For places to fish West of Baton Rouge, two I would recommend are Henderson area in the Atchafalaya Basin or False River.
Henderson…..This area is accessed at the Butte La Rose, LA. exit off I-10 which is about 32 miles west of the Mississippi River. The free boat launch is located under the interstate Hwy.
After launching, you can fish either to the north or south of the interstate. There are many channel lanes or open river water for getting to the vast area the fish. Most of the open boat lanes have stumps or trees near the shore. There is also lots of open water where there are many trees and stumps…..so go slow in these areas.
The water level can fluctuate greatly depending on what the Atchafalaya River level is doing. Fishing is best when the Atchafalaya River is on a slow fall, say between 8 and 12 feet. Like fishing any area, where you catch one day, you may not catch any the next. This is especially true if the water level is changing day to day. During this hot weather, I would suggest fishing in the deeper water areas or in shaded areas.
During low river stages (Like now) the flat area are very shallow (1’-3’) but when the river is high, these same area can be 6-8’ deep.
Bass…..to keep a bass it must be 14”. Usually you will catch several undersize Bass to each keeper caught. I saw many reports that Bass fishing was very good this past spring and ok during the summer.
False River…..This oxbow lake is located about 25 miles NW of Baton Rouge by going west on Hwy 190 and turning north on Hwy 1 to head towards New Roads, LA. There are several privately run boat launches. There use to be a free boat launch in the town of New Roads near the north end of the lake but I have not fished there in many years to know if it is still there.
Most parts of the lake have camps with fishing piers/boat sheds where Bass hang out under them. Between the camps are usually grass beds to fish, but don’t forget to try fishing along any drop-offs a little farther away from the piers. There are just a few cannels off the main lake on the “Island” side of the lake. There are grassy “Flats” on either end of the oxbow lake which can produce some bites.
There is a spillway water level control structure about mid-lake on the south side and a small bayou that enters on the north end and exits on the south end of the lake. If there has been excessive rains….the lake is closed due to camp flooding to all boat traffic, but this only happens every 5 or 10 years.
I hope this helps.
