Calcasieu Lake Fishing
A coastal lake of the Louisiana coast in Cameron Parish, inside the LDWF saltwater line.
Pick for flounderPiscifun Alloy S inshore spinning reelCheck price at PiscifunPhoto: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, CC BY 2.0
Calcasieu Lake on the Louisiana marsh map
In Cameron Parish lies Calcasieu Lake, a coastal lake of the Louisiana coast. The LDWF saltwater line puts it in salt water for license and limit purposes. From the GNIS point, Prien lies about 15 miles away.
There are 8 launches serving it. There are 3 pier and bank sites on the Banks and Piers layer. The reef program has 4 reef sites within 25 miles. NOAA runs 3 water-level stations within 25 miles. You will find 5 named passes nearby.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (feature class and point), LDWF saltwater line, LDWF launch and Banks and Piers layers; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Species with a LOWA record from Calcasieu Lake
Fish tied to Calcasieu Lake in our sources.
LOWA state records and LDWF data; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Bayou launches toward Calcasieu Lake
- Calcasieu Point3-lane concrete ramp, public
- Choupique Bayou1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Hackberry Shell Pile Area and Boat Ramp on Calcasieu Lake2-lane concrete ramp, public
- Intracoastal Park (East Ramp) on Calcasieu Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Intracoastal Park on Calcasieu Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Dugas Landing on Calcasieu Ship Channel1-lane concrete ramp, private
- Hebert's Landing on Calcasieu Lake1-lane concrete ramp, private
- Spicer's Bait And Tackle on Calcasieu Lake2-lane concrete ramp, private
Marinas with launches for Calcasieu Lake
- Spicer's Bait And Tackle on Calcasieu LakeMarina, charters, lodging, 337-762-3170
- Dugas Landing on Calcasieu Ship ChannelMarina, bait, ice, fish cleaning tables, boat stalls, 337-762-3944
- Hebert's Landing on Calcasieu LakeMarina, charters, 318-598-2001
Second-choice LDWF launches around Calcasieu Lake
- Cameron Ship Channel launch on Calcasieu Ship ChannelCalcasieu Ship Channel, 9 miles south
- West Cove Canal launch on Calcasieu PassCalcasieu Pass, 11 miles southwest
- Cameron Jetties and Ramp on Calcasieu Ship ChannelCalcasieu Ship Channel, 12 miles south
- Hog Island Gully launch on Calcasieu PassCalcasieu Pass, 12 miles southwest
- Choupique Bayou at Hwy 108Bayou Choupique, 16 miles northwest
- Interstate 210 Beach Launch on Prien LakePrien Lake, 18 miles north
LDWF boat launch inventory (saltwater, brackish and freshwater launches), retrieved October 28, 2026.
Land-based fishing LDWF maps at Calcasieu Lake
- Calcasieu Point Landingbank fishing, salt or brackish, Bank access, restrooms, 5am-11pm
- Hog Island Gulley Recreation Area on Calcasieu Lakebank fishing, salt or brackish, Bank access, parking, Sunrise-sunset
- Northline Recreation Area on Calcasieu Lakebank fishing, salt or brackish, Bank access, parking, Sunrise-sunset
Land-based fishing close to Calcasieu Lake
- Blue Crab Recreation Area on Calcasieu Passbank fishing, salt or brackish, 9 miles
- West Cove Recreation Area on Calcasieu Passbank fishing, salt or brackish, 11 miles
- Cameron Jetties Fishing Pier on Calcasieu Passfishing pier, salt or brackish, 12 miles
- Holly Beach/Hwy 82 on Calcasieu Passbank fishing, salt or brackish, 15 miles
- Rutherford Beachbank fishing, salt or brackish, 16 miles
LDWF Banks and Piers layer, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Reef program sites near Calcasieu Lake
The LDWF Artificial Reef Program lists 4 within 25 miles of Calcasieu Lake, 4 of them inshore.
| Reef | Program | Depth | Size | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Lake Reef | inshore | 7-ft | 50 acres | under a mile north |
| Finfish Reef 1 | inshore | 7-ft | 50 acres | 3 miles north |
| East Calcasieu Reef | inshore | 8-ft | 87 acres | 3 miles south |
| Turner's Bay Island Reef | inshore | 2-ft | 1 acres | 9 miles north |
LDWF Artificial Reef Program saltwater reef layer and site PDFs (depth and acres as printed), retrieved October 28, 2026.
