Shreveport area lakes to target this winter.

**Fishin_Magician** · 10-12-2007, 10:06 AM

Earl send me a PM asking about some good crappie lakes near Shreveport. I gave him a list of my favorite winter time holes and it ended up kinda detailed so I thought I would share it with the new Shreveport area members...

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In about 1 or 2 months we are going to have all kinds of options. When the water gets cold enough in our area lakes all the crappie head for deep water. And then its just a matter of finding the lake that are stacked up the tightest in the channels...

I will tell you my favorites from last year...

Claiborne - fish out in front of the dam anywhere in 25-30 foot of water right on the bottom. Very little structure to get hung on unless you get too close to the dam. Use heavy weight on the bottom of your rig with baits above. (dec-jan)

Caddo- fish around Uncertain Texas. You can use a Louisiana license though. Great fsihing out there right in front of launches in Uncertain. A good ramp is Johnson's Ranch Marina. Put in there and fish down towards the main lake. It will be to your right if facing out from the launch. Work stumps on the launch side of the river and vegitation on the far side. You can also go way up the river past government ditch towards Marshal into Big Cypress Creek. Up there you fish laydown trees. (nov-dec-jan)

Lake Bistineau- fish Port of Bistineau when it gets good and cold. Its deep there and the crappies run out of the shallow cypress tree flats into the channel and they stack up. Just put in there at the port and head up river and fish along the side of the trees neear the channel. Look for action on the surface and fish around there, it will point you to shad and crappie. (dec-jan)

Grand Bayou- great lake in the winter months. Just fish down by the dam and drift around trying to stay near the river channel. There is a bunch of small submerged brush becuase its a new lake and has not begun to rot yet. They got it drained right now so you can't launch a big boat. Not sure when it opens back up. Just fish it like I said I fish Claiborne. Keep the baits deep and just drift around in open water looking for bottom depth changes and some brush.

Cypress- fish down by the dam deep water drifting. I posted a picture of the path I like to drift out there. from the deep water in front of the dam out across those points that are opposite the public boat ramp closest to the dam. Same deal fish near the bottom in open water. (nov-dec-jan)

D'arbonne- little further drive but its worth it. Soon as it gets cold enough it pushes all the fish out of standing timber shallow flats into the channel. Just like Bistineau. Its easy pickins' out there because the standing trees make the channel easy to follow and the channle is plum full of fish when it gets cold. You can launch at the 33 bridge there near Farmerville and fish the channel towards the dam. Or you can launch at the state park and fish the channel right out in front of the launch. (park is better if its really windy) If you are in the channel in the cold months at D'arbonne you will catch crappie. (nov-dec-jan)

Toledo Bend- Put in at Huxley bay. Its over there on the Texas side... You have to drive over the bridge at Logansport then turn south and drive down to the launch. It was on fire last year when Toledo was so low. Huxley launch has a river channel out in front of it that runs down the bankline to the south. When its good it is full of boats pulling in crappie. Out here you just fish the standing trees along the side of the river channel... The water was so low last time you could see them all. Drop a jig or minnow near one of those trees and you had yourself a slab. (dec-jan)

Black Lake (near Campti)- Put in at ramps off highway 9 out of Campti. Head north up the lake untill its not much more then a river.(be warned it is very hard to follow the channel) There is a straight away up there called "The Stretch" that is a long straight section of the river without snags that the fish stack up in at times. Nice crappie and white bass fishing late winter. Also some fish caught in the lake around the bridge near the ramp.(dec-feb)

Black Bayou (near Campti)- Put in at Dee's landing down by Clarence south of Campti. About 1 hour thirty minutes south from Shreveport. Fish laydowns and stickup slow with weedless jig. Come earlly and find um because the best spots tend to be camped up be mid morning. Its tight water. Even tighter when they draw it down.(nov-dec)

Lake O'The Pines - Put in at the dam in the coldest part of the winter. LOTP is a deep reservoir lake and the slabs packl the the spillway side if we have a cold winter. Just bring a drift sock and troll stripes across the old river channel. Drag rigs work with only people brush piles to get hung on. Or vertical fish/slow troll either way use a dropper rig with weight at the bottom they tend to relate to the bottom so you need a lot of weight.(dec-jan)

I think I named my favorite lakes around here for winter fishing. Hope this helps ya find some fish this winter,

~Fishin Magician~

**jlaughlin72** · 10-12-2007, 11:01 AM

FM, that's some pretty detailed info there. Too bad I don't live farther north than I do, I would have to try some of them out... Thanks for the schedule of events, I am sure it will help some of the new Shreveport area members, and probably some of the older members too.

