Gilmer Bayou Fishing Guides
A slow cypress bayou on the edge of Shreveport carrying stage and velocity on one gauge, which together tell you which way the water is moving before you commit to a launch.
Guides on the Gilmer Bayou
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About the Gilmer Bayou
Gilmer Bayou runs through the western outskirts of Shreveport in Caddo Parish, a flat, slow, cypress-lined channel that drains the low ground between the city and the Red River. It is bayou water in the classic northwest Louisiana sense rather than the coastal sense: no salt, no tide, and a current that is often barely perceptible until rain pushes through the catchment and the whole system begins to move at once.
The gauge near Shreveport is unusual and genuinely useful, because it reports stage alongside a velocity index rather than a conventional discharge figure. On water this flat that combination matters more than a single flow number would. A bayou at a normal stage with almost no velocity fishes very differently from the same bayou at the same stage with water actually moving through it, and the velocity reading is what separates the two. After heavy rain the stage climbs and the bayou runs dirty and pushy for several days; as it falls back and the velocity settles, the fishing returns quickly.
Largemouth bass are the primary target and hold tight to the cypress knees, the laydowns and the undercut outside bends, which is where almost all of the structure in a channel like this is concentrated. Crappie stack in the deeper holes and around any submerged brush, and both black and white crappie are present. The catfish are the dependable option when conditions are poor, with channel cats throughout and flatheads holding in the deepest water against timber. Bowfin and gar are abundant and will take a bass lure without apology. Access is informal and built around bridge crossings and city-edge road ends, so this is kayak and small-boat water rather than a place for a big rig.
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Access
Shreveport - the city the bayou runs past, with full services, tackle, lodging and the closest fuel and bait.
Red River - the main stem a short drive east, offering a very different fishery on the same trip.
Cross Lake - the large Shreveport water supply lake nearby, the obvious alternative when the bayou is blown out.
Bossier City - across the river, with additional lodging, restaurants and launch options.
Caddo Lake - the big cypress lake northwest on the Texas line, the region's signature water.
Twelve Mile Bayou - a neighbouring channel of similar character, useful when one system is off colour.
Black Bayou Lake - north of the city, a further nearby option for bass and crappie.
Seasons
Spring: the best of the year, with bass moving shallow to spawn and crappie thick around the cypress and brush.
Summer: hot, low and slow, worked early and late in the shade of the cypress, with catfish the reliable midday fish.
Fall: cooling water and clearing conditions bring bass back onto the timber and white bass onto any current.
Winter: slow but productive for crappie and blue catfish holding in the deepest holes on settled water.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Gilmer Bayou?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Gar, Warmouth, White Bass, White Crappie on the Gilmer Bayou in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Gilmer Bayou?
Shreveport - the city the bayou runs past, with full services, tackle, lodging and the closest fuel and bait. Red River - the main stem a short drive east, offering a very different fishery on the same trip. Cross Lake - the large Shreveport water supply lake nearby, the obvious alternative when the bayou is blown out. Bossier City - across the river, with additional lodging, restaurants and launch options. Caddo Lake - the big cypress lake northwest on the Texas line, the region's signature water. Twelve Mile Bayou - a neighbouring channel of similar character, useful when one system is off c...
When is the best time to fish the Gilmer Bayou?
Spring: the best of the year, with bass moving shallow to spawn and crappie thick around the cypress and brush. Summer: hot, low and slow, worked early and late in the shade of the cypress, with catfish the reliable midday fish. Fall: cooling water and clearing conditions bring bass back onto the timber and white bass onto any current. Winter: slow but productive for crappie and blue catfish holding in the deepest holes on settled water.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Gilmer Bayou?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Louisiana agency site: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/fishing-regulations