Louisiana reference
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Louisiana Water-Body Fishing Exceptions
Every Louisiana lake and basin with its own rule in the 2026 LDWF pamphlet: 42 entries on 30 waters, from bass slots on Toledo Bend to crappie limits in the Atchafalaya.
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How to read it
What a Louisiana water-body exception replaces
The 2026 pamphlet prints 42 water-body entries on 30 lakes, basins and complexes. Where an entry names a species it replaces the statewide row for that fish on that water; everywhere else the statewide table holds. 39 of the entries link to a water page on this site.
By kind: 25 creel and size and 17 gear.
42entries
30waters
39linked to a page
32026 changes
Freshwater State Creel and Size Limits
Louisiana water-body rules: freshwater state creel and size limits
| Water | Species | Where | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boundary waters with Texas and below the saltwater line | Paddlefish | Whole water | No legal harvest or possession |
| Bussey Brake | Black bass | Whole water | 18" maximum total length limit, EXCEPT one fish over 22" may temporarily retained in an aerated livewell prior to weighing. The bass must be immediately released into Bussey Brake Reservoir following weighing, and all anglers in the boat (i |
| Bussey Brake | Crappie | Whole water | 10" MLL; 25 daily |
| Bussey Brake | Sunfish (bream) | Whole water | 50 daily, in the aggregate |
| Caddo Lake | Black bass | Whole water | 14-18" protected SL for Largemouth Bass; no length restriction for Spotted Bass; 8 daily; no more than four Largemouth Bass over 18" total length |
| Caddo Lake, Poverty Point, and Sabine River | Crappie | Whole water | None; 25 daily; 50 fish possession limit |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | Blue and channel catfish | Whole water | Blue & Channel Catfish: None; 50 daily in the aggregate; no more than five over 30" total length |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | Flathead catfish | Whole water | Flathead Catfish: 18" MLL; 10 daily |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | White bass | Whole water | None; 25 daily |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | Yellow bass | Whole water | None; No limit |
| D'Arbonne Lake | Crappie | Whole water | 50 daily, of which no more than 7 may exceed 12" in length |
| Eagle Lake (Madison Parish) | Black bass | Whole water | 16" MLL; 10 daily |
| Eagle Lake (Madison Parish) | Crappie | Whole water | 11" MLL; 30 daily; 30 fish possession limit |
| False River (Pointe Coupee Parish) | Black bass | Whole water | 14" MLL; 5 daily |
| John K. Kelly-Grand Bayou Reservoir (Red River Parish) | Black bass | Whole water | 14-17" protected SL; 8 daily; no more than four over 17" total length |
| Lower Atchafalaya Basin, Grassy Lake, Lake Palourde, Lake Verrett and associated waterbodies | Black bass | Within the area south of US 190 from the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee to the intersection of LA 1 and US 190 due north of Port Al | 12" MLL; 5 daily |
| Lower Atchafalaya Basin, Grassy Lake, Lake Palourde, Lake Verrett and associated waterbodies | Crappie | Within the area south of US 190 from the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee to the intersection of LA 1 and US 190 due north of Port Al | 8" MLL; 25 daily |
| Poverty Point Reservoir | Black bass | Whole water | 15-19" protected SL; 8 daily; no more than one over 19" total length. Fish falling within a protected slot limit must be immediately released. |
| Poverty Point Reservoir | Crappie | Whole water | 25 daily; 50 fish possession limit |
| Sabine River from Toledo Bend dam to I-10 | Black bass | Whole water | 12" MLL for Largemouth Bass; no MLL for Spotted Bass; 8 daily in combination or aggregate |
| Sabine River south of I-10 (Louisiana waters only) | Black bass | Whole water | Statewide regulations apply; 10 daily |
| Saline-Larto Complex | Black bass | Including Saline Lake, Larto Lake, Shad Lake, and all associated waterbodies located south of southern bank of the Diversion Canal between H | 14" MLL; 8 daily |
| Saline-Larto Complex | Crappie | Including Saline Lake, Larto Lake, Shad Lake, and all associated waterbodies located south of southern bank of the Diversion Canal between H | 10" MLL; 25 daily |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | Crappie | Whole water | None; 25 daily; 100 fish possession limit |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir and the Sabine River above Toledo Bend | Black bass | Sabine River upstream from Toledo Bend Reservoir to the point at which the entire river enters TX (state line is marked with a sign). | 14" MLL for Largemouth Bass; no MLL for Spotted Bass; 8 daily in combination or aggregate |
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.
