Red Chute Bayou Fishing Guides
A Bossier Parish bayou running slow and dark through bottomland hardwood, with crappie in the timber and catfish in every deep bend.
Guides on the Red Chute Bayou
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About the Red Chute Bayou
Red Chute Bayou is the sort of northwest Louisiana water that locals fish constantly and nobody writes about. It runs south through Bossier Parish east of Shreveport, dark and slow between banks of bottomland hardwood, widening into backwater flats and narrowing into timbered runs before working its way toward the Red River. The Red Chute Bayou levee system shapes much of its lower course, and the whole corridor sits in the flat, wooded country that defines this part of the state.
Crappie are the fish that bring people out. Both black and white crappie stack in the standing timber, around the bridge pilings and in the deeper bends, and the spring run is a genuine local event. Largemouth bass work the cypress knees, the laydowns and the edges of the backwater flats, and spotted bass hold wherever there is a little current. The catfish resource is substantial – channel cats everywhere, blues in the deep holes, and flatheads tight against the heaviest wood.
This is also a bayou with a full complement of the old fish, and that is part of its appeal rather than a drawback. Bowfin patrol the shallow warm backwaters and hit hard. Spotted and longnose gar cruise the surface on summer afternoons and are increasingly fished for deliberately. Freshwater drum work the deeper channel. An angler who arrives willing to catch what is actually there will have a far better day than one fixed on bass alone.
Access is a matter of bridge crossings, levee roads and small informal launches rather than developed ramps, so a jon boat or kayak and some local scouting go a long way. Water levels are driven by rainfall and by the Red River backing up into the lower bayou, which can change conditions substantially. Check the gauge, and be aware that summer heat drops oxygen in the shallow backwaters and pushes the fish to the deeper channel.
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Access
Sligo - the gauge reach and the most convenient access on the middle bayou.
Highway 71 crossing - bridge access on the lower bayou.
Red Chute levee roads - informal access along the lower corridor.
Bodcau area - upper drainage access north of the gauge.
Haughton area crossings - bridge access on the middle reach.
Barksdale area - access on the lower bayou toward the Red.
Red River confluence - the bottom of the run.
Seasons
Spring: the crappie run and the best bass fishing of the year on rising water.
Summer: hot and low in oxygen, with catfish at night and gar on the surface.
Fall: cooling water pulls crappie back through and the bass feed hard.
Winter: slow but steady crappie and catfish in the deepest bends.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Red Chute Bayou?
As of Sep 17, 5:15 am, the USGS gauge Red Chute Bayou at Sligo, LA reads 12 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Red Chute Bayou?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Bass, Spotted Gar, White Crappie on the Red Chute Bayou in Louisiana.
Where can you access the Red Chute Bayou?
Sligo - the gauge reach and the most convenient access on the middle bayou. Highway 71 crossing - bridge access on the lower bayou. Red Chute levee roads - informal access along the lower corridor. Bodcau area - upper drainage access north of the gauge. Haughton area crossings - bridge access on the middle reach. Barksdale area - access on the lower bayou toward the Red. Red River confluence - the bottom of the run.
When is the best time to fish the Red Chute Bayou?
Spring: the crappie run and the best bass fishing of the year on rising water. Summer: hot and low in oxygen, with catfish at night and gar on the surface. Fall: cooling water pulls crappie back through and the bass feed hard. Winter: slow but steady crappie and catfish in the deepest bends.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Red Chute Bayou?
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