D’Arbonne gets legislative approval!

Thanks to a group of folks that aren’t afraid to think out of the box — led by Lincoln/Union State Rep. Chris Turner, D’Arbonne resident and pro fisherman Steve Adams and Farmerville Mayor John Crow — Lake D’Arbonne got a great legislative shot in the arm and some positive statewide recognition last week. Letting people from other parts of the state know about this hidden gem of a lake is wonderful. This kind of leadership and event has been needed for a long time!

Rep. Turner served as host for the first of what will hopefully be many Legislator Crappie Expo fishing days on the lake. Calling attention to the lake and it’s potential will help get some needed dollars to the area to make things better for everybody. More than 20 legislators attended, some getting their first ever look at this area. Fourteen actually fished in the event.

“It absolutely went fantastic,” said Rep. Turner. “Everybody loved it. And even though fishing is tough this time of year, they caught some good fish. It’s all about showcasing this lake and letting people from around the state see what we’ve got up here in District 12 and to let them see what we do with state dollars up here. I plan to make it a yearly event and thank everybody that helped make it work.”

Legislators from this area were joined by elected officials from all over the state — Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Jefferson Parish and around Acadiana. Rep. Turner served as a “net man” and gave his fishing seat to his son, Mason, who caught seven big crappie fishing with guide Josh Starkey. He was one of the great crappie fishermen who donated their time, boats, gear and effort to the day on the lake. Monty Sullivan with the Louisiana Delta Community Colleges had the bigggest crappie at 1.10 pounds fishing with William Whetstone.

The group also finished the day off with a fish fry hosted by the Farmerville Fire Dept and the City of Farmerville. Also helping were Nanna’s Donuts, K&M Coffee, Corks & Camo and the Farmerville Police Department.

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioner Bill Hogan of Ruston also attended and discussed fast-tracking reduced limits on crappie on the lake because of the enormous popularity of the fish and seriously increased fishing pressure all year long that has been largely ignored by regulators.

More scenes from the day: