The 2026/2027 Southwest Louisiana duck season dates are officially set, and our books are now open at Hackberry Rod & Gun!
WEST ZONE
Youth & Veterans:November 7 First Split:November 14–December 6 Second Split:December 19–January 24
Duck season is our favorite time of year around here, and we’re already looking forward to getting back into the marsh!
Whether you’re coming down for a morning duck hunt or want the full experience with one of our Blast & Cast packages, now is the time to get your dates on the calendar.
Popular weekends and prime dates tend to fill up quickly, so give our office a call at (888) 762-3391 to reserve your hunt.
We can’t wait to share another season with you and make some memories that’ll last a lifetime!
After another great week of fishing here at Hackberry Rod and Gun, it is safe to say that the fall bite is in full effect. Without breaking a sweat (literally), many of our crews throughout the week returned to the dock with full coolers and action to brag about. The trout bite has provided consistent action with many nice keeper sized speckled trout and sand trout caught under birds and on the reefs. Baits such as a downsouth lure or lil’ john on a jig head and Marker 54 shrimpletts under a cork have done the trick. Redfish in the slot have been spotty to say the least, but the bull reds schooling on bait under birds has definitely filled the gaps. Anything except a bait tied to a popping cork will work, because while one red is eating your bait, another one is eating your cork, and you end up with a Bluetooth leader line! This time of the year is what every sportsman in SWLA lives for! The fishing is good, the weather is great, and duck season is so close we can smell it. So, give us a call at (888) 762-3391 or visit Book a Trip to come enjoy an experience like no other.
And as always… ” Ya Shoulda’ Been Here Yesterday!”.
One reason Calcasieu Lake can support so many different fishing patterns is its habitat diversity within a relatively compact system. An angler can move between marsh drains, shallow flats, oyster reefs, open lake, deep channels, jetties, and Gulf-influenced water without leaving the greater estuary.
We have boats available so call (888) 762-3391 and come see what Hackberry Rod & Gun Club is all about!
To check out our complete photo gallery on our website, click HERE.
Excerpts from “Louisiana’s Hackberry Rod and Gun Club’s Secret Cookbook”
By Terry and Martha Shaughnessy
Those of you that have been coming around HR&G long enough (some probably longer than I’ve been alive) might remember the cover of this book. To my surprise, after coming into the office from fishing one day, I noticed this book sitting on the counter with a note attached to it with my name on it. A good friend of mine, Mr. Buddy Oakes, dropped it off for me to check out and later instructed me to not get too fond of it, because he will need it back!
I wanted to dedicate a section of the MMU for the next couple of weeks to some of the excerpts that are written in the book by Mr. Terry Shaughnessy. I never got to meet him, but occasionally I get to hear stories about him from “seasoned” individuals, guides, friends, and guests. Although everyone’s stories are great, this book has some articles written in it by Mr. Terry that would feel criminal to not share on this platform. I hope that y’all enjoy these as much as I did and feel like you got to know Terry Shaughnessy, the founder of Hackberry Rod and Gun, a little better today.
CALCULATING THE COST OF BUYING A BOAT
I once heard a man say how his wife was always trying to be the boss of the house. He said she let him buy a good fishing boat, a couple of rods and reels, and get the new fishing tackle that comes out each year… so he figured, what the hell, let her be
boss.
Choosing the right fishing equipment is probably one of the hardest and most confusing issues that modern man has to face each spring. I have, no doubt, spent more money on fishing equipment-boats, rods and reels, and baits than I should ever admit. Every year before the new fishing season starts, I buy the new baits that catch my eye. I love to fish spoons, so I buy them by the handful, yet I’ve found that only three of them really catch fish for me consistently. That makes no difference though—the new ones look so good.
How about topwater baits? Nothing is more exciting than catching trout and reds on topwater baits. I use two that never fail: tiny torpedoes and the floating mirror lure, yet I buy anything that floats.
Don’t you love to go to the boat shows and look at the new models? Boats for skiing, boats for the marsh, boats that will take you from here to Mexico and back on one tank of fuel. Of course, the gas bill alone on some of them would pay the national debt. Anyone who has ever owned a boat will tell you the two happiest moments in their life were when they bought the boat and when they sold it—so they could get the boat they really wanted. As of this time, I’ve had six different types of boats and I’ve had the same feelings with each one. Some of the boats were too small or too big, some were too rough or you got too wet. A couple drew too much water and I couldn’t fish the marsh and shallow water.
When you buy a boat, it’s a good idea to keep a few things in mind-only show the boat to your wife the day she’s had her hair done and is real happy with the way it’s cut, she’s had a good night’s sleep and, even better, if she slept in late and, of course, you happened to take her out to dinner the night before. explain to her the advantages of owning a boat: the family can go out together on the water, right after you and your fishing buddy get
all the bugs worked out of it.
Choosing the right fishing rod is always challenging and fun. l use six and seven foot rods in my business: fast tips and as light as I can find, so I can cast all day and not have my arm fall off.
I found out that the fast tip allows me to land bigger fish because it gives me more time to react. Rods that don’t have fast tips are not very forgiving for any mistake you make in putting pressure on the fish. They have a habit of pulling the hooks out of a big trout’s mouth.
Stop and think how many big fish you have lost due to the hooks being pulled out; there’s a chance your rod was too stiff and did not react quickly enough to the fast movement of the fish.
Reels that I put on these rods all have one thing in common-drag systems that are extremely smooth. I use both spinning and bait casting types. Each has its own strong points. I use a medium light freshwater “MagForce” bait casting reel which has a great drag system and holds better than 125 yards of 10 pound test. I’ve had it stripped a few times over the years and I’ve always felt if a fish could take all my line, hell, let him go. He would be too tough to eat anyway. The other reel I use is an open-faced type with a fighting drag system. It’s a great fun reel for those of us who want to really fight a fish on ultra—light tackle. I landed a 25 pound drum on it last year, and it darn near killed me.
The advantage of this type of reel is that it lets you fish very light baits. Also, you get to change your fishing arm when it’s tired. Both of these reels have the fast retriever-five to one which sure saves on muscle. Last, but not least, is your landing net. Remember why you bring a landing net in the first place; it’s not for the little fish. I have a landing net that will land with ease any fish up to 30 pounds. I don’t need a net for the small ones.
I’ve seen lots of good fish get away from people who didn’t have a big enough landing net for their trophy fish, so keep it in mind when you buy your landing net—get one that will land a very big fish, and remember one thing when you go fishing-“Ya shoulda been here yesterday.”
The Dock Shop
Come on by the Hackberry Mall and pick up a gift for that special someone in your life. We have a variety of items to choose from including Florida Fishing Reels, Costa Sunglasses, Olukia Shoes and flip flops, Ranger Turtlebox speakers and many other items.
Call or email Pauline at dockshop@hrandg.com if you would like to place an order to be shipped or if you would like to purchase a gift card to bless someone that has an upcoming trip. Thank You for your business!
BE SURE TO VISIT OUR ONLINE 24/7 CAMERAS EVERYDAY LOCATED ON OUR DOCK. TUNE IN AND TAKE A LOOK AT OUR CUSTOMERS DAILY CATCHES AS THET RETURN TO THE DOCK. BEST TIME IS USUALLY 11:00A.M. UNTIL 3:30 OR SO. CHECK IT OUT.
