Bayou D’Arbonne Fishing Guides
The upper Bayou D'Arbonne above its namesake lake in north Louisiana, a tannic hardwood bottom stream feeding one of the state's best crappie fisheries, with bass and bream through the timber.
Guides on the Bayou D’Arbonne
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 Bayou D’Arbonne
Bayou D’Arbonne gathers in the rolling hill country of Lincoln and Union Parishes and runs southeast toward Lake D’Arbonne, the large north Louisiana impoundment that carries its name and much of its reputation. The reach at the Highway 151 crossing east of Dubach is the bayou itself, well above the lake, and it is a different kind of water than the reservoir downstream. The gauge reads stage, which rises and falls with north Louisiana rainfall and is the practical guide to whether the bayou is fishable or out in the timber.
This is hardwood bottomland stream fishing. The water is tannic and stained the colour of strong tea, the banks are steep clay cut through pine and mixed hardwood, and the channel wanders between deadfall jams and shaded pools. When the bayou is within its banks it fishes like a creek, with bass holding on the wood and bream stacked in the slower bends. When spring rain pushes it out into the flats, fish scatter into flooded timber and the fishing becomes a matter of finding them.
Crappie are the fish the drainage is known for, and the bayou feeds and is fed by that population. Largemouth bass are the mainstay, bluegill and redear are abundant, and warmouth turn up anywhere there is wood and shade. Channel, blue and flathead catfish hold in the deeper holes, and bowfin, gar and the occasional chain pickerel round out the list.
The surrounding country is timber and small farms, which keeps pressure light compared with the lake, where tournament traffic and crappie boats concentrate through the spring.
Access is by road crossings and by working upstream from Lake D’Arbonne, and a small boat or kayak opens far more of the bayou than wading ever will.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Bayou D’Arbonne.
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
Dubach - the small town at hand, with basic services.
Ruston - the nearest full-service city, with lodging, fuel and tackle.
Highway 151 crossing - the gauge location, with bank access to the bayou.
Lake D'Arbonne State Park - developed access, ramps and camping on the lake downstream.
Lake D'Arbonne - the large impoundment below, a premier Louisiana crappie fishery.
Corney Bayou - a neighbouring drainage feeding the same lake.
D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge - public bottomland along the lower drainage.
Seasons
Spring: high water and spawning crappie and bass, with the flooded timber holding fish when levels allow.
Summer: the bayou drops and clears somewhat, bream fishing is excellent and catfish hold in the holes.
Fall: falling water concentrates bass and crappie in the channel bends and pools.
Winter: cold and low, with the deepest holes holding most of the fish and catfish staying catchable.
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 species can you catch on the Bayou D’Arbonne?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Chain Pickerel, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Gar, Warmouth, White Crappie on the Bayou D’Arbonne in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Bayou D’Arbonne?
Dubach - the small town at hand, with basic services. Ruston - the nearest full-service city, with lodging, fuel and tackle. Highway 151 crossing - the gauge location, with bank access to the bayou. Lake D'Arbonne State Park - developed access, ramps and camping on the lake downstream. Lake D'Arbonne - the large impoundment below, a premier Louisiana crappie fishery. Corney Bayou - a neighbouring drainage feeding the same lake. D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge - public bottomland along the lower drainage.
When is the best time to fish the Bayou D’Arbonne?
Spring: high water and spawning crappie and bass, with the flooded timber holding fish when levels allow. Summer: the bayou drops and clears somewhat, bream fishing is excellent and catfish hold in the holes. Fall: falling water concentrates bass and crappie in the channel bends and pools. Winter: cold and low, with the deepest holes holding most of the fish and catfish staying catchable.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Bayou D’Arbonne?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Louisiana agency site: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/fishing-regulations