Red River Pool 5 Fishing
A 10,800-acre Louisiana lake in Caddo and Bossier parishes.
Pick for flathead catfishPiscifun LumiCat II catfish rod48% OFFSale $114.99 Photo of Cross Lake: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
What LDWF records about Red River Pool 5
Wildlife and Fisheries rates Red River Pool 5 at 10,800 acres; it sits in Caddo and Bossier parishes. Expect an average of roughly 10 feet of water. The nearest town is Shreveport, roughly 9 miles out.
LDWF records 4 launches here, 3 open to the public. Anglers without a boat get 1 pier or bank site. The LDWF office for it: District 1.
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 1; 9961 Hwy 80, Minden, LA 71055; 318-371-5216.
What lands in the boat on Red River Pool 5
LDWF names these as the popular fish of Red River Pool 5: Excellent for blue, channel and flathead catfish; good for largemouth bass, crappie; fair for bream, white bass.
Working Red River Pool 5 through the seasons
Bass: along rock jetties close to main river in summer, around staging points between oxbows as seasons change; crappie: minnows; catfish: jug lines or floating noodles with cut bait
Where structure sits in Red River Pool 5
Rock jetties, submerged vegetation, standing timber, stumps, floating vegetation; oxbows offer clearer water
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.
For the flathead catfish herePiscifun Chaos XS round baitcaster36% OFFSale $57.99 Bass boats in the water at Red River Pool 5
- Bishop's Point on Red River Pool 52-lane concrete ramp, public, fee, Public; pay to launch
- Red River South on Red River Pool 54-lane concrete ramp, private, Private; membership only
- Stoner Ramp on Red River Pool 52-lane concrete ramp, public
- Teague Parkway on Red River Pool 52-lane concrete ramp, public
Bank casting on LDWF ground at Red River Pool 5
- Red River Lock & Dam #5 on Red River Pool 5bank fishing, Bank access, restrooms
LDWF lists this bank access: Access at Joe D. Waggonner Jr. Lock & Dam #5
Launches within a short drive of Red River Pool 5
- Cypress Garden launch on Wallace LakeWallace Lake, 5 miles southwest
- Norris Ferry Ramp on Wallace LakeWallace Lake, 5 miles southwest
- Wallace Lake Road RampWallace Lake, 6 miles southwest
- Pine Cove Marina on Lake BistineauLake Bistineau, 13 miles east
- Camp Joy on Lake BistineauLake Bistineau, 13 miles east
- South Lakeshore Ramp on Cross LakeCross Lake, 13 miles northwest
LDWF boat launch inventory (BoatRamps05152025) and LDWF Banks and Piers layer, retrieved October 28, 2026.
How much water is in Red River Pool 5
USACE Vicksburg District, Red River Pool 5 (Lock & Dam 5 upper); reading for October 28, 2026, retrieved October 28, 2026. Provisional; source page.
The Red River Pool 5 panel holds the newest reading we have, dated.
Daily creel at Red River Pool 5
| 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 Red River Pool 5 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 Red River Pool 5 measures up against its neighbours
Of the five nearest Louisiana lakes with pages, Lake Bistineau is the largest at 17,200 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Average depth | Launches | LDWF reefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red River Pool 5 | 10,800 | 10 ft | 4 | 0 | |
| Wallace Lake (De Soto Parish) | 6 miles southwest | 2,300 | 3.4 ft | 3 | 0 |
| Cross Lake | 15 miles northwest | 8,576 | 7.7 ft | 4 | 1 |
| Clear Lake and Smithport Lakes | 17 miles south | 3,028 | 4 ft | 1 | 0 |
| Lake Bistineau | 18 miles east | 17,200 | 9 ft | 19 | 0 |
| Black Bayou Reservoir | 19 miles north | 620 | 9.9 ft | 1 | 0 |
LDWF Inland Waterbodies with Management Plans, launch inventory and reef layers; retrieved October 28, 2026.
Within a short run of Red River Pool 5
Other LDWF lakes near Red River Pool 5
- Wallace Lake (De Soto Parish)6 miles southwest
- Cross Lake15 miles northwest
- Clear Lake and Smithport Lakes17 miles south
- Lake Bistineau18 miles east
- Black Bayou Reservoir19 miles north
Bait shops along the drive to Red River Pool 5
- Dick's Sporting Goods Shreveportsporting goods store, Shreveport, 4 miles
- Academy Sports + Outdoors Shreveportsporting goods store, Shreveport, 5 miles
- Lorant's Sports Center Incbait and tackle shop, Shreveport, 8 miles
- Bass Pro Shops Bossier Citysporting goods store, Bossier City, 10 miles
- Bacon's Tacklebait and tackle shop, Shreveport, 11 miles
- Fishing Frenzy Tackle & Outdoorsbait and tackle shop, Stonewall, 12 miles
Louisiana towns with a room near Red River Pool 5
- Shreveport9 miles
- Bossier City9 miles
- Stonewall12 miles
Which parishes take in Red River Pool 5
- Caddo Parishseat: Shreveport
- Bossier Parishseat: Benton
Piscifun gear lined up for the bayou run to Red River Pool 5
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Cypress, marsh and open water by Red River Pool 5, in photos
Photo: David Pirmann, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Bart Everson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: TheLionHasSeen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Red River Pool 5: questions a Louisiana angler asks before launching
Which Louisiana town is nearest Red River Pool 5?
LDWF maps it in Caddo and Bossier parishes, about 9 miles from Shreveport.
Is Red River Pool 5 a big lake for Louisiana?
Some 10,800 acres.
How many LDWF-listed launches reach Red River Pool 5?
4 launches on the LDWF list; Bishop's Point on Red River Pool 5 makes a good first stop.
What is biting on Red River Pool 5, according to LDWF?
Count on flathead catfish, largemouth bass, white crappie, bluegill, white bass and channel catfish at the top of the LDWF list.
How many bass go in the ice chest at Red River Pool 5?
Black bass (largemouth and spotted): 10 daily; Open year-round.
What does a nonresident buy for Red River Pool 5?
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 Red River Pool 5?
LDWF gives an average depth of about 10 feet; maximum depth is not published.
Where do Red River Pool 5 regulars fill the bait bucket?
Dick's Sporting Goods Shreveport, about 4 miles away, tops our Louisiana shop list.
Which agency posts the level of Red River Pool 5?
Check the level band; the source is USACE Vicksburg District.
Block out a Saturday for Red River Pool 5
Fees, seasons and exceptions are on the license page.