Cheniere Lake Fishing
A 3,115-acre Louisiana lake in Ouachita Parish.
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What LDWF records about Cheniere Lake
Wildlife and Fisheries rates Cheniere Lake at 3,115 acres; it sits in Ouachita Parish. Expect an average of roughly 4.9 feet of water. The nearest town is Bawcomville, roughly 3 miles out.
LDWF records 7 launches here, 7 open to the public. The LDWF office for it: District 2.
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans layer (Size, average depth, popular species, cover, access and tips text), Census 2023 places, retrieved October 28, 2026. LDWF office: District 2; 368 Century Tel Dr, Monroe, LA 71203; 318-343-4044.
What lands in the boat on Cheniere Lake
LDWF names these as the popular fish of Cheniere Lake: Good to excellent for crappie; sunfish, stocked largemouth bass also available.
Working Cheniere Lake through the seasons
Largemouth bass: soft jerkbaits and spinner baits around log jams; crappie: cypress thickets with jigs; bluegill: crickets around trees, especially in spring when caterpillars are in tupelo trees
Where structure sits in Cheniere Lake
Cypress and water tupelo trees
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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- Area 1 on Cheniere Lake2-lane concrete ramp, public
- Area 3 on Cheniere Lake2-lane concrete ramp, public
- Area 4 on Cheniere Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Area 5 on Cheniere Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Area 6 on Cheniere Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Area 7 on Cheniere Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
- Area 8 on Cheniere Lake1-lane concrete ramp, public
LDWF lists this bank access: Piers, shoreline access at public boat ramps
Launches within a short drive of Cheniere Lake
- Bawcomville Recreation Area on Ouachita RiverOuachita River, 4 miles east
- Forsythe launch on Ouachita RiverOuachita River, 6 miles northeast
- Joe Bob's launch on Bayou D'ArbonneBayou D'Arbonne, 8 miles northeast
- Logtown launch on Ouachita RiverOuachita River, 10 miles southeast
- Prairion Bayou on Ouachita RiverOuachita River, 11 miles southeast
- Conley's Boat Ramp on Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou ComplexBartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex, 11 miles northeast
LDWF boat launch inventory (BoatRamps05152025) and LDWF Banks and Piers layer, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Daily creel at Cheniere Lake
| 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 Cheniere Lake first, then any water-body rule.
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.
How Cheniere Lake measures up against its neighbours
Of the five nearest Louisiana lakes with pages, Caney Creek Reservoir is the largest at 5,000 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Average depth | Launches | LDWF reefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheniere Lake | 3,115 | 4.9 ft | 7 | 0 | |
| Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish) | 13 miles northeast | 800 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex | 16 miles northeast | 800 | 14 ft | 4 | 0 |
| Chatham Lake | 17 miles southwest | 158 | 5 ft | 1 | 0 |
| Woolen Lake | 23 miles southeast | 240 | 5 ft | 1 | 0 |
| Caney Creek Reservoir | 24 miles southwest | 5,000 | 16 ft | 5 | 0 |
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans, launch inventory and reef layers; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Within a short run of Cheniere Lake
Other LDWF lakes near Cheniere Lake
- Black Bayou Lake (Ouachita Parish)13 miles northeast
- Bartholomew, Desiard and Black Bayou Complex16 miles northeast
- Chatham Lake17 miles southwest
- Woolen Lake23 miles southeast
- Caney Creek Reservoir24 miles southwest
Bait shops along the drive to Cheniere Lake
- Toledo Tackle, 5129 Cypress Stbait and tackle shop, West Monroe, 4 miles
- Academy Sports + Outdoors West Monroesporting goods store, West Monroe, 4 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Monroesporting goods store, Monroe, 9 miles
- Toledo Tackle, 7913 Desiard Stbait and tackle shop, Monroe, 11 miles
- Fish at Joesbait and tackle shop, Monroe
- Tracker Boating Centerbait and tackle shop, Monroe
Louisiana towns with a room near Cheniere Lake
- Bawcomville3 miles
- Brownsville4 miles
- West Monroe5 miles
Which parishes take in Cheniere Lake
- Ouachita Parishseat: Monroe
Piscifun gear lined up for the bayou run to Cheniere Lake
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Cypress, marsh and open water by Cheniere Lake, 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
Cheniere Lake: questions a Louisiana angler asks before launching
Which Louisiana town is nearest Cheniere Lake?
LDWF maps it in Ouachita Parish, about 3 miles from Bawcomville.
Is Cheniere Lake a big lake for Louisiana?
Some 3,115 acres.
How many LDWF-listed launches reach Cheniere Lake?
7 launches on the LDWF list; Area 1 on Cheniere Lake makes a good first stop.
What is biting on Cheniere Lake, according to LDWF?
Count on white crappie, bluegill and largemouth bass at the top of the LDWF list.
How many bass go in the ice chest at Cheniere Lake?
Black bass (largemouth and spotted): 10 daily; Open year-round.
What does a nonresident buy for Cheniere Lake?
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 Cheniere Lake?
LDWF gives an average depth of about 4.9 feet; maximum depth is not published.
Where do Cheniere Lake regulars fill the bait bucket?
Toledo Tackle, about 4 miles away, tops our Louisiana shop list.
Block out a Saturday for Cheniere Lake
Fees, seasons and exceptions are on the license page.

