Youngs Bayou Fishing Guides
A slow delta bayou on the Ouachita flats near Monroe, gauged for water level and stage, and typical of the backwater fishing that defines northeast Louisiana.
Guides on the Youngs Bayou
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About the Youngs Bayou
Youngs Bayou drains a stretch of low alluvial flats near Monroe and empties into the Ouachita River, which carries the whole of northeastern Louisiana south toward the Red. It is bayou country in the strictest sense: gradient measured in inches per mile, a channel that is as much a linear swamp as a stream, cypress and tupelo along the banks, and water that moves only as fast as the river it joins allows. When the Ouachita is high the bayou effectively stops and backs up; when the river drops the bayou drains, and that alternation governs everything about the fishing.
The gauge here reports water level referenced to a fixed datum along with stage, and on a water like this that record is far more useful than a discharge figure would be. What an angler needs to know is whether the bayou is filling or falling and how far out of the banks it has gone, because the fish move between the main channel and the flooded timber on exactly that signal. A falling stage after a rise pulls bass and crappie back off the flats and stacks them against the channel edges and the cypress knees, and that is the most reliable pattern this bayou produces all year.
Largemouth bass are the headline, with crappie a close second and often the more dependable of the two, held tight to submerged wood in the deeper bends. Bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth are everywhere in the shallows. All three catfish are present and the flathead fishing around the heaviest timber is good. Bowfin, spotted gar and alligator gar are abundant, and white and yellow bass push up from the Ouachita seasonally. This is small boat and kayak water, best fished slowly and quietly around structure, and Monroe puts full services and launches within a short drive of everything.
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Access
Monroe - the city nearby, with full services, tackle shops, lodging and the gauge reference point.
Ouachita River - the receiving river, with public launches and a much larger fishery.
West Monroe - across the river, with further lodging, outfitting and bank access.
Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area - state land east of Monroe, with extensive bayou and swamp access.
Bayou DeSiard - the well known bayou through Monroe, a good and very accessible alternative.
Cheniere Brake - the lake southwest of town, offering open water and a ramp.
Bayou Bartholomew - north of the city, the longest bayou in the world and worth a day of its own.
Seasons
Spring: the best of the year, with bass and crappie spawning and the flats holding water.
Summer: hot and low with fish tight to the channel edges, and strong night fishing for catfish.
Fall: very good as the water cools and clears, with bass moving back onto the shallow structure.
Winter: cool and slow, though crappie school in the deeper bends and fish well on settled days.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Youngs Bayou?
Anglers target Alligator Gar, Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Gar, Warmouth, White Bass, White Crappie, Yellow Bass on the Youngs Bayou in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Youngs Bayou?
Monroe - the city nearby, with full services, tackle shops, lodging and the gauge reference point. Ouachita River - the receiving river, with public launches and a much larger fishery. West Monroe - across the river, with further lodging, outfitting and bank access. Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area - state land east of Monroe, with extensive bayou and swamp access. Bayou DeSiard - the well known bayou through Monroe, a good and very accessible alternative. Cheniere Brake - the lake southwest of town, offering open water and a ramp. Bayou Bartholomew - north of the city, the longest bayou...
When is the best time to fish the Youngs Bayou?
Spring: the best of the year, with bass and crappie spawning and the flats holding water. Summer: hot and low with fish tight to the channel edges, and strong night fishing for catfish. Fall: very good as the water cools and clears, with bass moving back onto the shallow structure. Winter: cool and slow, though crappie school in the deeper bends and fish well on settled days.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Youngs Bayou?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Louisiana agency site: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/fishing-regulations