(gentle country music) ♪ Riding through the bayou ♪ ♪ Heading for the sky blue ♪ ♪ Back out on the trail again and again ♪ ♪ Talking and hunting and fishing the land ♪ ♪ Time is time well spent ♪ ♪ We'll take you to the delta ♪ ♪ Down to the great wide shore ♪ ♪ So much to see and do ♪ ♪ Mississippi Outdoors ♪ ♪ Mississippi Outdoors ♪ ♪ The great outdoors ♪ - [Announcer] "Mississippi Outdoors" is brought to you in part by the Foundation for Wildlife, Fisheries, Parks, and Marine.

(gentle country music continues) - Welcome to "Mississippi Outdoors."

I'm Amanda Mills.

- And I'm Kevin Meacham.

Thanks for joining us.

- In our first story, we're headed to Lamar County.

- The "Outdoors" crew's going dove hunting at Longleaf Plantation.

- Let's go.

(gentle upbeat country music) (upbeat music) (rifle fire bangs) (upbeat music continues) (rifle fire pops) (upbeat music continues) (music drowns out hunters speaking) (upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music) (rifle fire pops) (rifle fire bangs) (gentle upbeat music continues) (rifle fire bangs) (gentle upbeat music continues) (rifle fire pops) (gentle upbeat music continues) (rifle fire bangs) (rifle fire bangs) (gentle upbeat music continues) (rifle fire bangs) (rifle fire bangs) (rifle fire bangs) (gentle upbeat music continues) (rifle fire bangs) - [Onlooker] Ah.

(upbeat country music) (hunters chattering) - Today on "Mississippi Outdoors," we're dove hunting at Longleaf Plantation.

Little different than the Governor's Hunt, what we do every year, but hey, there's a lot of excitement, a lot of smiles.

This is one of our two dove hunts that we offer a year.

Birds are really flying good this morning for these guys.

These guys are having a real good time.

We see these fathers and sons out here and they're having an awesome time together.

Just so thankful what the good Lord has blessed us with this morning.

(upbeat country music) - It's just peace.

It's quiet.

Getting away from the job, getting away from the stress.

You know, you can just get out there and focus on nature and beautiful thing this country has to offer.

I've been here a few years and I mean, this place is second to none from the service, you know, they put you on the birds.

You're always going to have good luck.

The hospitality is second to none.

It's just, it's a good place away from home that feels like home.

We got plenty of birds.

If you weren't getting 'em, you were probably shooting with your eyes closed, but I got my limit and got out, but it was a good hunt.

(upbeat country music) (rifle fire pops) (upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire pops) (upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire pops) Wing shooting, I mean, it's just a sport, you know?

It's a challenge.

She's Knicks, I've had her for, she's just turned four years old and she's very seasoned dog, you know, it's her second time here and I think she loves doing this more than I do, you know?

But a good working dog and doing what she's bred to do, man.

(upbeat country music) (rifle fire blasts) (upbeat country music) (rifle fire pops) (upbeat country music) - You know, the biggest thing for me on wing shooting is the camaraderie of the hunt.

It's a social hunt, so, you know, I love being a part of that.

I love the experience and the relationship-building that goes along with wing shooting, so it's a great event.

You know, coming to Longleaf is always, when you pull through the gates, it's an immediate relaxation.

The job that Reece and the team do here, from the time you pull in, again, it's a place where you come, a refuge, to spend time with family or customers, or whatever the event is, so when we come to Longleaf, it's about getting away, building relationships, and just having a peaceful place that's top-notch.

(rifle fire pops) (rifle fire pops) (rifle fire pops) (rifle fire pops) - Y'all loaded up?

Y'all ready?

- [Hunter] I don't have any window but I break.

- [Hunter] Uh-huh.

(chuckling) - [Hunter] Want something to drink?

Boys better hurry up.

- I'm trying.

I'm trying.

(hunter laughing) He's gonna kill 'em all before I get ready.

- Here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go.

(rifle fire bangs) Ah!

(rifle fire bangs) Go get it, G. Get that bird, G.

(upbeat country music) Good girl, good girl, good girl.

Good girl, look at that there.

(rifle fire pops) (hunters chattering and laughing) - [Hunter] Man, y'all gotta waylay that bird.

- There you go, man.

Y'all want something to drink?

Yeah, I'll come back and check on ya in a little bit.

(upbeat country music) (engine humming) (rifle fire popping) (rifle fire pops) (upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire popping) (rifle fire popping) (upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire popping) - [Hunter] Come over here.

(rifle fire popping) (upbeat country music continues) Get this bird.

