiana waters, the recent decision by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (“LDWF”) to weaken nearshore buffer protections, and the critical legislation currently before this Committee addressing these issues.

As you are aware, the LDWF Commission recently voted to reduce the nearshore buffer for industrial menhaden vessels from one-half mile to one-quarter mile across much of Louisiana’s coastline. This decision reversed a compromise that had already proven effective and was widely supported by anglers, conservation groups, and the public alike. Rolling back that protection less than two years later, despite overwhelming public opposition, represents a significant step backward. It allows large industrial vessels to operate in shallow waters, directly impacting fragile nursery habitats and increasing bycatch of critical species like redfish, speckled trout, and tarpon. The rollback was also not grounded in any legitimate factual or legal imperative. Towards the end of the commission meeting, Commissioner Sagrera rambled on about the pogie industry potentially “going out of business” as a result of the existing ½ mile buffer zone, when the pogie representatives themselves admitted that the previous year had been a banner year.

Meanwhile, Louisiana’s recreational and charter fishing economy, which depends on those very species, generates far greater long-term economic value for the state than the pogie industry extracting menhaden for fish meal and oil. The recent buffer rollback, combined with the scale of industrial harvesting, sends a clear message that short-term industrial interests are being prioritized over long-term sustainability, ecosystem health, and the interests of Louisiana citizens. Industrial-scale pogie harvesting, particularly in nearshore waters, removes that foundation while simultaneously generating and killing significant bycatch. Studies have shown tens of thousands of breeding-sized redfish and hundreds of thousands of speckled trout are killed annually as bycatch in this fishery. Anecdotally, I have seen thousands of dead redfish in extremely close proximity to pogie boats within sight of Chandeleur Island.

Now, the Legislature now has a clear opportunity to correct course through several important bills under consideration:

• HB 855 (Rep. Orgeron) would restore a science-based buffer by effectively keeping industrial menhaden vessels out of shallow, nearshore waters where they cause the greatest ecological harm. This is a critical step to reduce bycatch of redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, and other key species that Louisiana anglers, guides, and coastal communities depend on.
• HB 757 introduces meaningful accountability by establishing real penalties for buffer zone violations, including escalating fines and potential license revocation. Without enforcement, regulations are ineffective.
• HB 872 would require AIS tracking on all commercial menhaden vessels, ensuring real-time monitoring and preventing unreported violations. Transparency and enforceability are essential to restoring confidence in this fishery, and this bill dovetails into the accountability measures set forth in HB 757.
• HB 886 would require public access to harvest data, reinforcing that Louisiana’s coastal waters are a public resource and that their use should be subject to public accountability. This is a key step in further science-based management, as the existing ½ mile buffer zone on its own provides insufficient protection for menhaden. This will assist the Legislature in future efforts to further curtail the catastrophic effects that the industrial menhaden industry has on Louisiana’s fisheries.
• SB 186 addresses one of the most glaring gaps in Louisiana’s current framework: the absence of harvest limits. Every other menhaden-producing state imposes limits. Louisiana does not. Given that menhaden are a foundational forage species supporting the entire coastal food chain, this lack of limits is both unsustainable and out of step with responsible fisheries management.

Louisiana’s coastal fisheries, including but not limited to the pogie, are a public resource subject to the public trust doctrine. They should be managed with long-term sustainability and accountability—not subject to rapid regulatory reversals that erode public trust and environmental protections. Weakening protections for the benefit of industrial extraction threatens this long-term economic engine in favor of short-term gain. Beyond the ecological and economic concerns, this issue raises fundamental legal and fiduciary obligations under the public trust doctrine. Louisiana’s coastal waters and the fisheries they support are not private assets—they are public trust resources held by the State for the benefit of all citizens. As trustees, both the Legislature and LDWF have an affirmative duty to manage these resources prudently, prevent their depletion, and ensure their long-term sustainability for present and future generations. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Committee to:

1. Support and advance HB 855, HB 757, HB 872, HB 886, and SB 186;
2. Exercise legislative oversight of the LDWF decision to reduce buffer zones;
3. Reinstate and protect science-based nearshore buffers; and,
4. On a go-forward basis, ensure that Louisiana’s menhaden fishery is managed with transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability in mind.

Louisiana’s coastal fisheries are a defining public asset and a cornerstone of its culture and economy. Decisions made now will determine whether these resources are preserved or diminished for future generations. I urge you to act accordingly. The industrial removal of over one billion pounds of menhaden annually from our waters presents a direct threat to the health and sustainability of our ecosystem’s entire food web and thus, our state’s overall economic health. I urge you to act accordingly.

Thank you for your time and consideration.