“I know of an 8-pounder that came out of there in March 2007,” said Ricky Moses, a LDWF biologist in Pineville. “(Cane River Lake) also produces some 10-pound fish. . . . It’s a very fertile, productive system with a tremendous amount of bluegills and shad.”

Although never officially stocked, Indian Creek Reservoir in Rapides Parish receives considerable help from a state hatchery on its shoreline. Some fish escape from the holding ponds and populate the lake. The 2,200-acre lake holds some double-digit largemouths. Ernest Johnson and Johnny Ray of Glenmora teamed up for a 14.43-pound bucketmouth here in February 2006.

West of Alexandria, Kincaid Reservoir (also “Lake Kincaid”) can also produce bass in the 12-pound range. The 2,000-acre impoundment drops to a depth of 25 feet in places. Several islands provide access to both shallow and deep water. Steve Hurley of Alexandria set the largemouth record with a 12.4-pounder he caught in Kincaid in April 2001.

For winter fishing, central Louisiana anglers can’t do much better than Lake Rodemacher (also called “CLECO Lake,” the reference being to the power company that owns it and uses it to cool equipment). The 3,200-acre lake near Boyce provides outstanding warmwater action in the winter near the power-plant outflow.

With Florida genes in about half the bass in the lake, it can produce whoppers. David Chatelain of Pollock caught a 13.97-pounder here in March 1997.

“All the lakes in my district give up some double-digit fish each year, but Rodemacher is more consistent for big bass,” Moses said. “Lake Rodemacher has a good population and a high percentage of Florida bass genes in the fish.”

WESTERN LOUISIANA
In western Louisiana, no lake can compete with Toledo Bend Reservoir for size, numbers or fishing opportunities. Ranking among the best bass lakes in the nation, “The Bend” stretches about 65 miles along the old Sabine River channel straddling the Louisiana-Texas state line. The lake averages about 60 feet deep, but some holes are more than 110 feet deep.

With numerous coves offering more than 1,265 miles of shorelines spread through 186,000 acres, Toledo Bend can offer anglers plenty of places to fish for bass up to 15 pounds. Both Texas and Louisiana routinely stock Florida bass into the reservoir. Some better areas for big bass include Six-Mile Creek, a major tributary on the Texas side just north of the dam, Housen Bay, Indian Creek, the 1215 Area just north of the Pendleton Bridge, the Indian Mounds, the Bubbling Wells, Sandy Creek, Tenaha Creek, Cow Bayou and any place that offers shallow water in close proximity to deep water.

NORTH LOUISIANA
In northwest Louisiana, Caddo Lake remains the best place to break the state record. The 26,810-acre lake straddling the Louisiana-Texas line actually produced a bass larger than the 15.97-pound fish Greg Wiggins pulled from Caney Lake in February 1994. In 1992, Bobby Shaver landed a 16.01-pound largemouth in Caddo Lake, but weighed it in Texas.

Caddo Lake averages about 6 feet deep, but some holes drop to about 20 feet deep. Some of these channels run 8 to 12 feet deep. Drop jigs or other soft plastic baits along the channel edges or slow-roll spinnerbaits near wood structure.