Get out – 225’s guide to embracing the great outdoors

[Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part series on outdoor activities in the Greater Baton Rouge area. Our November issue will feature tips from local experts on biking, camping, running and a variety of water sports. If you have a tip or great outdoors location 225 readers should know about, tell us at [email protected].]

Louisiana is aptly named the “Sportsman’s Paradise.” Outdoor adventure-seekers have unmatched opportunity to venture outside and relish the natural beauty found virtually everywhere—Baton Rouge included. The city’s central location allows locals easy access to miles of scenic waterways, stretches of dense wilderness and abundant, well-maintained biking and walking trails, all within a short drive.

Add the extensive and welcoming outdoor community present in Baton Rouge, and it’s easy to get started planning an adventure of your own. Compiled in this issue are recommendations from local and accredited outdoor enthusiasts on when, where and how to enjoy the Red Stick’s great outdoors.

Hunters need not venture far from Baton Rouge to enjoy some of the best Louisiana has to offer. Baton Rouge native Ed Sexton, 63, has been hunting and fishing some of the state’s backwoods since he was a young boy. The seasoned sportsman recommends two public hunting areas near Baton Rouge that offer superb opportunities to harvest wild game: the Sherburne and Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). Maurepas Swamp WMA is made up of more than 100,000 acres of extensive cypress tupelo swamps, offering excellent opportunities to hunt white-tailed deer, small game and wintering waterfowl.

It’s best to have a boat to access the isolated interior of the property, and there are several boat launches throughout the WMA. Access is approximately 40 miles from Baton Rouge south of Gonzales.

Sherburne WMA, located west of Baton Rouge next to the Atchafalaya River in the Atchafalaya Basin, contains 44,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods and cypress tupelo swamps perfect for waterfowl and deer hunting. Tony Vidrine, WMA region manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says deer hunters often enjoy great success on the property each hunting season thanks to a healthy white-tail population and a season that lasts from October to February. The area can be reached from Highway 190 or I-10 and is a short 40-minute drive from Baton Rouge. Just make sure to study the rules and regulations (online at wlf.louisiana.gov/wma) if you’re a first-timer.

With roughly 8,000 square miles of the state covered by water, Baton Rouge anglers have no problem finding a nearby fishing hole in which to cast a line. Mark Mathews, owner of Baton Rouge-based Superior Bait and Tackle (superiortackle.com), recommends the Atchafalaya Basin to catch blue gill, bass and catfish during the waning summer. The closest access point to a public boat launch from Baton Rouge is near Ramah, located across the Atchafalaya Basin levee and under the I-10 overpass (visitiberville.com/recreational_waterways).

Mathews advises anglers to use blue, white and chartreuse Humdinger spinner baits for bass on tree lay-downs and to try for blue-gill and catfish using crickets under a cork. For those without a boat, numerous BREC parks scattered throughout Baton Rouge contain stocked public ponds for use by recreational anglers (brec.org/index.cfm/page/353).

The possibility of catching a stringer of blue-gill and bass can be good on cool summer mornings and evenings using live bait such as crickets or worms. BREC Outdoor Program Coordinator Erin Sullivan says popular parks with good fishing include Perkins Road Community Park Lake, Greenwood Community Park Lake in Baker, and Zachary Community Park Lake. BREC also holds several fishing programs during the year and a fishing rodeo in February (brec.org).

Louisiana’s slow-moving bayous are perfect places to drift among moss-covered cypress while getting the chance to glimpse the unique wildlife that abounds here.

Bayou Haystackers Paddling Club President Rick Hartman recommends a place near Baton Rouge where adventurers can do just that: the Amite River. Paddling here involves little boat traffic, moving water amid dense, tree-lined banks, and the opportunity to view the occasional alligator. Access is via a public boat launch at Fred’s Travel Center in Port Vincent (fredstravelcenters.com) or through private property—with permission.

Gaines Garrett, co-founder of KC Kayaks (kckayaks.com), brings his fishing rods while kayaking on a specialized KC kayak designed for maximum stability while fishing. Garrett recommends False River near New Roads or anywhere in the Atchafalaya Basin for a great fishing and paddling experience.

BREC holds a summer kayaking program called Paddle Up for learners of all ages. For more information on local kayaking, email [email protected].

BREC’s Erin Sullivan hosts Moonlight Paddling at Wampold Beach at University Lake on Stanford Avenue.

“It has been extremely well received. We try to schedule it when there will be a full moon or close to it,” Sullivan says. The paddling events are open to all ages, and there is a fee of $10 per boat.

Look for more outdoors tips from experts and activity ideas in our November issue.