By John N. Felsher

After two good years of rainfall, many Louisiana bass waters show signs of recovery from the drought that hammered the Bayou State in 2000-01.

Starting in northwest Louisiana, the Red River continues to shine. Thanks to the calming and clearing effect of five water control structures, the river now attracts many major bass tournaments. Most people fish Pools 4 and 5 just southeast of Shreveport.

"The Red River can produce good numbers of fish, especially in the summer or fall," said James Seales, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist in Minden. "It's still a little early yet for the Florida bass stockings to take effect, but we should get some good trophy fish in five or six years."

The state, with cooperation from private sources, began stocking Florida bass in the Red River with some fingerlings up to four inches long to increase the survival rate. Anglers might catch 20 to 40 bass a day on a good day. One or two would probably weigh about 4 to 5 pounds. However, anglers might catch an 8- or 9-pounder.

"Most big fish on the Red River will be caught on crankbaits or Carolina rigs off the rocks in the main river where there are sandbars and points," said Russ McVey of Southpaw Guide Service in Doyline. "If I could only take a few baits, I would use a shad-colored crankbait, a firetiger crankbait, a black and blue jig with a blue trailer, a watermelon redflake Texas-rigged lizard, a topwater popper and a 1/4-ounce white or shad spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades - one gold and one silver."

Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Lake Bistineau, a 17,200-acre timbered lake near Bossier City, should also start producing lunkers because of Florida bass stockings. Many anglers already rank it among the top bass lakes in the state for numbers. Already, Bistineau produces many bass in the 3- to 5-pound range, with some exceeding 9 pounds.

For big bass, visit the 16,250-acre Caddo Lake on the Louisiana-Texas line northwest of Shreveport. Both states jointly manage it for trophy bass, and some break the magic 10 pound mark. Concentrate on cypress groves, creek channels, tributaries and lily pads with Carolina rigs, chrome and blue lipless crankbaits or red shad, tequila sunrise, plum or black neon worms.

"If I were to pick one lake for big bass, it would have to be Caddo," Seales said. "It's not real common to catch bass going 8 to 10 pounds, but it's more common in Caddo than in other lakes. The lake record is actually bigger than the Louisiana state record, but it was caught in Texas."

The state stocked Florida bass in Claiborne Lake, a deep, clear 6,400-acre lake near Homer. The lake might also benefit from artificial reefs established in the fall of 2002. In the spring, bass come shallow to spawn. Anglers also catch bass at night in the summer.

"Most of the waters are in good shape," Seales said. "Although some lakes showed evidence of largemouth bass virus, we haven't had any recent major fish kills. Grand Bayou Reservoir is getting better for big fish. Kepler Lake, a 2,000-acre lake in Bienville Parish, is not really well known, but it has gotten better for bass fishing in the past several years."

In quality and quantity, 186,000-acre Toledo Bend on the Louisiana-Texas state line ranks among the great bass lakes in North America. At 65 miles long, the reservoir offers more than 1,264 miles of shoreline. It averages 60 feet deep with a maximum width of 15 miles. Many coves and tributaries provide unlimited bass cover.

Today, the lake produces many trophy bass. Every year, anglers land double-digit bass, some breaking 14 pounds. The lake record stands at 15.32 pounds, caught in Six-Mile Creek on the Texas side.

Caney Lake, a 5,000-acre lake near Chatham, produced seven of the top 10 bass caught in Louisiana, including the top four. In February 1994, Greg Wiggins landed the state record from Caney - a 15.97-pound fish. However, the lake hasn't produced a top 10 fish since Johnny Harper caught the No. 6 fish, a 15.33-pounder in July 1996.

On the other hand, D'Arbonne Lake, a 15,000-acre impoundment near Farmerville, produced a record book bass in February 2000. Ed Stellner landed a 15.31-pounder on a gold and black suspending Rogue in Bear Creek. Stellner's fish currently ranks seventh on the state list.

Cheniere Lake should produce good bass in the future, said Ryan Daniel, an LDWF fisheries biologist in Monroe. The state manages the lake with stockings of Florida bass fingerlings and drawdowns to improve habitat.

Along the Mississippi River, the state removed Lake Concordia, a 1,000-acre oxbow near Ferriday, from "trophy lake" status in 2002. The action eliminated the 15- to 19-inch slot limit and special daily creel restrictions in effect since 1991.

Since 1991, the state stocked about 100,000 Florida bass per year into the oxbow to increase the size of bass in the lake. Tournament anglers who fish Lake Concordia regularly petitioned to change the status. In 2003, the state only plans to stock about 10,000 Florida bass in the lake.

