Little Corney Bayou Fishing Guides
A north Louisiana bayou through hardwood bottoms near Lillie, fished slow and close for bass, crappie and a steady catfish population.

Guides on the Little Corney Bayou
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.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Little Corney Bayou
Little Corney Bayou runs through the hardwood bottoms of Union and Claiborne Parishes in north-central Louisiana, joining Corney Bayou and eventually contributing to the Ouachita system. It sits in a part of the state that gets far less angling pressure than the Ouachita or the Red, and much of its length passes through timber country and the edges of the Kisatchie National Forest region with little development on the bank.
The water is typical of the region: slow, stained, and carrying enough tannin from the surrounding bottomland hardwoods to cut visibility to a foot or less in most conditions. The channel winds tightly, and the outside of each bend usually holds the deepest water and the heaviest woody cover. Cypress stand in the slack water, willow crowds the inside bars, and after high water there is always fresh timber down across the channel somewhere.
Largemouth bass hold on that wood and are the fish most people come for. Spotted bass appear where there is more current. Crappie are genuinely good here, particularly in early spring when they move onto brush in the bends, and local anglers time trips around that window. Bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth are everywhere. Channel, blue and flathead catfish work the holes and are fished hard with cut bait and trotlines. Bowfin and longnose gar round out a full bottomland community.
Access is the limiting factor rather than the fishing. Launches are informal and often no more than a graded bank at a parish road crossing, so a kayak or a light jon boat is the practical choice. Flow depends entirely on rainfall, and low summer readings can leave the upper reaches too shallow to run.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Little Corney Bayou.
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
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Lillie - the gauge reach and the most commonly used access on the bayou.
Parish road crossings near Bernice - informal bank and light-boat access.
Union Parish bridge crossings - the standard put-in points for a kayak.
Lower bayou toward Corney Bayou - access for longer float trips.
D'Arbonne area connections - access to the larger downstream system.
Claiborne Parish upper crossings - shallow water suited to wading and small craft.
Corney Bayou confluence - the takeout for the full lower run.
Seasons
Spring: the strongest season, with crappie on brush in the bends and bass shallow.
Summer: low, warm and slow, with the deeper holes and early mornings holding the fish.
Fall: steady bass fishing on the wood as water cools and catfish feed well.
Winter: cold and quiet, best fished deep and on warm afternoons.
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 is the current flow on the Little Corney Bayou?
As of Sep 17, 6:15 am, the USGS gauge Little Corney Bayou near Lillie, LA reads 6 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Little Corney Bayou?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Bass, Warmouth, White Crappie on the Little Corney Bayou in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Little Corney Bayou?
Lillie - the gauge reach and the most commonly used access on the bayou. Parish road crossings near Bernice - informal bank and light-boat access. Union Parish bridge crossings - the standard put-in points for a kayak. Lower bayou toward Corney Bayou - access for longer float trips. D'Arbonne area connections - access to the larger downstream system. Claiborne Parish upper crossings - shallow water suited to wading and small craft. Corney Bayou confluence - the takeout for the full lower run.
When is the best time to fish the Little Corney Bayou?
Spring: the strongest season, with crappie on brush in the bends and bass shallow. Summer: low, warm and slow, with the deeper holes and early mornings holding the fish. Fall: steady bass fishing on the wood as water cools and catfish feed well. Winter: cold and quiet, best fished deep and on warm afternoons.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Little Corney Bayou?
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