Black Bayou Lake Fishing near Swartz, Louisiana

• Overview

  Black Bayou Lake is an Ouachita Parish water, in Louisiana. It sits at 72 feet above sea level. Some 3.6 miles away sits Swartz, the nearest settlement. For a city, Shreveport is 99 miles off. Others close at hand: 3.2 miles away is Moon Lake, Whites Lake just 4 miles, 5.9 miles away is Wall Lake, Country Club Lake just 6 miles and 6.3 miles away is Pace Lake. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Black Bayou Lake

  There is a figure for this one: 20 ft. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish reported in the area, according to open records, include bowfin, cypress darter, spotted gar, redear sunfish and yellow bullhead. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Anyone new to Black Bayou Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 82°F; the cold one sits at 44°F. Winter is the comfortable season here rather than the difficult one. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. Expect Black Bayou Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The shoreline is public, so the licence is the main requirement. There is a jetty 0.9 miles off, worth knowing on a busy day. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Moon Lake is 3.2 miles off. The position on Black Bayou Lake is worth confirming on the day.