"Lake Concordia is excellent for spring bass fishing," said Dave Hickman, an LDWF biologist in Ferriday. "The lake has a large flat on the north end that normally clears up in early spring due to thick vegetation. Concordia is one of the first lakes in our district to turn on in the spring. Fishing normally starts picking up around the cypress trees and coontail grass on the north end when water temperatures reach the 50s in mid to late January."

In March 1998, LeRoy Adams landed a lake record 13.04-pound bass that hit a junebug-colored worm. The lake also produces fish in the 8- to 11-pound range.

Lakes Concordia and Bruin, a 3,000-acre lake in Tensas Parish, suffered fish kills from largemouth bass virus in 2000. Some larger bass died, but neither lake suffered any mortality from the virus since then. Sampling continues.

Lake Louis near Sicily Island continues to improve as a bass lake, Hickman said. A project to divert agricultural runoff into the Tensas River should help clear the lake and allow it to produce more fish. The state stocked 14,000 Florida bass fingerlings in 2002 and plans to stock another 14,000 in 2003.

"Another place to keep an eye on is Lower Sunk Lake on Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area," Hickman said. "Lower Sunk Lake is an 885-acre natural lake that went completely dry during the drought a couple of years ago. It has refilled and a water control structure was built. We stocked the lake with about 89,000 Florida bass fingerlings in 2002 and plan to stock another 88,500 fingerlings in 2003. The lake has areas where the water clears up as the vegetation grows in the spring, so it may provide some good sight-fishing for bass once they become re-established."

With pirogues or small flatboats, many people fish in the borrow pits of Red River Wildlife Management Area. Stocked with Florida bass, these small pits can become outstanding hidden honeyholes.

In central Louisiana, fishermen should experience an excellent year. Several lakes continue on the upswing. The Red River offers excellent fishing up and down its length. Kincaid Lake, a 2,000-acre impoundment west of Alexandria, produced a 12-pound bass in 2001. Iatt Lake, a 7,100-acre lake in Grant Parish, and Indian Creek Reservoir, a 2,200-acre lake in Rapides Parish, can both produce bass exceeding 10 pounds. Lake Rodemacher, although down a bit, can still produce 10-pounders on occasion if people work for them.

A bit farther south, anglers might try Chicot Lake, a 1,700-acre flooded swamp near Ville Platte, Henderson Lake in the Atchafalaya Basin, or Spring Bayou, a 5,000-acre lake near Marksville. All should produce good fish in 2003.

Henderson Lake, really a myriad of flood plain bayous, lakes and canals, pools at about 5,000 acres. A weir at Catahoula, a few miles south of Interstate 10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, traps water that once flowed freely through the swamp. The swamp experienced two drawdowns to kill aquatic vegetation in 2000 and 2001, but most of the fish survived in deep bayous.

"Henderson Lake picked up a lot of young fish," said Jody David, a LDWF fisheries biologist in Opelousas. "It looks really good if the river cooperates and we don't get any super high water or major changes. The drawdown helped out a lot with controlling vegetation. In some places, we couldn't even take fish samples because of the vegetation."

Fishing in Henderson Lake and the rest of the Atchafalaya Basin depends heavily upon the Atchafalaya River level. If the river floods, as it often does in the spring, cold muddy water backs up into Henderson Lake and other places, and fishing success drops drastically.

"If the river is right, I would rank Henderson in the Top 5 of bass lakes in Louisiana," David said. "When the Atchafalaya River at Butte La Rose is around nine or 10 feet, fishing really picks up. If the river is too high, it's tough to fish. It floods at about 12 to 14 feet."

Completely enclosed by Chicot Lake State Park, Chicot Lake doesn't depend upon river stages. A designated "quality lake" stocked with Florida bass, Chicot can produce excellent bass catches. The record stands at 13.63 pounds, but the lake also produced several fish in the 10- to 12-pound range. In 2002, an angler caught an 11-pound bass. A few new gravel spawning beds near the fishing piers should improve forage habitat and bass fishing.

"At Chicot Lake, catch rates in our surveys increased a lot compared to the past couple of years," David said. "Fishermen caught some big fish in 2002 - a few 10s and some 8s and 9s. We drew the lake down in 2001 for a short period of time to repair a bridge."

Spring Bayou continues to suffer from hydrilla problems, but can also produce good fish under the right conditions. A fertile backwater, the lake supports a huge forage base that allows bass to grow to lunker sizes.

