Negro Lake Fishing Guide, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana

• Overview

  The Evangeline Parish end of Louisiana holds Negro Lake. It sits in warm bottomland country. Roughly 75 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Ville Platte is the closest town at 7.3 miles. The nearest city of size is Lafayette, 42 miles away. Near neighbours: Indian Lake within 1 mile, Lake Chicot near enough 1.4 miles, Chicota Lake within 3.1 miles, Harveys Lake near enough 4.1 miles and Dossman Lake within 4.7 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Negro Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Public wildlife records from this area list redear sunfish, bluegill, bluntnose darter, cypress darter and logperch. Reporting is uneven, so absence from the list means little. Fish Negro Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 82°F for July and 49°F for January. Cold never becomes a factor on this one. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Negro Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Indian Lake at 1 mile is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Negro Lake.