Restrictions by Location (gear)
Louisiana water-body rules: restrictions by location (gear)
| Water | Species | Where | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anacoco Lake, Lake Vernon and the portion of Anacoco Bayou between the lakes, Lake Bartholomew, Lake Bistineau, Caney Creek Reservoir, Cross Lake, and Chicot Lake | Whole water | No fish seines, gill nets, hoop nets or trammel nets. | |
| Black Lake, Clear Lake and Prairie Lake (Natchitoches Parish), Caddo Lake (Caddo Parish), Chicot Lake (Evangeline Parish), D'Arbonne Lake (Union Parish), Lake St. Joseph (Tensas Parish), and Lake Bruin, including the portion known as Brushy Lake (Tensas Parish) | 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 | |
| Bogue Chitto River | Whole water | No seines, nets or webbing in the Bogue Chitto River from where it enters the state in northern Washington Parish to where it enters the Pearl River in St. Tammany Parish. No hand grabbing to take fish from logs, buckets, barrels, drums or | |
| Bussey Brake, Bundick Lake, Nantachie Lake and Ivan Lake | Whole water | No nets allowed. | |
| Caddo Lake and Lake Claiborne | Whole water | No gill nets or trammel nets. | |
| Chicot Lake and Ivan Lake | Whole water | No fish traps. | |
| 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. | |
| Fool River | Whole water | No fish seines. | |
| John J. Kelly-Grand Bayou Reservoir | Whole water | No fish seines, gill nets, hoop nets, trammel nets or wire nets. | |
| Lacassine Bayou | Whole water | No gill nets, hoop nets or trammel nets from March 1 – Nov. 30 (in the portion that flows through Lacassine National Refuge). | |
| 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. | |
| Lake Concordia and D'Arbonne Lake | Whole water | No fish seines, gill nets or trammel nets. | |
| Poverty Point Lake and Bussey Brake Reservoir | Whole water | No trotlines or yo-yos. | |
| Poverty Point Lake and Bussey Brake Reservoir | Whole water | No slat traps. | |
| Poverty Point Reservoir | Whole water | No hoop nets, wire nets, or seines. | |
| Tchefuncte River | Whole water | No seines, nets or webbing in this river or its tributaries, from its origin in Washington Parish to where it empties into Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish. No traps in this river or its tributaries. | |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | Whole water | No gill nets, trammel nets, flag webbing or fish seines. No hoop nets from March 1 to May 15 (only in that portion of the reservoir from a point north of Logansport where the lake enters Texas and south to a point on the lake where the Texa |
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.
New for 2026
Louisiana water-body rules that changed recently
- 18" maximum length; one bass over 22" may be temporarily retained in an aerated livewell for weighing; 5 fish daily.Bussey Brake black bass, in_effect (since Aug. 20, 2025)
- Starting August 1, 2026: black bass 12" MLL and 5 daily; crappie 8" MLL and 25 daily (Act No. 460 of 2026).Atchafalaya Basin bass and crappie, in_effect (2026-08-01)
- Black bass 14" MLL and 8 daily; crappie 10" MLL and 25 daily (effective Sept. 20, 2026).Saline-Larto Complex bass and crappie, in_effect (2026-09-20)
LDWF news releases and LWFC notices, read October 28, 2026.
Photos
Bayou and Gulf water beside Louisiana Water-Body Fishing Exceptions
Photo: Thank You (25 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Shiva Shenoy, CC BY 2.0
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Photo: Chrismiceli, Public domain
Photo: Timothy Holdiness, CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers
Lake-by-lake Louisiana rules, asked and answered
How many Louisiana waters carry a rule of their own?
42 entries on 30 waters in the 2026 pamphlet.
Does an exception override the statewide limit?
Yes, for the species and area it names; the statewide row applies everywhere else.
What changed in the Atchafalaya Basin in 2026?
Starting August 1, 2026: black bass 12" MLL and 5 daily; crappie 8" MLL and 25 daily (Act No. 460 of 2026).
What is the Bussey Brake bass rule?
18" maximum length; one bass over 22" may be temporarily retained in an aerated livewell for weighing; 5 fish daily.
What changed on the Saline-Larto Complex?
Black bass 14" MLL and 8 daily; crappie 10" MLL and 25 daily (effective Sept. 20, 2026).
Why do some exception waters print without a link?
Some are complexes or areas without a page here; the rule still applies on the water.
Are WMA and refuge rules listed?
No; the pamphlet’s wildlife management area and refuge pages were not transcribed, so check the WMA rules before fishing one.
Are the Toledo Bend rules here too?
Yes, with the border-water license rule on its own page.
Other topics
Louisiana rule pages beyond the exceptions
- Louisiana Saltwater Fishing Rulesinshore, reef fish, pelagics and sharks
- Louisiana and Texas Border WatersToledo Bend, Caddo, the Sabine and Sabine Lake
- Louisiana licenses and regulationsfees, exemptions and the freshwater table