Wax Lake Fishing in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

• Overview

  In Louisiana, Wax Lake belongs to St. Mary Parish. The setting is open low country. At some 720 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. For supplies, Patterson is 9.6 miles out. Lafayette sits 56 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Round about: Lake Salve 7.1 miles off, Fresh Water Lake the better part of 9.9 miles, Yellow Bayou 11 miles off, Mud Bayou the better part of 13 miles and Lake Gascha 14 miles off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Wax Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Time trips to the tide table rather than the clock here. Reed and marsh margins hold fish through the moving hours. Slack water is dead water on a place like this. Biodiversity records within roughly six miles include bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass and gulf menhaden. Presence in the area does not guarantee a fish on the day. Wax Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 81°F; by January the average is down near 52°F. There is no dead season here at all. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. It holds true on Wax Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Lake Salve at 7.1 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat Wax Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.