Beta

GuidedFloats is in beta. The full site launches March 1, 2027. The mobile app follows.

Guides: claim before March 1, 2027 and your first full season of Premium is free. Claim your founding spot →

Log in List your guide serviceFor guides
Home › Waters › Louisiana › Lake D’Arbonne
Reservoir · North Louisiana · Louisiana

Lake D’Arbonne Fishing Guides

A cypress-studded north Louisiana lake near Farmerville, best known for crappie fishing around the standing timber and for a state park that makes it easy to visit.

Sunrise burning off mist over a timbered reservoir
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Lake D’Arbonne

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

About the Lake D’Arbonne

Lake D Arbonne is the fishing lake of north Louisiana, impounded on Bayou D Arbonne near Farmerville. It looks like the Louisiana people picture: cypress trees standing in open water, stained bayou-fed water, and long shallow arms running back into the woods.

Crappie, which anglers here call sac-a-lait, are the main attraction. The standing timber and the brush give them cover throughout the lake, and the fishery is productive enough to support tournaments and a good deal of local guiding. Spring around the spawn is the peak, but the lake produces through most of the year.

Largemouth bass fishing around the cypress knees, the grass and the boat docks is good and considerably less pressured than the crappie fishing. Bream and redear sunfish are abundant and are the best possible reason to bring children. Channel and flathead catfish hold in the deeper bayou channels, and chain pickerel ambush from the grass edges.

Lake D Arbonne State Park sits on the shore with cabins, camping and ramps, which makes this an unusually easy lake to visit for a couple of days without arranging much in advance.

D Arbonne rewards patience with brush more than it rewards running water. The productive crappie fishing here is a matter of working known cover carefully, and anglers who sink and mark their own brush do far better over a season than those who rely on finding somebody else’s.

The gauge below reports pool elevation at the dam. The lake is fed by bayou drainage and colours quickly after rain, so reading the level alongside recent weather tells you whether the arms are fishable or whether you should stay near the main channel.

This water needs a real photo

The photo at the top of this page is not Lake D’Arbonne.

It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.

Add a photo of this water See the badges

Pioneer badgeUnclaimed

Add a photo of this water

Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.

Never published. It is how the badge is held for you until member accounts open.

Posting to Lake D’Arbonne.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. Landscape orientation looks best at the top of the page. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name printed under the photo and on your badge. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Pool right now

78.83ft NGVD29
  • 24 hours-0.01 ft → steady

Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 07366364, Bayou Darbonne Lake at Dam near Downsville. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.

Fished this water? Add a photo

Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.

Never published. We use it only if we need to ask about the photo.

Posting to Lake D’Arbonne.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Lake level alert

Tell me when the pool at Lake D’Arbonne ft (NGVD29)

Now: 78.83 ft pool elevation, read 10:45 pm CDT, Wed Oct 21, 2026 (USGS 07366364, Bayou Darbonne Lake at Dam near Downsville).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Lake D Arbonne State Park: ramps, cabins and camping near Farmerville.
Highway 33 and Highway 2 bridges: bank access and crappie structure.
Public ramps around the lake are numerous and generally free.
Upper bayou arms: shallow, timbered water that fishes well in spring.
Dam area near Downsville: the deepest water and the gauge.
Farmerville has services, bait and local guides.
Note: standing cypress and stumps are everywhere away from the channels.

Seasons

Winter: crappie deep on brush and the best catfish of the year.
Spring: the crappie spawn, the peak season and the busiest ramps.
Summer: bream on the beds, bass in the shade of the cypress, early starts.
Fall: cooling water pulls crappie back onto the brush and the bass shallow.

From the water

No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.

Log this water

Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.

Questions

What species can you catch on the Lake D’Arbonne?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Chain Pickerel, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, White Crappie on the Lake D’Arbonne in Louisiana.

Are there fishing guides on the Lake D’Arbonne?

GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Lake D’Arbonne. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Lake D’Arbonne?

Lake D Arbonne State Park: ramps, cabins and camping near Farmerville. Highway 33 and Highway 2 bridges: bank access and crappie structure. Public ramps around the lake are numerous and generally free. Upper bayou arms: shallow, timbered water that fishes well in spring. Dam area near Downsville: the deepest water and the gauge. Farmerville has services, bait and local guides. Note: standing cypress and stumps are everywhere away from the channels.

When is the best time to fish the Lake D’Arbonne?

Winter: crappie deep on brush and the best catfish of the year. Spring: the crappie spawn, the peak season and the busiest ramps. Summer: bream on the beds, bass in the shade of the cypress, early starts. Fall: cooling water pulls crappie back onto the brush and the bass shallow.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake D’Arbonne?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Louisiana agency site: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/recreational-freshwater-finfish-and-crawfish