The central Louisiana coast largely escaped damage from either hurricane, so catfish still thrive in the myriad swamps, bayous and canals of the lower Atchafalaya Basin.

“The storms didn't affect catfish in this area very much,” said Mike Walker, an LDWF biologist in New Iberia. “We have a big, healthy population of blue cats. Blue cats tend to live in brackish waters. We also have a good population of flatheads in the lakes and rivers around here. We didn't see any big kills of catfish after either Rita or Katrina. I've never seen anywhere that has the population of catfish that we have at the lower end of the Atchafalaya Basin.” Near Morgan City are several lakes offering some of the best undamaged catfish habitat in Louisiana. Lake Verret, a shallow natural lake covering 14,000 acres, connects to Lake Palourde and Grassy Lake through a labyrinth of canals and bayous. Lake Palourde contains 11,500 acres, with Grassy Lake holding 1,024 acres. Catfish can find abundant cover and food anywhere in that swampy system.

“People can go anywhere in the lower Atchafalaya Basin and catch catfish,” Walker said. “Lake Verret is a highly productive, extremely fertile lake. In our samples, I've collected some flatheads and blue catfish as large as 60 pounds in Lake Verret and Lake Palourde. Grassy Lake and Lake Fausse Pointe are all awesome for catfish. Many canals along the Intracoastal Waterway have excellent catfish populations. The northern end of Vermilion Bay and the Wax Lake Outlet have tremendous catfish populations.”

Hurricane Rita devastated fish in Henderson Lake and other backwater areas of the northern Atchafalaya Basin near Breaux Bridge. However, the catfish population of the nearby Atchafalaya River remains healthy. When the river overflows, it restocks empty habitat.

“We lost quite a few fish in Henderson Lake from Hurricane Rita,” said Jody David, an LDWF biologist in Opelousas. “That area was also hit pretty hard by the drought. North of U.S. 190 was very heavily affected, but it's slowly coming back. Fortunately, the river can naturally restock the area fairly quickly.”

David recommended that anglers visit Spring Bayou for their catfish this spring. He also suggested that people fish the Red River or the Atchafalaya River. Oxbows that connect to these rivers should produce the best fishing. The state also stocked several small city ponds, especially Moore Park in Lafayette, with channel catfish to give urban anglers something to catch when they can't visit other waters.