Reading the water on Calcasieu Lake
NOAA CO-OPS water level, preliminary reading at retrieval (October 28, 2026); station page for live data.
- East Calcasieu Laketide predictions, 5 miles
- Calcasieu Passtide predictions, 12 miles
Read the NOAA station for Calcasieu Lake before heading into skinny water; fronts can drop it fast.
NOAA CO-OPS water level and tide prediction stations within 25 and 15 miles, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Cuts and guts around Calcasieu Lake
- Calcasieu Pass10 miles south
- East Fork Calcasieu Pass8 miles south
- East Pass Calcasieu River9 miles north
- West Pass Calcasieu River8 miles north
- West Fork Calcasieu Pass9 miles southwest
USGS GNIS passes and guts within 12 miles; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Ports and landings around Calcasieu Lake
- CameronCameron Parish, 9 miles
USGS GNIS coastal towns and fishing ports within 20 miles; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Redfish, speck and flounder limits for Calcasieu Lake
| Species | Daily limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Cobia (ling or lemonfish) | 1 daily per person; no more than 2 per vessel; 36" min fork length | Open year-round in state waters |
| Black drum | 5 daily per person – bag and possession; no more than one over 27" max total length; 16" min total length; 27" max total length | Open year-round in state waters |
| Red drum (redfish) | 4 daily per person – bag; none over 27" max total length; 18" min total length; 27" max total length | Open year-round in state waters |
| Southern flounder | 10 daily per person | Open year-round except no possession allowed from Oct. 15 – Nov. 30 |
| Spanish mackerel | 15 daily per person; 12" min fork length | Open year-round in state waters |
| Striped mullet | 100 lbs. daily | Open year-round in state waters |
| Spotted seatrout (speckled trout) | 15 daily per person with no more than 2 over 20" max total length; 13" min total length; 20" max total length | Open year-round in state waters |
| Sheepshead | No daily limit | Open year-round in state waters |
| Tripletail | 5 daily per person; 18" min total length | Open year-round in state waters |
| Black bass (largemouth and spotted) | 10 daily | Open year-round |
| Striped or hybrid striped bass (or any combination thereof) | 5 daily; no more than two over 30" total length | Open year-round |
| White bass | 50 daily | Open year-round |
| Yellow bass | 50 daily | Open year-round |
| Sunfish (bream) | No daily limit | Open year-round |
| Crappie (black and white) | 50 daily; 100 fish possession limit | Open year-round |
| Bowfin (choupique) | No daily limit; 16" MLL | Open year-round |
Inshore saltwater rows come first for Calcasieu Lake, then the freshwater rows that cover brackish catches like bass and catfish.
| Water as printed | Where | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles, Moss Lake, and Prien Lake | Whole water | No butterfly nets or shrimp trawls longer than 16 feet, fish seines, gill nets, strike nets or trammel nets. |
Rules as printed in the 2026 Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations (LDWF pamphlet, updated September 21, 2026), pages 18 to 21 (pamphlet PDF); second read on the LDWF freshwater page October 28, 2026.
South of the LDWF saltwater line an angler 18 or older carries a Basic Fishing License plus a Saltwater License: $17 and $15 for residents, $68 and $60 for nonresidents.
Limits and seasons as printed in the 2026 Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations (LDWF pamphlet, updated September 21, 2026), page 19 (pamphlet PDF); confirmed on the LDWF saltwater finfish page October 28, 2026.
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| Species | Division | Weight | Angler | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TROUT, SPECKLED (SPOTTED SEA TROUT) | Fly Fishing | 9.31 lb | Capt. Jeff Poe | Sept 1996 |
Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association state fish records (rank 1 entries; LDWF keeps no record list), retrieved October 28, 2026. All Louisiana records.