**percher** · 10-13-2007, 06:55 AM

Great info there Markum. Have you thought about moving? Don

**paw paw perch** · 10-13-2007, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Fishin_Magician

Earl send me a PM asking about some good crappie lakes near Shreveport. I gave him a list of my favorite winter time holes and it ended up kinda detailed so I thought I would share it with the new Shreveport area members...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

In about 1 or 2 months we are going to have all kinds of options. When the water gets cold enough in our area lakes all the crappie head for deep water. And then its just a matter of finding the lake that are stacked up the tightest in the channels...

I will tell you my favorites from last year...

Claiborne - fish out in front of the dam anywhere in 25-30 foot of water right on the bottom. Very little structure to get hung on unless you get too close to the dam. Use heavy weight on the bottom of your rig with baits above. (dec-jan)

Caddo- fish around Uncertain Texas. You can use a Louisiana license though. Great fsihing out there right in front of launches in Uncertain. A good ramp is Johnson's Ranch Marina. Put in there and fish down towards the main lake. It will be to your right if facing out from the launch. Work stumps on the launch side of the river and vegitation on the far side. You can also go way up the river past government ditch towards Marshal into Big Cypress Creek. Up there you fish laydown trees. (nov-dec-jan)

Lake Bistineau- fish Port of Bistineau when it gets good and cold. Its deep there and the crappies run out of the shallow cypress tree flats into the channel and they stack up. Just put in there at the port and head up river and fish along the side of the trees neear the channel. Look for action on the surface and fish around there, it will point you to shad and crappie. (dec-jan)

Grand Bayou- great lake in the winter months. Just fish down by the dam and drift around trying to stay near the river channel. There is a bunch of small submerged brush becuase its a new lake and has not begun to rot yet. They got it drained right now so you can't launch a big boat. Not sure when it opens back up. Just fish it like I said I fish Claiborne. Keep the baits deep and just drift around in open water looking for bottom depth changes and some brush.

Cypress- fish down by the dam deep water drifting. I posted a picture of the path I like to drift out there. from the deep water in front of the dam out across those points that are opposite the public boat ramp closest to the dam. Same deal fish near the bottom in open water. (nov-dec-jan)

D'arbonne- little further drive but its worth it. Soon as it gets cold enough it pushes all the fish out of standing timber shallow flats into the channel. Just like Bistineau. Its easy pickins' out there because the standing trees make the channel easy to follow and the channle is plum full of fish when it gets cold. You can launch at the 33 bridge there near Farmerville and fish the channel towards the dam. Or you can launch at the state park and fish the channel right out in front of the launch. (park is better if its really windy) If you are in the channel in the cold months at D'arbonne you will catch crappie. (nov-dec-jan)

Toledo Bend- Put in at Huxley bay. Its over there on the Texas side... You have to drive over the bridge at Logansport then turn south and drive down to the launch. It was on fire last year when Toledo was so low. Huxley launch has a river channel out in front of it that runs down the bankline to the south. When its good it is full of boats pulling in crappie. Out here you just fish the standing trees along the side of the river channel... The water was so low last time you could see them all. Drop a jig or minnow near one of those trees and you had yourself a slab. (dec-jan)

I think I named my favorite lakes around here for winter fishing. I also fish Lake O'the Pines and Black Lake near campti but I will not give them mention because they are so far from Shreveport.

Hope this helps ya find some fish this winter,

~Fishin Magician~

I've been able to enjoy most of what You mentioned and 1 other that I
would add might be paw paw bayou on the west end of cross lake dec-feb there are some holes up in there that hold some nice crappie. Very good and factual post. Lake O The Pines is my favorite spot for winter crappie. good luck to everyone.

**Mo'nBack** · 10-13-2007, 07:54 PM

Wow Markham! You gonna make me move back to Shreveport! Good job!

**crappie.bob** · 10-14-2007, 09:19 AM

printing my copy right now, thanks for the great info. what about spring patterns?

**WhitePerchJerker** · 10-15-2007, 05:37 AM

Good work F.M. thanks for the information

**Fishin_Magician** · 10-16-2007, 02:01 PM

Glad yall will get some use out of it. Figured since I spent the time typing it up for Earl I would share it with everyone.

Feel free to add to the list if I missed any. Or PM me if you want some more info on one.

So far additoins are:

Paw Paw Bayou (Off Cross Lake) - Paw Paw Perch
Pool #5 (Red River) - Percher

Can anybody think of any others we missed?

~Fishin' Magician~

**jlaughlin72** · 10-17-2007, 10:00 PM

Dwyane, can you stick this one to keep it here a while?

**riverfish** · 10-26-2007, 02:51 PM

I really enjoy the winter fishing! Even with the extra bundles of gear I need a top my extreme wet weather gear. Winter fishing allows for a great fun and enjoyment! Thanks for all your advice!

~Riverfish

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Shreveport area lakes to target this winter.

Very informative and well written

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