Chicot Lake Fishing
A 1,642-acre Louisiana lake in Evangeline Parish.
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What LDWF records about Chicot Lake
Wildlife and Fisheries rates Chicot Lake at 1,642 acres; it sits in Evangeline Parish. Expect an average of roughly 7 feet of water. The nearest town is Ville Platte, roughly 8 miles out.
LDWF records 3 launches here, 3 open to the public. LDWF has placed 1 freshwater reefs in it. The 2026 rules list 3 water-body exceptions here. The LDWF office for it: District 6.
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 6; 5652 Hwy 182, Opelousas, LA 70570; 337-735-8712.
What lands in the boat on Chicot Lake
LDWF names these as the popular fish of Chicot Lake: Largemouth bass (stocked annually), crappie, bluegill, redear.
Working Chicot Lake through the seasons
Bass: along the shoreline and off of points in spring and fall with soft plastics and crankbaits; crappie: tube jigs near cypress and tupelo trees and in thick vegetation; bream: under a cork along shoreline and around trees with live or artificial bait
Where structure sits in Chicot Lake
Cypress and tupelo trees, submerged vegetation
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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The 1 LDWF reef sites at Chicot Lake appear below with their depth and material.
| Reef | Deployed | Depth | Material | Target fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Chicot #1 – gravel bed & Artificial Reef | 6/1/2001 | 4-6 ft | Polyethylene pallets | Crappie, Sunfish |
LDWF Freshwater Artificial Reefs layer (deployment, depth, material and target species as published), retrieved October 28, 2026.
Bass boats in the water at Chicot Lake
- Lake Chicot (east)1-lane concrete ramp, public, fee, Public; pay to launch
- Lake Chicot (north)1-lane concrete ramp, public, fee, Public; pay to launch
- Lake Chicot (south)1-lane concrete ramp, public, fee, Public; pay to launch
LDWF lists this bank access: Handicap accessible piers near cabins and next to north landing
Launches within a short drive of Chicot Lake
- Acadiana Conservation Corridor Launch on Bayou CocodrieBayou Cocodrie, 5 miles east
- North Launch on Millers LakeMillers Lake, 7 miles southwest
- South Launch on Millers LakeMillers Lake, 7 miles southwest
- Dubuisson LandingDubuisson Lake, 11 miles southeast
- Dubuisson Lake Rest AreaDubuisson Lake, 11 miles southeast
- Crooked Creek Reservoir launchCrooked Creek, 12 miles west
LDWF boat launch inventory (BoatRamps05152025) and LDWF Banks and Piers layer, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Recent LDWF stockings at Chicot Lake
LDWF stocking rows naming Chicot Lake:
- Florida BassFlorida Bass, 32,900 fingerlings, 2025 (Stocked January-June 2025.)
- Florida BassFlorida Bass, 32,000 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.
Daily creel at Chicot 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 Chicot Lake first, then any water-body rule.
Exceptions to the statewide rows at Chicot Lake
| Water as printed | Where | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Black Lake, Clear Lake and Prairie Lake (Natchitoches Parish), Caddo Lake (Caddo Parish), Chicot Lake (Evangel | Whole water | Trotlines and yo-yos: Except for an object used strictly in the construction of a pier, boathouse, seawall, or dock, no object which is driven into the lake bottom, a stump, tree, or the shoreline shall be used to anchor a yo-yo or trigger device. |
| Anacoco Lake, Lake Vernon and the portion of Anacoco Bayou between the lakes, Lake Bartholomew, Lake Bistineau | Whole water | No fish seines, gill nets, hoop nets or trammel nets. |
| Chicot Lake and Ivan Lake | Whole water | No fish traps. |
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.
How Chicot Lake measures up against its neighbours
Of the five nearest Louisiana lakes with pages, Cocodrie Lake is the largest at 6,000 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Average depth | Launches | LDWF reefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicot Lake | 1,642 | 7 ft | 3 | 1 | |
| Millers Lake | 6 miles southwest | 1,014 | 2 | 0 | |
| Dubuisson Lake | 10 miles southeast | 200 | 2 | 0 | |
| Crooked Creek | 12 miles west | 400 | 1 | 0 | |
| Cocodrie Lake | 15 miles northwest | 6,000 | 6 ft | 2 | 0 |
| Indian Creek Reservoir | 24 miles northwest | 2,250 | 9 ft | 3 | 1 |
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans, launch inventory and reef layers; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Within a short run of Chicot Lake
Other LDWF lakes near Chicot Lake
- Millers Lake6 miles southwest
- Dubuisson Lake10 miles southeast
- Crooked Creek12 miles west
- Cocodrie Lake15 miles northwest
- Indian Creek Reservoir24 miles northwest
Bait shops along the drive to Chicot Lake
- Ardoin's Tackle Repairbait and tackle shop, Ville Platte, 10 miles
- Crawfish Centerbait and tackle shop, Ville Platte, 11 miles
- D & G Bait and Tacklebait and tackle shop, Ville Platte, 15 miles
- Crawfish Housebait and tackle shop, Opelousas, 21 miles
- Shams Bait Tackle & Delibait and tackle shop, Pine Prairie
Louisiana towns with a room near Chicot Lake
- Ville Platte8 miles
- Pine Prairie9 miles
- Bunkie12 miles
Which parishes take in Chicot Lake
- Evangeline Parishseat: Ville Platte
Piscifun gear lined up for the bayou run to Chicot Lake
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Cypress, marsh and open water by Chicot Lake, in photos
Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Charles Barilleaux, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Patrick Feller, CC BY 2.0
Chicot Lake: questions a Louisiana angler asks before launching
Which Louisiana town is nearest Chicot Lake?
LDWF maps it in Evangeline Parish, about 8 miles from Ville Platte.
Is Chicot Lake a big lake for Louisiana?
Some 1,642 acres.
How many LDWF-listed launches reach Chicot Lake?
3 launches on the LDWF list; Lake Chicot (east) makes a good first stop.
What is biting on Chicot Lake, according to LDWF?
Count on largemouth bass, white crappie, bluegill and redear sunfish at the top of the LDWF list.
How many bass go in the ice chest at Chicot Lake?
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 Chicot 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 Chicot Lake?
LDWF gives an average depth of about 7 feet; maximum depth is not published.
Where do Chicot Lake regulars fill the bait bucket?
Ardoin's Tackle Repair, about 10 miles away, tops our Louisiana shop list.
How many reefs are in Chicot Lake?
Yes, 1 LDWF reef sites, tabled and mapped above.
Which fish go into Chicot Lake from hatcheries?
Yes; LDWF lists Florida Bass, 32,900 fingerlings, 2025.
Block out a Saturday for Chicot Lake
Fees, seasons and exceptions are on the license page.