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Ouachita River 33 mi
Photo: Brad Emerson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain 
West Monroe 8.2 mi
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 
D'Arbonne Lake 26 mi
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Union Parish 24 mi
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Louisiana lakes and reservoirs
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Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) Fishing
A 800-acre Louisiana lake in Ouachita Parish.
Pick for largemouthPiscifun Chaos Pro CNC baitcasting reel25% OFFSale $97.99 Photo of Ouachita River: Billy Hathorn, CC BY 3.0
Ouachita Parish
What LDWF records about Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
Wildlife and Fisheries rates Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) at 800 acres; it sits in Ouachita Parish. The nearest town is Swartz, roughly 4 miles out.
LDWF records 1 launch here, 1 open to the public. Anglers without a boat get 1 pier or bank site. The 2026 rules list 1 water-body exception here.
800acres (LDWF)
1launches
1piers and bank sites
1species named
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans layer (Size, average depth, popular species, cover, access and tips text), Census 2023 places, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Species
What lands in the boat on Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans text (popular species, fishing tips, cover; not a full species census), LOWA records and LDWF stocking; retrieved October 28, 2026.
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Bass boats in the water at Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- Black Bayou Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
Bank casting on LDWF ground at Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- Bayou Black Lakefishing site, Boardwalk, restrooms
Launches within a short drive of Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- District 2 Office launch on Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou ComplexBartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex, under a mile west
- Moon LakeMoon Lake, 3 miles west
- Hwy 134 launch on Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou ComplexBartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex, 4 miles north
- Conley's Boat Ramp on Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou ComplexBartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex, 5 miles south
- Wham Brake Russell Sage WMA launchWham Brake, 5 miles east
- Joe Bob's launch on Bayou D'ArbonneBayou D'Arbonne, 6 miles west
LDWF boat launch inventory (BoatRamps05152025) and LDWF Banks and Piers layer, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Stocking
Recent LDWF stockings at Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
LDWF stocking rows naming Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish):
- Florida BassFlorida Bass, 84,200 fingerlings, 2025 (Stocked January-June 2025.)
- Florida BassFlorida Bass, 15,000 fingerlings, 2024 (Stocked January-June 2024.)
LDWF hatchery stocking releases (spring 2024 and 2025 per-water tables, single stockings to 2026); LDWF publishes no per-row dates; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Limits
Daily creel at Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
| Species | Daily limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Buffalo fish (or their hybrids) | 25 daily; 16" MLL | Open year-round |
| Catfish (blue, channel and flathead) | 100 daily in the aggregate. An angler may possess up to 25 undersized catfish of the three species combined.; Blue Catfish: 12" MLL; Channel Catfish: 11" MLL; Flathead Catfish: 14" MLL | Open year-round |
| Freshwater drum (gaspergou) | 25 daily; 12" MLL | Open year-round |
| Paddlefish | 2 daily (fish cannot be retained alive & cannot be harvested by snagging methods); 30" max lower jaw fork length | Open year-round |
| Shad | 50 pounds daily | Open year-round |
| Sturgeon | No legal harvest or possession | Closed (no legal harvest or possession) |
| Other freshwater fish (all species of bream and garfish) | No daily limit | Open year-round |
| Crawfish | 150 pounds daily | Open year-round |
| Rainbow trout (Get Out & Fish! community ponds) | five fish per person (daily limit) | Stocked mid-January to early February, pending a decrease in water temperatures |
Read the statewide rows for Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) first, then any water-body rule.
Exceptions to the statewide rows at Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
| Water as printed | Where | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Cypress Lake and Black Bayou Reservoir | Whole water | No fish seines, gill nets or trammel nets. No hoop nets, slat traps or wire nets from March 1 – Oct. 31. |
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.
Louisiana anglers 18 and older carry a Basic Fishing License: $17 a year for residents and $68 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 freshwater finfish page October 28, 2026.
Compare
How Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) measures up against its neighbours
Of the five nearest Louisiana lakes with pages, Cheniere Lake is the largest at 3,115 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Average depth | Launches | LDWF reefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) | 800 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex | 2 miles northeast | 800 | 14 ft | 4 | 0 |
| Cheniere Lake | 13 miles southwest | 3,115 | 4.9 ft | 7 | 0 |
| Finch Lake | 18 miles north | 586 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bussey Brake Lake | 20 miles north | 2,200 | 11 ft | 1 | 1 |
| Horseshoe Lake (Mer Rouge) | 22 miles northeast | 133 | 4.5 ft | 1 | 0 |
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans, launch inventory and reef layers; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Nearby
Within a short run of Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
Other LDWF lakes near Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex2 miles northeast
- Cheniere Lake13 miles southwest
- Finch Lake18 miles north
- Bussey Brake Lake20 miles north
- Horseshoe Lake (Mer Rouge)22 miles northeast
Bait shops along the drive to Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- Toledo Tackle, 7913 Desiard Stbait and tackle shop, Monroe, 4 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Monroesporting goods store, Monroe, 7 miles
- Academy Sports + Outdoors West Monroesporting goods store, West Monroe, 9 miles
- Toledo Tackle, 5129 Cypress Stbait and tackle shop, West Monroe, 10 miles
- Smith's Live Baitbait and tackle shop, Mangham, 21 miles
- Fish at Joesbait and tackle shop, Monroe
Louisiana towns with a room near Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- Swartz4 miles
- Monroe5 miles
- Sterlington7 miles
Which parishes take in Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
- Ouachita Parishseat: Monroe
Piscifun
Piscifun gear lined up for the bayou run to Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
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Photos
Cypress, marsh and open water by Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish), in photos
Photo: Brad Emerson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers
Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish): questions a Louisiana angler asks before launching
Which Louisiana town is nearest Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)?
LDWF maps it in Ouachita Parish, about 4 miles from Swartz.
Is Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) a big lake for Louisiana?
Some 800 acres.
How many LDWF-listed launches reach Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)?
1 launch on the LDWF list; Black Bayou Lake makes a good first stop.
What is biting on Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish), according to LDWF?
Count on largemouth bass at the top of the LDWF list.
How many bass go in the ice chest at Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)?
Black bass (largemouth and spotted): 10 daily; Open year-round. LDWF adds a line of its own for it in the limits band.
What does a nonresident buy for Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)?
Louisiana anglers 18 and older carry a Basic Fishing License: $17 a year for residents and $68 for nonresidents.
Does LDWF publish a depth for Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)?
LDWF publishes no depth for it.
Where do Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) regulars fill the bait bucket?
Toledo Tackle, about 4 miles away, tops our Louisiana shop list.
Which fish go into Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) from hatcheries?
Yes; LDWF lists Florida Bass, 84,200 fingerlings, 2025.
Block out a Saturday for Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)
Fees, seasons and exceptions are on the license page.