Paw Paw Bayou Fishing Guides
A Caddo Parish bayou draining eighty square miles west of Shreveport into the Twelvemile Bayou system, slow and heavily wooded, with crappie in the spring and bass in the timber year round.
Guides on the Paw Paw Bayou
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About the Paw Paw Bayou
Paw Paw Bayou drains roughly eighty square miles of Caddo Parish west of Shreveport and feeds into the Twelvemile Bayou and Red River system. The gauge near Greenwood reads stage and a velocity index rather than a conventional discharge figure, which is itself a useful description of the water: this bayou moves slowly enough that measuring how fast it is going requires a different instrument than measuring how much is going by.
The bayou runs through low, flat, heavily timbered bottomland. Cypress and tupelo stand in the water along the lower reaches, hardwood bottoms line the rest, and the channel is poorly defined in places where the bayou spreads into adjoining sloughs during high water. Standing timber and stumps are everywhere. Clarity is usually poor to moderate and the water carries a tannin stain from the bottomland it drains through.
Largemouth bass are the primary fishery and they relate to standing timber, stumps and cypress knees rather than to current. Spotted bass show up where there is more flow. White and black crappie are the spring event and gather around any timber in slightly deeper water, which describes a great deal of this bayou. Bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth fill out the warm months, channel and flathead catfish work the deeper holes, and bowfin, longnose gar and freshwater drum are all common.
Because the lower bayou connects to the Twelvemile and Red River system, backwater from the Red can push levels up here independently of local rain. The stage reading at Greenwood is the practical way to tell whether the bayou is in its banks.
Access is through Caddo Parish roads and bridge crossings. Shreveport is close enough that this is genuinely a short drive from a city of size, which is unusual for water this quiet, and a kayak or small johnboat is the right craft.
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Access
Greenwood - the gauge location and the nearest community on the bayou.
Shreveport - the major city a short drive east, with everything an angler needs.
Twelvemile Bayou - the connected water downstream, with developed access.
Red River - the receiving river, with public ramps at Shreveport and Bossier City.
Caddo Parish road crossings - bridge access at several points across the drainage.
Caddo Lake - the well known cypress water north of the drainage.
Mooringsport - a north Caddo Parish community with lake and bayou access.
Seasons
Spring: crappie move into the timber and this is the most productive fishing of the year.
Summer: hot, low and stained, with bream and catfish steady and bass holding tight to cover.
Fall: cooling water brings the bass back onto the timber edges.
Winter: slow and cool, with crappie and catfish concentrated in the deeper holes.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Paw Paw Bayou?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Bass, Warmouth, White Crappie on the Paw Paw Bayou in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Paw Paw Bayou?
Greenwood - the gauge location and the nearest community on the bayou. Shreveport - the major city a short drive east, with everything an angler needs. Twelvemile Bayou - the connected water downstream, with developed access. Red River - the receiving river, with public ramps at Shreveport and Bossier City. Caddo Parish road crossings - bridge access at several points across the drainage. Caddo Lake - the well known cypress water north of the drainage. Mooringsport - a north Caddo Parish community with lake and bayou access.
When is the best time to fish the Paw Paw Bayou?
Spring: crappie move into the timber and this is the most productive fishing of the year. Summer: hot, low and stained, with bream and catfish steady and bass holding tight to cover. Fall: cooling water brings the bass back onto the timber edges. Winter: slow and cool, with crappie and catfish concentrated in the deeper holes.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Paw Paw Bayou?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Louisiana agency site: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/seasons-and-regulations