"It's hit or miss," David said. "We've been stocking Florida bass in there for years. In the spring, it's good, but once it gets hot, hydrilla makes it tough to get around and fish. The biggest bass ever caught from Spring Bayou was an 11-pounder caught in the early 1990s. In the past year or so, the best that came out of there was about a 6-pound fish."

In 2002, the state lowered Lake Martin, a shallow 800-acre lake near Breaux Bridge, to about 300 to 400 acres to increase water quality. More known for its bird rookeries and waterfowl hunting, the lake is stocked with Florida bass and can produce excellent catches.

Cocodrie Lake, a 6,000-acre flooded backwater near the Rapides-Evangeline parish line suffered a fish kill from a lack of oxygen a few years ago. Fishing remains poor.

"In 2001, we stocked quite a few bass and bluegills in Cocodrie Lake," David said. "It's an old cypress-tupelo gum swamp. Bayou Cocodrie runs through the middle of it. It has a huge watershed with a lot of flooded timber. We tried to draw it down a few times to dry up the organic matter on the bottom and get it oxidized, but the St. Landry electric plant uses Bayou Cocodrie for its water supply."

Down the Atchafalaya Basin, Lake Verret, Grassy Lake and Spanish Lake stand out for bass. Lake Verret near Morgan City received 149,433 Florida bass fingerlings in 2002. Grassy Lake received 11,000 Florida bass. Spanish Lake near New Iberia received 125,898. Gillnet samples by LDWF biologists in Spanish Lake produced bass ranging from 7.5 to 9 pounds in January 2002.

"In the spring of 2001, we saw a 23.3 bass per hour catch rate in our electro-sampling at Spanish Lake," said Mike Walker, an LDWF biologist in New Iberia. "This sample follows three years of drought and a leaky drawdown structure that dropped the water level in this relatively shallow lake to about three feet below pool stage. It should recover now that the drawdown structure has been replaced and the lake has returned to pool stage."

Lake Fausse Point in the lower Atchafalaya Basin continues to suffer habitat deterioration. Forests once filtered rain runoff, but urban and agricultural development removed that protective barrier, Walker said. Now loose silt flows into the lake. The state stocked 154,182 Florida largemouths into the lake in 2002.

"At Lake Fausse Point, habitat is deteriorating at a rapid pace," Walker said. "The soft sediment has covered many historical spawning sites and highly turbid water in the spring is inhibiting spawning success. The lake bass fishery has declined over the years."

The marshes of south Louisiana continue to recover from the devastating drought. Salt water backed into many bass honeyholes, killing or displacing fish. In the marshes of the Mississippi River delta near Venice, the bass population continues to improve, thanks to the incredible fresh flow from the great river. Anglers can still catch bass in the 1- to 4-pound range.

"Venice is probably the best fishery in Louisiana, but much depends upon the river stages," said Sam Swett, a professional bass angler from Covington. "When the river falls, that brings the water and bass out of the weeds, making bass more accessible to anglers. Almost any lure works in Venice. Two of my favorites are topwater stick baits with a gold tint. Jerkbaits in shad colors work well, as do spinnerbaits."

Lacassine Pool, a 16,000-acre impoundment on Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge near Lake Arthur, suffered horribly from the drought. Before the drought, anglers caught bass up to 12 pounds. During the drought, the pool almost completely dried except for a remnant ring of deeper canals around the perimeter. In 2001, federal officials reopened the pool to catch and release fishing after a 19-month closure. Stockings of Florida bass and bluegills helped bring the population back.

"There are a lot of small fish in Lacassine Pool," said Bobby Reed, a LDWF biologist in Lake Charles. "Some people can still catch a 6- or 7-pound fish, but our samples indicate limited forage. Without something to eat, fish won't grow big. It will take another couple years to fully recover."

The lakes of southwest Louisiana recovered quickly. Some top bass producers include Anacoco Lake, Bundick Lake and Vernon Lake. At Anacoco Lake, a 2,600-acre impoundment near DeRidder, the state drained the lake to about 300 acres in 1999. Now, refilled and stocked with Florida bass, the lake can produce many bass in the 3- to 4-pound range with some approaching 11 pounds.

For the biggest bass, anglers go to Vernon Lake, a 4,600-acre designated "quality lake" in Vernon Parish. Relatively isolated, the lake produces excellent bass catches with some going over 10 pounds.

In a state so blessed with water resources, bass anglers can catch fish almost anywhere in the state. Within just a short drive, anglers can find lunkers or numbers in their favorite honeyholes.