Dempsey Lake in Catahoula Parish: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, is where Dempsey Lake sits. Country round the bank runs to open plain. It runs to roughly 56 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 1.4 miles, and most of it is walkable. For a base, Jonesville sits 9.6 miles out. Then Jena, 11 miles, and Midway, 12 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Dempsey Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public wildlife records from this area list largemouth bass, spotted bass and freshwater drum. Reporting is uneven, so absence from the list means little. At Dempsey Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 82°F and January near 47°F. The year never really closes; it just gets uncomfortable in summer. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Dempsey Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Round Lake is 1.8 miles off. For Dempsey Lake in particular, ask before you travel.