Coastal water near Calcasieu Lake, compared
The best-served neighbour is Calcasieu Pass, with 4 launches.
| Water | Distance | Type | Launches | Piers and banks | Reefs within 25 mi | NOAA stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Lake | coastal lake | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |
| Calcasieu Pass | 10 miles south | tidal pass | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Sabine Lake | 33 miles west | coastal lake | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sabine Pass | 37 miles west | tidal pass | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| White Lake | 49 miles east | coastal lake | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Vermilion Bay | 80 miles east | bay | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
LDWF launch, Banks and Piers and reef layers, NOAA CO-OPS stations, USGS GNIS; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Inland water and towns near Calcasieu Lake
More lakes and brakes by Calcasieu Lake
- Grand Lake32 miles
- Lake Arthur36 miles
Rivers and bayous close to Calcasieu Lake
- Calcasieu Ship Channel4 miles
- Black Lake Bayou (Cameron Parish)6 miles
- Coulee Hippolyte12 miles
- Bayou Choupique16 miles
Where to buy shiners and crickets for Calcasieu Lake
- Spicer Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Hackberry, 6 miles
- Blue Horizon Seafood-Live Baitbait and tackle shop, Hackberry, 6 miles
- Spicer Bait Cobait and tackle shop, Hackberry, 7 miles
- Lake Charles Tacklebait and tackle shop, Lake Charles, 17 miles
- Fish on Tackle & Baitbait and tackle shop, Sulphur, 19 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Lake Charlessporting goods store, Lake Charles, 19 miles
Hiring a guide on Calcasieu Lake
- Capt'N Sammie Faulkcharter, Lake Charles, (337) 598-2001
- Hackberry Charterscharter, Hackberry, (337) 762-3713
- Hackberry Fishing Camp & Marinacharter, Hackberry, (832) 444-4892
- Rue, Erik Captcharter, Lake Charles, (337) 598-4700
Home bases for Calcasieu Lake
- Prien15 miles
- Carlyss18 miles
- Lake Charles19 miles
- Sulphur21 miles
The parish pages for Calcasieu Lake
- Cameron Parishseat: Cameron
Piscifun tackle a Sportsman's Paradise angler might load for Calcasieu Lake
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Telling apart the fish of Calcasieu Lake by photo
Photo: Rennair, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC, Public domain
Photo: albertoalcala, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos, CC BY 2.0
Settling the details of a day on Calcasieu Lake
Which stretch of the Louisiana marsh holds Calcasieu Lake?
It sits in Cameron Parish, about 15 miles from Prien.
What does LDWF charge to fish Calcasieu Lake?
South of the LDWF saltwater line an angler 18 or older carries a Basic Fishing License plus a Saltwater License: $17 and $15 for residents, $68 and $60 for nonresidents.
Is there a public launch near Calcasieu Lake?
8 launches in the inventory, Calcasieu Point included.
What can a Louisiana angler ice down from Calcasieu Lake?
Cobia (ling or lemonfish): 1 daily per person; no more than 2 per vessel; 36" min fork length; Open year-round in state waters. Exceptions for it are printed in the limits band.
Does Calcasieu Lake have reef sites?
4 sites within 25 miles; nearest is Sweet Lake Reef.
Where do I find tide predictions for Calcasieu Lake?
Calcasieu Pass is the closest NOAA water-level station; the tide band shows its reading.
Are there bank sites on Calcasieu Lake?
LDWF lists 3 pier and bank sites, Calcasieu Point Landing among them.
Who sells live shrimp near Calcasieu Lake?
Head to Spicer Bait & Tackle, about 6 miles away, for bait and ice.
Which passes are near Calcasieu Lake?
The gazetteer lists Calcasieu Pass, East Fork Calcasieu Pass, East Pass Calcasieu River, West Pass Calcasieu River and West Fork Calcasieu Pass.
Has the LOWA book ever credited Calcasieu Lake?
TROUT, SPECKLED (SPOTTED SEA TROUT), 9.31 lb, by Capt. Jeff Poe (Sept 1996).
Spend a coastal weekend on Calcasieu Lake
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