When it comes to fresh water fishing in Louisiana, from the Arkansas border to the mouth of the Atchafalaya River, there just might not be another state that compares to variety, quantity and opportunity.
To understand Louisiana, one has to study a little bit of Louisiana history, geography and culture when it comes to fishing. It is a state of two halves.
The 18th State in the Union, Louisiana’s history dates back to 1699 when the territory was settled by France and held until sold to Spain in 1762. From 1763 until 1802, Spain controlled Louisiana until it was sold back to France.
Those Europeans must have been lousy fishermen or just couldn’t make up their minds whether they wanted the paradise or not. The French in turn sold the land to America in what we learned in history class as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
All of this influence is obvious today when you consider agriculture, religion and what Louisianans eat. By drawing a triangular line from Alexandria at its point, going west to Lake Charles and east to New Orleans, you’ll find this southern region predominately Catholic in religion. Its agriculture mainly sugar cane, rice and seafood. Its primary food staples are French bread, rice and seafood.
By contrast, north of this region its primary agriculture resources are cotton, corn, timber and cattle. Its religion is mainly Protestant, and the primary food staples are potatoes, cornbread and beef.
That’s not to say both regions don’t share some of the same sociological metrics; this overview is simply generalities describing 200 years of statehood leading up to recreational fishing.
Back then, there were no watercrafts the likes of what we have today or a place called Toledo Bend, for that matter. Although times change and traditions fade, there are still preferred target fish north and south, and they may be called by different names depending on the region.
In north Louisiana, bass fishing is king, and bass waters such as the Red River Pools, Caney Lake, Lake D’Arbonne and Poverty Point are known to produce larger bass in the double digits pound-wise. Of these bodies of water, Caney Lake holds the most state records by a wide margin.
A review of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association’s Fish Records will reveal 6 of the top 10 largemouth bass, including first place, ever taken in the state of Louisiana were caught on Caney Lake, while Lake D’Arbonne holds one spot – 9th place – officially.
Anglers who fish bass in the north will find “slot limits” in the 14- to 19-inch range on some of these important fisheries. And local bass anglers like it that way. In 2009 and 2012, the Bass Masters Classic was held on the Shreveport/Bossier Red River Pools.
A general review of the northern part of the state where bass is concerned would be remiss to not mention Toledo Bend. Perhaps no other fishery holds more bass tournaments and delivers excellent catches of quality bass than this 185,000-acre reservoir – the fifth largest in the nation.
The reservoir’s bottom is dotted with tree stumps, which are ideal for bass and other species of game fish like black crappie and bluegills. Boat lanes are marked where stumps have been cleared, but caution is still necessary, particularly for boats that are incapable of running in shallow waters.
There are 22 Louisiana State Parks. Is it any wonder that three of them are located on three of the top bass fishing lakes in the northern part of the state? Lake D’Arbonne State Park, Poverty Point State Park and Jimmie Davis State Park on Caney Lake all offer out-of-state anglers public access boat launches, overnight accommodations, cleaning stations and much more, making these parks a vacationing bass angler’s dream.
Moving south, freshwater fishermen set their sights on the Atchafalaya Basin. This 1.4 million acre region is the largest wetland swamp in the United States. The river delta of the basin is a 20-mile wide, 150-mile long mixture of bottomland hardwoods, cypress backwater swamp and marsh, making it a mecca for panfish.
Though north Louisiana has reason to brag where crappie is concerned, it’s the southern part of state that stakes its claim to having the best fishing for this particular fish.
In the north, Louisiana crappie are known as slabs and white perch. But in south Louisiana, the French influence comes in and crappie are known as sac-a-lait or “sack of milk.” For some, in communities along the basin like Breaux Bridge, Henderson, Bell River and Pierre Part, the thought of eating a fish other than sac-a-lait is anathema.
Bass fishing in south Louisiana is important and competitive, with many bass clubs registered in the Association of Louisiana Bass Clubs. Moreover, many participants from south Louisiana travel to Toledo Bend for the ALBC’s Top Six Tournament. But what recreational anglers from basin communities are looking for is the water to “get right,” a term often used by these avid crappie fishermen.
The basin is subject to the natural rise and fall of the Atchafalaya River from northern snowmelt and rainy weather. What’s more, basin anglers, depending on where they live follow this river pattern in Butte LaRose east of Lafayette or Morgan City, where the flood stages are 17 feet and 4 feet, respectively.
