Fishing Rice Patch Lake in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

• Overview

  St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, is where Rice Patch Lake sits. It sits 18 miles in from the sea. Small at around 3 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by St. Tammany Parish standards. The closest town, Nicholson, is 6.9 miles distant. Picayune lies 7.2 miles off, Hide-A-Way Lake another 9.9 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Rice Patch Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish reported in the area, according to open records, include gulf logperch, Alabama shad, American eel and threadfin shad. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Rice Patch Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 50°F to 81°F. Summer is the season to work around, not winter. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. It sets the rhythm of the year at Rice Patch Lake. The first warm week of the year changes everything here.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Catfish Lake is 0.8 miles distant. What applies at Rice Patch Lake may have changed since it was mapped.