Bayou Pierre Fishing Guides
A long Red River side channel running parallel to the main river through DeSoto and Red River parishes, quiet water with good bass and crappie.
Guides on the Bayou Pierre
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About the Bayou Pierre
Bayou Pierre runs south through northwest Louisiana roughly parallel to the Red River, draining about eight hundred and sixty square miles across DeSoto, Red River and Natchitoches parishes before rejoining the river below Grand Ecore. It is an old river course, and the shape of it shows that history in long slow bends, oxbow remnants and a floodplain that the Red still reaches into when it runs high. The gauge near Lake End sits in the middle of the corridor.
Because it parallels the Red rather than feeding it directly for most of its length, the bayou fishes quite differently from the main river. It is clearer, slower and far more protected from wind and barge traffic, and it holds a resident population rather than depending on fish moving up from the river. Largemouth bass do well in the timber and the weed edges, and crappie fishing through the standing timber is reliable in spring and again in the fall.
Catfish are widely distributed through the deeper water and the bayou produces channel, blue and flathead catfish through the warm months. Bream fishing along the cypress and willow edges is good enough in early summer to be worth a trip on its own. Bowfin and gar are common in the shallow backwaters and are increasingly treated as a target rather than a byproduct.
The practical consideration is water level. When the Red River rises it backs into the lower bayou and changes the fishing across the whole lower corridor within a day or two, and when it falls the bayou can become shallow and difficult to navigate in places. The gauge near Lake End is the fastest way to know which condition the bayou is in before launching a boat.
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Access
Lake End - the gauge reach, with road and bank access on the middle bayou.
Coushatta - the nearest town on the Red River, east of the bayou corridor.
Grand Ecore - the downstream end where the bayou returns to the Red River.
Mansfield - the upper drainage approach through DeSoto Parish.
Natchitoches - the regional town and the southern approach to the corridor.
Louisiana Highway 1 crossings - roadside access along the bayou corridor.
Red River landings - boat access to the lower bayou from the main river.
Seasons
Spring: crappie move shallow into the timber and bass fishing peaks along the weed edges.
Summer: catfish in the deeper bends, with bream steady along the cypress and willow lines.
Fall: cooling water and falling levels bring a strong second crappie and bass season.
Winter: slow and clear, with fish holding deep in the bends and the old oxbow holes.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Bayou Pierre?
As of Sep 17, 6:30 am, the USGS gauge Bayou Pierre near Lake End, LA reads 164 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Bayou Pierre?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, White Crappie on the Bayou Pierre in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Bayou Pierre?
Lake End - the gauge reach, with road and bank access on the middle bayou. Coushatta - the nearest town on the Red River, east of the bayou corridor. Grand Ecore - the downstream end where the bayou returns to the Red River. Mansfield - the upper drainage approach through DeSoto Parish. Natchitoches - the regional town and the southern approach to the corridor. Louisiana Highway 1 crossings - roadside access along the bayou corridor. Red River landings - boat access to the lower bayou from the main river.
When is the best time to fish the Bayou Pierre?
Spring: crappie move shallow into the timber and bass fishing peaks along the weed edges. Summer: catfish in the deeper bends, with bream steady along the cypress and willow lines. Fall: cooling water and falling levels bring a strong second crappie and bass season. Winter: slow and clear, with fish holding deep in the bends and the old oxbow holes.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Bayou Pierre?
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