Fish Kill - Alligator Bayou, Spanish Lake Baton Rouge

This report is not about Henderson Lake...just had to choose a Region in order to Post. I simply chose the closest point with the most interest. Please read below:

My wife, step-daughter and I took the boat out on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th to Spanish Lake and Alligator Bayou. We launched off of Hwy 74 between Dutchtown and St. Gabriel. Braud's Bayou, Bayou Paul, Alligator Bayou and Spanish Lake was full of dead bass, bream and sac-a-lait from an apparent fish kill. All dead fish had their eyes popped outside of their heads giving an indication that they had been dead for some time. We also found a large dead white-tail deer floating between the first two timber bridges.

We motored on over to the Spanish Lake bypass drainage canal and all the way over to the Alligator Bayou Tours. Same story...lots of dead bass...even some carp. We saw plenty of alligators also which leads me to believe that there may have been a larger fish kill than what we saw as the alligators were probably eating them pretty fast. We couldn't get a bite even from bream using crickets. We only saw a few very small bream against the banks and a few gar. Couldn't even get a gar to bite when dropping a baited hook directly on top of them. Probably a good thing as the bayou under Hwy 74 drains a large watershed that includes chemical plants. Sort of makes one wonder...what killed the fish???

The flood gates at Alligator Bayou & Bayou Manchac were open allowing water to drain to the Amite River. The current was strong; so strong that fishing in some places was next to impossible.

I called the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries hotline to report the fish kill. The person who answered the phone said that DEQ would be contacted immediately. I left my name and number and haven't heard a thing since. I also sent an email to LADWF from their website...same thing...NOTHING.

It would have been nice to have had someone return my phone call or email from LADWF.

Has anyone else noticed fish kills in the Spanish Lake/Alligator Bayou system this year? If so, what do you think killed all of those fish? Anyone have any suggestions?

Also, what do you guys...readers of Louisiana Sportsman think about making a report...with no reply? Our sports tax dollars hard at work....

Black water wouldn't kill a deer.
BUT , poisoned water would.
I very seldom hear back on mails to LDWF.

There was also a fish kill in the Vermilion River here in Lafayette. Mostly smallmouth buffalo, TONS of gaspergou, even mullet, some bass, and a few days ago I saw catfish swimming at the surface trying to breathe air.
A week or so ago the water in the river was actually black, and had about half a foot of clarity...something unheard of in that river. It usually looks like chocolate milk. I think it was from all the rain we had recently, (lots of plant matter going into the water) as the same thing happened after all the rain that came with Hurricane Rita

I was out there last night for about six hours for the first night of froggin. We saw plenty frogs and alot of big grass carp and buffaloe. There was no sign of a fish kill i wonder if the gates being open washed away the bad water or what not.

We went bowfishing last wednesday night and did notice one dead deer but you could see where she tried climbing the bank and couldnt. Didnt notice any fish kill except the carp and gar that we killed in the boat. Water was pouring out of the lake. Went back Sunday night and the water was so muddy we stayed in the bayou and shot shad and buffalo.

You need to try to contact a person. Keep after it till you get a name.

I received a call this morning from the LDWF on my posted report at Spanish Lake/Alligator Bayou. LDWF went out to Spanish Lake on May 28th, two days after I reported the fish kill on Memorial Day. The LDWF agent stated that it appeared that black water (low dissolved oxygen)was the culprit in the fish kill. The agent stated that he had observed past fish kills in the same area. It was good to hear back from the LDWF and especially to hear that this fish kill wasn't due to toxic or chemical release.

I appreciate everyone's post regarding what you've observed. Hopefully Spanish Lake/Alligator Bayou will bounce back. There sure will be an aweful lot of bass to be replaced as hundreds were floating along both sides of these canals on Memorial Day. If anyone else has any success fishing in Spanish Lake/Alligator Bayou, please post for the rest of us. Thanks guys and thanks to LDWF for responding to my inquiry.

Spanish Lake has gotten so shallow over the last twenty years or so there is only a few places left to fish, the lake itself stays full of grass.When we were kids it was nothing to catch more bream than you wanted to clean,using grass shrimp around the duck blinds in the lake.Now if you don't have a "go-devil" it is just about useless to try and fish that area.In the summer the canal is just wide enough to run your boat because of the grass, and getting worse every year.

Last thursday i went out there to check on a blind and saw DEQ and LDWF out there taking water samples. I didnt see any dead fish and they stated that they were looking at the hydrilla in the lake.

Is duck hunting allowed in Spanish Lake?

DUCK HUNTING IS ALLOWED,BUT THE LAKE IS "ABOUT" THE ONLY BODY OF WATER THAT IS NOT POSTED.MOSTLY WOODDUCKS,EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE A CRAZY MALLARD MIGHT FLY OVER,USUALLY WAY OUT OF GUN RANGE.ABOUT FIFTY HUNTERS TO EVERY DUCK.MOST OF THE BLINDS ARE "PRIVATE".I KNOW IT IS PUBLIC WATER,BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE GUYS WHO PUT THE TIME & MONEY IN TO BUILDING ONE, "I" CALL'EM PRIVATE.BUT WITH A LITTLE SCOUTING I'M SURE YOU CAN FIND A PLACE TO PUT A BLIND.

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Last Thursday, while checking on a blind, I saw DEQ and LDWF collecting water samples. I did not see any dead fish, and they claimed to be observing the hydrilla in the lake. In case you want to check how to build a concrete patio