Get that bird.

(rifle fire pops) (upbeat country music continues) Put it up.

Good bird.

(upbeat country music continues) (whistle chirping) (rifle fire bangs) (whistle chirping) (upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire bangs) - [Hunter] Right here.

(upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire bangs) (upbeat country music continues) (rifle fire pops) (rifle fire bangs) (hunters speaking faintly) - Jay, come on.

She finally found that bird I was looking for, for like 30 minutes.

(dog panting) Come on, here, here, here.

Drive.

Good.

Good girl.

Good girl.

(rifle fire bangs) All right, here comes back around.

Look, look, look, look, look.

(rifle fire bangs) Let him get on in here.

Now.

Sweet.

Get 'em in.

Let 'em come in.

(rifle fire bangs) Yep, yep, keep shooting.

(rifle fire pops) Good shot, good shot, good shot.

All right, get ready, get ready, get ready.

Back.

(whistle chirps) - [Hunter] Nice.

- So dove hunting's relatively a newer thing for me, and the wing shooting, so I've been spoiled to come out here and have as much opportunity as we've had the last couple years.

Normally dove hunting, you go sit on the field and just get hot, but out here you actually have birds, so it's a good time.

It's more of an athletic thing than deer stands and sitting with a rifle on a power line.

You know, dove hunting, they're moving, your body's moving, you gotta learn how to move the shotgun, so it's more of an active thing, and also the social environment.

You're getting to yell at people across the way when they shoot one or miss one and it's just a fun time to be had by all.

- Yeah, it was an amazing hunt this morning.

Reece asked me in the car on the way back, you know, how was it compared to last year?

And I feel like there were a lot more birds this year.

Again, we probably could have shot a little better, at least me and my son, so we were sitting together, but again, it was a great hunt, tons of birds, weather was beautiful, so all around good experience.

- [Hunter] I bet their shoulders is hurting this morning because they shot 200 rounds a piece.

(upbeat country music) (hunters chattering) (upbeat country music continues) - It's a great time to relax and spend time with your customers and entertain and really just not think about the outside world.

I mean, it's a special place.

Once you pull in those gates, you know, everything's locked in.

(upbeat country music) (hunters chattering) - [Announcer] Practice makes perfect.

(dramatic music) (rifle fire popping) (logo swooshing) (rifle clicks) (rifle fire pops) (gunfire fire pops) (rifle fire bangs) (rifle fire pops) (upbeat music) (rifle fire bangs) (gunfire bangs) ♪ Hey ♪ - Size up.

- [Announcer] Enjoy our whole range of options.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] Time away was never meant to be exhausting.

What we all crave is comfort, a getaway that's unplugged, where time slows down, and relaxation comes naturally.

We crave the comfort of warm smiles from caring people.

With 25 state parks throughout Mississippi, comfort is closer than you think.

- [Announcer] For over 85 years, "Mississippi Outdoors" Magazine has served as a guide through the many outdoor adventures within the Magnolia State.

The magazine consists of up-to-date information related to conservation, outdoor recreation, fishing and hunting.

Subscriptions to the magazine are very inexpensive, and when you subscribe, you'll receive six bimonthly issues that contain wildlife photography and salunar tables.

To subscribe, call our toll-free number at 1-888-874-5785.

- In our next story, we're headed to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

- Todd Shiyou is going inshore fishing out of Bay St.

Louis.

(gentle upbeat music) - We're here this morning with Stanley Big Country Hoda.

We're on a nice brisk fall morning.

The temperature's starting to fall.

The fishing action's heating up.

Stanley, tell us what we're gonna be doing today.

- We're gonna be catching a few white trout, maybe a speck or two, and then we're gonna try out a little spot for some few redfish and then we're gonna try it a hole little later on.

Usually this time of year, I catch a few nice blue cats in as well.

- So once the temperatures start falling, the fish start moving back into the estuaries off the bay.

In hot days of summer, they move out.

The water temperatures get too hot.

Well, this time of year, the fish is moving back in.

All you need's a 14' flat boat, you can come in and catch all the fish you want.

You don't need an offshore boat.

All the fish are right here inshore this time of year.

- Absolutely.

- [Todd] So Stanley, tell us about what we're fishing out of today.

- We're fishing out of a 1994 Butler Lafitte.

I've been having this boat for 25 years and I've caught more fish out of this boat than any boat I ever had.

- The Lafitte skiff was designed to fish the nearshore and the marshes.

It's a shallow draft boat, it's wide, it's comfortable.

In the summertime, you can pop this big top up and sit in shade like you was underneath a gazebo or something.