Above flood stage the river is dirty, and fish tend to be spread out in the woods that are flooded in the basin. This can be good for fish populations as there is less competition for food resources and spawning locations. But, it can be bad for the angler trying to catch a few fish to fry.
When the river drops below flood stage and the colder water from snowmelt begins to warm up, the sac-a-lait angler will say he is going fishing because the water is right. As the river falls from flood stage, this moving water causes fish to relocate from the woods to points along bayous, ditches, drains and in stands of cypress trees that shelter them from current, creating excellent ambush locations for them to feed.
There are several lakes in the Atchafalaya Basin that are “can’t miss hot spots” for freshwater game fish. Cow Island Lake and Lost Lake, as well as the vast Henderson Swamp, are excellent locations in the upper basin for catching crappie. Several launch locations for this region are the Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Marina in Breaux Bridge, McGee’s Landing in Henderson and the Atchafalaya Visitor’s Center in Butte LaRose.
Lower Atchafalaya Basin lakes include American Lake, Duck Lake and Flat Lake with Russo Landing across from Lake End Park in Morgan City, and Adams Landing near Bell River providing access into the basin.
North and south, other species of game fish that Louisianans share a love for are bluegills and red ear sunfish.
In the northern part of the state, red ear sunfish are often referred to as shell crackers, stump knocker, sun perch or just plain perch. In the southern part of the state, this highly-regarded game fish is called a chinquapin. Chinquapins and bluegills can grow large.
If bass fishing is king in the northern part of the state, arguably to some, catfish just may be king in the south. There are three species of catfish that can be caught throughout the state.
Channel, blue and flathead catfish are all highly sought after during the spring and early summer and again in late fall through winter. There is no better river to fish than the Atchafalaya River south of Berwick and Morgan City. This area holds 5 of the top 10 blue catfish ever taken. The Atchafalaya River is deep, cold and runs to the mouth of Atchafalaya Bay near the Gulf of Mexico.
The deep river has a strong current flow throughout much of the year, and there are numerous other bayous that empty into it that also have amazing catfishing opportunities. What’s more, this river has the coastal marshes that keep it continuously full of bait.
Along this stretch of river, south of Berwick Bay, are key locations any visitor coming to the state can anchor off at and tight line fish till their heart’s content. Within minutes catfish anglers can be fishing Fools Point (or where the Atchafalaya joins Bayou Shaffer at Batemans Lake) and Chicken Island Pass. Further down, you can fish Bayou Chene, Palmetto Bayou, Plumb Bayou and Creole Bayou. The opportunities are endless.
As catfish anglers get away from the main deeper bayous and the influence of the Atchafalaya River, the waters slow and bayous become shallower. These smaller bayous are tidal, and it’s here where channel cats are caught.
Largemouth Bass: Carolina rigged night crawlers Crank baits (deep running north, shallow running south), spinner baits (larger slower in cold water), creature bait plastics (lizards, crawfish shaped), and plastic worms
Black or White Crappie: Mealworms, trout-size earthworms, crickets, and live shiners Plastic tubes with skirts (chartreause/black, blue/white), 1/32 ounce beetle spins, and poppa chop jigs
Bluegills and Red Ear Sunfish: Trout-size earthworms, wasp larvae and crickets 1/16 and 1/32 ounce beetle spins
Catfish: Blue and Channel: Earth worms (all sizes), cut bait, liver, shad and shrimp. Blue catfish prefer live bait and will hit artificial lures. Channel catfish are more opportunistic feeders.
Blue catfish take full advantage of the abundance of forage in estuarine habitats. The estuary is populated with organisms like juvenile crabs and shrimp, Gulf menhaden, flatfish like hog-chokers, and all sorts of minnows, bay anchovies, clams and mussels.
There are other popular fish like warmouth (goggle eyes) that get a lot of attention from Louisiana anglers - not so much as a fish they target, but one that always winds up in the ice chest mixed in with the bream. There are also some that are considered trash fish like freshwater drum (aka. gaspergou). Some north Louisiana anglers often snub fresh water drum, but Cajun anglers down river know that not only do gaspergou put up a serious fight when caught; they also make great table fare.
When fishing the coastal marshes it’s not uncommon to catch several gaspergous using the same crank bait you’re using to catch bass. As a matter of fact, you can target them during certain times of year in the marsh when their diet shifts to shad.
Louisiana freshwater fishing north to south, like its history and culture, is pretty diverse. But they don’t call us the Sportsman’s Paradise for nothing. Now that you know, ya’ll come and pass a good time…
