NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
This region of the state features some of the state’s best springtime crappie fishing in some well-known fishing holes, as well as some that most anglers have never fished.

Lake D’Arbonne
One of the more popular fishing lakes in Louisiana, Lake D’Arbonne really shines in the spring when the crappie spawn. According to Mike Wood, a fisheries biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, one feature of the crappie spawn on D’Arbonne guarantees good crappie fishing longer than on some lakes.

“We have determined that crappie don’t all spawn at the same time on D’Arbonne,” said Wood. “You’ll find crappie on the beds earlier up the arms of the lake from Four Mile Creek to Stowe Creek, while they may not begin until a week or so later further down the lake. This gives anglers the opportunity to catch some good spawning fish for a longer period of time.”

Lake D’Arbonne, which consists of about 15,000 acres, lies adjacent to the city of Farmerville. Several public boat launches are sited around the lake.

Poverty Point Reservoir “This fairly new lake is becoming known as a super crappie fishing lake,” said Wood. “The main problem with fishing the spring spawn on Poverty Point is the competition. The word gets out once the crappie start coming in and folks come from all over to get in on the fishing.”

Crowded or not, Poverty Point holds the promise of some serious slabs during springtime.

Poverty Point Reservoir consists of 2,850 acres and near Delhi.

Caney Lake
Caney Lake’s 5,000 acres are known primarily for producing some of the state’s biggest bass, with the majority of the fish listed in the state record book coming from its water. That includes the current state record of 15.97 pounds, which has stood for 10 years.

What some anglers may not realize is that Caney Lake is also home to the state-record black crappie, a fish caught in February 2003 by Chet Tidwell. This big slab weighed 3.55 pounds and is tied for the record with a fish caught on Toledo Bend Reservoir in March 2003. Three of the top five black crappie in the state records were caught at Caney Lake.

In recent years, hydrilla problems at Caney Lake have been compounded by non-native grass carp that virtually wiped out all the vegetation in Caney within a year of their introduction. But Wood confirms that the lake is loaded with crappie, and that the angling is improving. “Fishing for crappie and other species is improving each year,” he said, “and I look for the spring crappie spawn in 2008 to be a good one.”

Woolen Lake
A small sleeper among crappie lakes, this is, according to Wood, a first-choice destination for many anglers each spring. “Woolen is the first lake to turn on in spring when the crappie begin spawning,” he said. “It is a fairly shallow lake that warms quicker than deeper impoundments. It has a lot of open water and has a shad-based population, which means the fish have plenty to eat. You can fish the treelines or along the banks for some super fishing early in the year.”

Woolen Lake, near Hebert in Richland Parish, consists of 240 acres. A private boat launch affords access to the lake for a daily launch fee.