Maybe it was just me - Or did anyone else see a parallel between the recent extension of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper season and the George Zimmerman trial?

??As I write this the Bonnet Carre Spillway just upriver from New Orleans is being opened, unleashing Mississippi River water into Lake Pontchartrain and points beyond. While not confirmed at press time the Morganza Spillway just above Baton Rouge appears to almost certainly be opened too, sending water towards the Gulf via wetlands near Morgan City.

Ever heard of the old saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it?” Sure you have and like most of us at least once you probably didn’t adhere to it and ended up creating a real problem that would have been better off left alone. There’s just something inside of us that thinks we can make things better, even when it comes to that master (or is it mistress?) of perfect design, Mother Nature.

LA Senator Dan Claitor has authored Senate Bill 573 that would eliminate the taking of red drum with bow and arrow. It's nothing new. There was a similar attempt a few years back that failed to become law. This bill is slightly different in that its only rationalization is that redfish are classified as "gamefish" in Louisiana and that other gamefish species such as bass, bream and sacalait cannot be taken with bows and arrows even though any other species fresh or saltwater can. Incidentally no one seems to care about all the other species like sheepshead that far outnumber the number of redfish taken. Other "game" that can be legally taken by bow and arrow include deer, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels ducks, quail and many other species.