Prime Fly Fishing spots in Louisiana

 

 

Often called The Sportsman’s Paradise, Louisiana offers phenomenal freshwater and saltwater fishing. Down here though trout are not the star of the show. Instead, you’ll be battling largemouth bass that look more like footballs and redfish so big they’ll rip the rod out of your hand if you’re no careful. 

There is also no shortage of water in this state to fish and were going to cover some of those spots below.

So, check them out and see which spot you’d like to go fishing in Louisiana.

 

Venice

The self-proclaimed fishing capital of the world, Venice Louisiana might have a case for the title. The saltwater here is absolutely phenomenal and should be a bucket list trip for any angler who enjoys fishing the salt.

The red fish are the main attraction down here, but you speckled trout and flounder are also a popular gamefish. Reds can be caught year-round and can range is size from only a few pounds, all the way up to 60 or more.

You’ll be sight casting to these fish as you float through the marshes of the area. Take some time before you head out to get your casting down and be ready to work as the wind whips around you. You’ll need to place your fly close, but not too close to these fish in order to entice a bite.

Unless you have a skiff, I’d recommend hiring a guide for the day to take you out. There are public fishing areas, but it can be difficult to cast there with a fly rod and there are usually other anglers crowding the shore.

Fly Selection 

• Shrimp
• Crab
• Kreelex
• Clouser

 

Black Bayou Lake

Black Bayou Lake is in Northern Louisiana just north of Monroe. Panfish, or Bream, is the biggest draw of the lake. There are trails and fishing areas located around the lake, but the most popular spots are focused around the visitor center and conservation learning center.

The lake is 1600 acres that holds many different types of freshwater fish, birds and alligators. The lake is full of cypress trees and connects many different swamps and waterways that come together to create great cover and habitat for the fish.

There is also a nice population of largemouth bass in this lake too. Depending on the season you can use a variety of topwater or subsurface flies to catch bass, or panfish. Don’t worry if you’re new to fishing cypress trees. Just treat them like structure and make sure to cast a fly to each one. Fish enjoy holding onto them and use them as cover to ambush prey.

You’ll want to use smaller flies if you’re targeting panfish. Small hoppers or sinking ants and worms beneath an indicator are a great way to help bring in some of these fish.

Fly Selection 

• Clouser
• Wooly Bugger
• Clawdad
• San Juan Worm
• Poppers
• Hoppers

 

Toledo Bend

With over 1,200 miles of shoreline this reservoir has plenty of spots for the angler to fish from. It is also known as one of the best trophy bass fisheries in the US. Despite the fact that this lake gets pressured year-round you’ll still be able to come in and catch a limit of fish.

It filled with plenty of cover for largemouth bass, striped bass, and white bass. Fishing is a little different down here, you’ll find fall, winter, and spring to be the best time to get out to bass fish. Summer can be productive, but the sweltering heat pushes the fish down deep. So, fishing in the morning or evening is the best time to get. Mid-day is best the rest of the year.

Poppers are ideal for summer and subsurface is best the remainder of the year. There can be a lot of vegetation in this lake so I would use flies with weed guards just to be safe. Getting down in the weeds or working a fly near them is a great way to pull out a trophy bass.

White bass is at its best during early spring. Throwing flies near Sabine River tributary is a great way to hook in a lot of fish. Striped bass fishing is best summer and into early fall. Make sure to take time to work over the channels and points if you want to catch them.

Fly Selection

• Poppers
• Boogle Bug
• Wooly Bugger
• Clawdad
• Clouser
• Leech

 

Red River 

Largemouth live in the oxbows, locks and pool that create the Red River. It’s truly a wonderful bass river in Northern Louisiana. The fast water in this river makes it easy to find slack water were the bass like to hide and wait for baitfish to float past.

Throw streamers and retrieve them through the slack water or just past it to entice a bass to jump out and grab your fly. Make multiple cats to these spots even if you already pulled a bass out. Most spots will hold multiple fish.

You can also work clawdads on the bottom near the mouths of channels. Fish like to wait here as well for a meal to come flooding into the river.

The Red River South Marina is the largest marina on the river and can be a great spot to put your boat in.

Fly Selection 

• Clouser
• Wooly Bugger
• Leech
• Clawdad
• Poppers

 

Conclusion

Louisiana is full of great freshwater and saltwater fishing. The marshes in southern Louisiana are full of trophy redfish, and speckled trout. It’s a spot that every angler should have on their list of places to fish. The bass fishing is also great. The year round warm allows these fish to never stop growing and they can get to trophy sizes quickly. If that sounds good to you then check out any of the places above the next time your fishing in Louisiana!