- Yes, indeed.

- Like I can see those little pogies are jumping, waiting on us right now.

- Well, that's what we looking for, that's for sure.

We gotta have the bait.

- Hopefully he's gonna do the one-shot throw to catch all the bait we need in on cast.

- I hope so.

(both chuckling) - Let's do it.

(gentle country music) It is chilly, chilly this morning.

I said brisk.

I should have said chilly.

- [Stanley] It feels good though.

- It feels good though.

Those hot days of summer is over.

- All right, we fixin' to try to catch us some pogies.

- Almost looked like a shrimp jumped that one.

Right now, all of those big white shrimp are still in shore, so it's not uncommon in these river systems to catch some beautiful shrimp.

Once the water temperature falls, then they'll move out.

Same thing with the pogy.

All your live bait's gonna move out once the water temperature drops.

- Nothing, buddy.

- [Todd] You got 1,000 in there?

- Nada.

Nada.

Here, let me see if I can make it through.

- Let me see.

Let me just open it up.

That's where you got a knot right there.

- Passin' the bait up.

- [Todd] All right, better now.

You got them up there in that sunlight jumping.

Look.

- [Stanley] I just seen something.

- [Todd] Then that sunlight up there jumping.

(water splashes) - Oh, mud.

Oh, mud.

- [Todd] They full?

- [Stanley] I think we hit the mother lode.

- [Todd] I told him where it was the whole time.

(Stanley laughing) On this point, Stanley.

- [Stanley] Woo-hoo-hoo.

We should have known it'd hit the mother lode that time.

(water splashes) I think we got plenty now, boss.

- [Todd] We got plenty now for sure.

- [Stanley] All right.

(gentle upbeat music) (water splashes) (Stanley speaking faintly) (gentle upbeat music continues) - So Stanley, when we're doing this type of fishing in the river, what are we looking for to find the fish?

- We got to determine how the current is running to start with, so when you're fishing these deep holes, you gotta be able to know how to fish the shelves off in them deep holes into them ledges.

You wanna fish off of them ledges.

If the current's coming a certain way, you wanna make sure that you always keep your bait going into the current, you know?

- If you got a hole, you wanna throw your bait up above it and let it fall back into the hole.

The fish are sitting down in that hole out of the current, waiting on the bait to come to them.

- Yep.

- Ready?

- Drop it right there, boss.

18.

- Gotcha.

- So, that current should swing us around a little bit.

- Our gear today, we've got a couple rock coal rods, light action, light line.

We're gonna be using about a two or a three Aberdeen hook with a little knocker rig on it.

Knocker rig is simply a leader with a swivel and a sinker above, and this is all you need.

Then maybe later on here we'll start throwing some old school shad rigs.

When I was a kid, this was top of the line speckled trout lures.

This is all we had.

We found that we'll put a little of that, but a little commercially artificial flavored bait on there with it and just jig this once we get them fired up and then we can catch 'em with that.

We'll take a little bowl here, we'll put us a little water in it, and reach in here and get me a few of these and I'll put off in there.

That way we got a few of 'em ready to go.

I like to take 'em and put them right up through the nose.

Some people hook them through the eyes.

When we got a current like this, I like to bring 'em right up through the nose.

We're just going to pitch this little puppy out there and we'll see what happens.

(gentle upbeat country music) Nice, that's what we're looking for right there.

- [Stanley] That done had a good hit there, boss.

- Yeah.

- Oh, oh.

- [Todd] Good fish.

- [Stanley] Look at that.

That's what I'm talking about when we got handy.

- Two little golden delights.

Now on white trout, there is no size limit.

There is no creole limit for now, but we don't like to keep 'em less than about 10".

They're going to be running 10 to 13" and that's about a good filet.

Anything smaller than 10" is... We put 'em in this blue cooler here, Stanley?

- [Stanley] Yeah.

- And anything smaller than that really don't make a decent filet.

This is a good one.

- Come on.

- Yeah, he's a decent one.

- Yeah, pretty decent.

- Oh, yeah.

That's perfect, perfect.

Mm.

Mm.

- [Stanley] Some golden delights.

- You know, fished saltwater speckled trout my whole life and always catching bluegills and stuff, but ooh, that's a good one there, Stanley.

- Pretty decent.

- That's a speck.

- Oh, that's a baby speck all ready.

I'll let him go back.

Watching, what you got there, boss?

- Golden delight.

- Golden delight.

Now this is what they call fishing.

When you pull up there and you just start catching fish- - [Todd] Yeah, no, we're catching.

- Oh, I think I might have one that's big enough.

- [Todd] We're catching.

We're not fishing.

- (chuckling) That's right.

Oh, it's a good one here now.

- Is that a good trout?

- Feels like it.

- We're gonna be catching speckled trout in here as well as with the whites.

- I think this is a keeper, boss.

- [Todd] You need a net?

- [Stanley] Probably so.

- [Todd] Get a look, get a visual.

- [Stanley] Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Close.

Real close.

- [Todd] You know, we're using these small hooks.

You don't want to really... Oh, why am I grabbin'... Hang on, I grabbed the paddle instead of the net.

(Todd laughing) With these small hooks, you'll lose these trout if you try to flip 'em in.

- I don't think- - [Todd] He's gonna be close, Stanley.

He's gonna be close.

We'll get a measurement just for the sake of it.

- 14 3/4.

(water splashes) - What you got?

What you got?

- It's pretty good fish.

- Yep.

No, that's a nice white trout.

Nice white trout.

Now that's gonna be your pretty much, that's going to be about the size.

- Yeah.

- About 12", 13.

You know, everybody says, "Oh, they mushy, they mushy."

If you know how to take care of these fish and from the time you catch 'em until you time you clean 'em, they don't get mushy.

Everybody makes a mistake and you put these fish on ice.

They'll get mushy if you put 'em on ice.

- [Stanley] You got to have that right there.

- [Todd] You gotta have the slush to it.

- [Stanley] Got ice water.

- You take that fish and he goes down in that slush.

(water sloshing) All right, see how that's plenty, Stanley, that's plenty.

You put that fish, he goes down in that slush, he gets so cold instantly that that firms that meat up, and the key to it is never put him back on water from this point on.

He comes out of that water, when you filet him, don't leave 'em in a pot of water, just lightly rinse 'em and keep 'em dry.

(gentle upbeat music) - Another nice white trout.

Ain't big enough.

Keeper though, I can tell you that.

Oh, look at that golden delight.

- This is one good thing you can do right here.

Watch this.

Hold on.

Watch it here, watch it here.

- [Stanley] That's that old man speakin'.

(Stanley chuckling) - Oh.

This is my kind of fishin'.

- There he is.

Oh, double up.

- Oh, good one too.

Oh.

Oh.

That's a nice white.

Nice white.

Just the way he was hooked.

Oh, that's a good one, bo.

Oh, that's a good one too.

- Yeah.

- What I'm talking about.

We got to get 'em down in there a little bit.

Y'all gotta go swimming.

You got to go swimming.

We're gonna ease over here.

We got some little bayous that fall out the marsh and we're gonna see if we can, looking for a redfish.

Ooh, that's a big trout right here.

Ooh, get in there.

He's right there.

Come on.

(laughing) I think he's going to the house.

- [Stanley] I think that one's gonna make the trip.

- [Todd] 15 1/2.

Something's still on it.

I just don't know if I'm reeling him in or not.

Oh, look at here.

Look at here.

Look at this redfish, son.

Look at here.

The rat red.

Rat red.

- [Stanley] Might be a keeper size here.

(upbeat music) - [Todd] Yeah, he'll make the team.

(water splashes) Get his nose up.

Bring him on in.

(water splashes) - There he is.

- There he is.

(anglers chuckling) Oh yeah, he's gonna be 20.

19.

There you go.

Turning where you see him good, there you go.

- [Stanley] All right.

Nice little red.

- Well, I think we've got enough fish.

We've had fun down here today on the Bay of St.

Louis.

We started up on the Jordan River.

We moved down here onto the Bay.

We got a great guide today, Stanley Hoda.

Big Country put us 'em.

- Thank you, thank you, thank you.

- Hey, Stanley, you can only see action like this on- - "Mississippi Outdoors."

(upbeat country music) - Contact.

(engine humming) - Hey, that's all the time we have for this week.

Thanks for sharing your time with us as we continue to take part in this great sport of hunting and fishing right here in Mississippi.

- Join us again next time for more exciting adventures.

Until then, I'm Amanda Mills.

- And I'm Kevin Meacham.

- [Both] See ya outdoors.

(gentle country music) ♪ Riding through the bayou ♪ ♪ Heading for the sky blue ♪ ♪ Back out on the trail again and again ♪ ♪ Talking and hunting and fishing the land ♪ ♪ Time is time well spent ♪ ♪ We'll take you to the delta ♪ ♪ Down to the great wide shore.

♪ ♪ So much to see and do ♪ ♪ Mississippi Outdoors ♪ ♪ Mississippi Outdoors ♪ ♪ The great outdoors ♪ (gentle country music continues)