Louisiana
A crabbing trip to Rockefeller Refuge reels me into Louisiana life
When friends found out I’d never been crabbing in Louisiana, they were determined to set things right.
Getting to Pecan Island on a Friday afternoon required patience, but the hardest part of the whole adventure was finding a time that worked for all our schedules. The evening before we left, Adele Netterville messaged to say, “You’ll need to get a fishing license if you don’t have one.”
Getting a Louisiana fishing license was simple. Five minutes on Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ website, and I was officially licensed — and impressed.
Camps in Pecan Island, a ridge of high ground about 10 miles from the Gulf.
Fishing license in hand, my friends, including Adele’s husband Craig Netterville, picked me up at 4 p.m. Friday and off we went, headed to a camp in Pecan Island, a ridge of high ground about 10 miles from the Gulf.
We picked up Michelle Kallam in Lafayette, then hit the Best Stop in Scott for boudin and crackers. Eating hot boudin in the backseat of a truck on the way to a camp in Pecan Island felt like pure Louisiana.
After winding through Acadiana’s backroads with boudin in our laps, we arrived at the camp. Robert Kallam greeted us with a cooler full of crabs he had caught using traps. He had a giant boiler on the burner already bubbling.
Columnist Jan Risher saw many goats and a giant pig on the banks on her way to go crabbing at Rockefeller Refuge.
As the sun was setting, we took a quick boat ride into the marsh, floating past goats and a giant pig on the banks. The Kallams explained that their camp was not waterfront property when they bought it 20 years ago, but after Hurricane Rita, some water never left.
Back at the camp, we sat down to a crab feast outside. The mosquitoes nearly hauled us off. So we retreated indoors.
The crabs were the best I’d ever had. I believed I’d soon be a crabbing expert and wanted mine to taste just like that. Thankfully, Robert Kallam was generous to share his secret: Louisiana Fish Fry Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil.
Adele Netterville, Michelle Kallam and Jan Risher in a boat at Pecan Island on May 30, 2025
After a full week of work, we hit the hay early. I got the bottom bunk in a room all my own. The crabbing experts said we had to leave by 6 a.m. to head to Rockefeller Refuge to get a spot.
They weren’t joking. When I went outside at 6:15 a.m. Saturday, a line of trucks were already barreling down La. 82 headed south.
Truth is, I’m not a 6-a.m.-Saturday-morning-up-and-at-’em kind of human. Last weekend was the exception.
The Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge is a large area of marshland in Cameron Parish and Vermilion Parish.
We pulled into Rockefeller Refuge minutes after the sun began to rise. Looking out the window onto the incredible morning sun hitting the Roseau reed felt like riding into a painting.
I grew up among a family of hunters and fishermen. I’ve remained baffled at why they got up at the crack of dawn day after day to head into the woods. But on Saturday, the glow on the reeds gave me insight into my brother, uncles and father.
After a string of busy weeks, quietly watching that kind of beauty was indeed enough to pull me back again, even at 6 a.m. — and we hadn’t even gone crabbing yet.
View out the window, with the truck in the shadows of the Roseau reed at Rockefeller Refuge on May 31, 2025.
My friends showed me that crabbing is easy. All you need is string, a net and some chicken legs or turkey necks. Tie the bait, drop it in. When the string moves, gently pull it in and scoop up the crab with the net.
For two hours, we couldn’t move from string to string fast enough. Granted, many were juveniles, which we released, but the catching was nonstop. It was a blast.
Then, all of a sudden, they just stopped biting. We sat on the pier for a while longer. We had made friends with the young family beside us from Holmwood. The two little boys, Maverick and Maddox Suire, were as helpful, kind and confident as they could be.
Jan Risher with her first crab catch at Rockefeller Refuge on May 31, 2025.
When we walked up, Maverick, the 5-year-old younger brother, exclaimed to his mom, “This is only my second time crabbing, and I’m already good at it.”
Maverick and I became fast friends. He found a bird’s feather and a piece of string. I told him if he could find another piece of string, I would make him a headdress. String is easy to find on a crabbing pier.
Maverick wore the makeshift headdress proudly for the rest of our time together, as happy as a child could be.
Maverick Suire of Holmwood, Louisiana, wearing his feather headdress at Rockefeller Refuge on May 31, 2025.
Since we had already eaten crabs the night before, we asked Maverick’s mom if she would like the ones we caught. She gladly accepted. The boys were pulling crab lines as we drove away.
Turns out, slow time with friends, a feather, a string and a 5-year-old on a crabbing pier go a long way in reminding us what joy looks like.
We stopped at Suire’s grocery south of Kaplan for lunch. It was like a little slice of heaven. I was glad my friends took it upon themselves to go crabbing.
Trump says he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of Venezuela attacks
President Donald Trump said he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of future attacks regarding Venezuela.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as the special envoy to Greenland.
In a Truth Social post on Dec. 21, Trump said “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,”
It was not clear whether Landry, who became governor in January 2024, would need to step down to assume this role.
Louisiana authorities captured the third and final inmate who escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail following a weeks-long manhunt.
In early December, three inmates — all 20-somethings jailed on “charges of a violent nature” — removed the mortar and concrete blocks of a deteriorating part of a jail wall, then used sheets and other materials to scale the side of the building, dropped to the first-floor roof, and escaped, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has said.
The last remaining escapee, 24-year-old Keith Eli, was apprehended Friday without incident in Opelousas by narcotics detectives and SWAT, the sheriff’s office said. Eli faces one count of attempted second-degree murder.
Eli’s capture comes weeks after authorities apprehended Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, on December 8. Joseph had been jailed on charges of principal to first-degree rape, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other counts. “Numerous tips” and “intelligence gathering” led authorities to find the escapee, the sheriff’s office said.
Days earlier, Joseph Allen Harrington, a 26-year-old in custody on numerous felony counts, including home invasion and cruelty to juveniles, died by suicide after authorities found him, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told the Associated Press.
A tipster had recognized Harrington, who was pushing an e-bike. Authorities found the e-bike at the home and then used a loudspeaker to urge the individual to come out of the house. They later heard a gunshot and authorities found his body inside with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
Authorities announced the inmates had escaped on December 3.
Maj. Mark LeBlanc, of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, told the AP that he hadn’t heard of anyone escaping from the jail in this manner before.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he told the outlet.
However, the three men’s jailbreak came months after 10 inmates at another Louisiana jail — the Orleans Justice Center — in May.
The group was able to open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans-area jail, squeeze through a hole behind a toilet, and then scale a barbed-wire fence to freedom. They escaped in the early hours of May 16.
Authorities found a message drawn around the hole: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words “To Easy LoL.”
While nine of the escapees were captured within six weeks of their jailbreak, the final inmate — who had the most violent criminal record of the group — wasn’t found until October.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
6-8-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
7-2-9-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
0-7-9-8-1
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Easy 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
07-17-20-28-33
Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
10-11-15-16-26-28
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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