Freshwater Fishing in Louisiana

Louisiana’s saltwater fishing may get most of the limelight, but freshwater opportunities here are spectacular in their own right. Louisiana is so packed with lakes, rivers, bayous and streams that no matter where you travel, casting a line is easy.

Find freshwater fishing spots near Louisiana’s largest cities. Close to New Orleans, the Northshore offers scenic, slow-moving waterways, like the Bogue Falaya, Bogue Chitto and Tchefuncte rivers. Channel catfish, alligator gar and largemouth bass swim these waters, and they can all be reached by boat. 

South Louisiana, known as a fishing haven for generations, has plenty of lakes, rivers and marshes where big ones are biting. Check out Bayou Black near Houma for bass; Lac Des Allemands for catfish (the city of Des Allemands is actually called the Catfish Capital of the Universe!); and the well-stocked ponds near Baton Rouge.

State- and federally-managed lands throughout Louisiana are especially popular fishing destinations. Consider Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Louisiana, or Kisatchie National Forest in the central part of the state.

Louisiana State Parks offer an incredible range of fishing opportunities. Head to Toledo Bend Reservoir, the largest man-made lake in the south, where you’ll find South and North Toledo Bend State Parks. The reservoir has been named one of Bassmaster's top 25 bass lakes. Check out Chicot State Park in Ville Platte (where you can sleep in spectacular waterfront cabins); Chemin-A-Haut State Park in the remote reaches of north-central Louisiana; and Lake Bistineau, Lake Bruin, Lake Claiborne and other state parks named after fish-rich bodies of water. Watch for hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, redear sunfish and black and white crappie in these waterways.