Lake Morantine Fishing near Colfax, Louisiana

• Overview

  The Natchitoches Parish entry here is Lake Morantine, in Louisiana. What surrounds it is pine and hardwood. Small at around 2 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Natchitoches Parish are larger. Head to Colfax, 3.2 miles away, for anything you forgot. Ball follows at 22 miles, then Vienna Bend at 22 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Lake Morantine

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish reported in the area, according to open records, include American eel, black crappie and blacktail shiner. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lake Morantine the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 47°F to 82°F. Temperatures stay workable through the cold season. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Lake Morantine fishes to that pattern most years. A settled spell fishes better than a bright one.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Crappie hold to structure; small jigs or minnows under a float around timber find them. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Willow Lake at 2.9 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Lake Morantine in what we hold.