LOCATION: Caddo Lake is located on Big Cypress Bayou on the Louisiana-Texas border about 17 miles north west of Shreveport, LA. It is a large lake, covering approximately 26,000 acres, and is about 12 miles wide and 16 miles long. Caddo is a shallow cypress studded lake with lots of vegetation.
DATE IMPOUNDED: Although the lake was first formed by an earthquake hundreds of years ago it was formally impounded when a dam was built in 1914, and replaced in 1971.
WATER CLARITY: The lake is normally clear to moderately stained.
AQUATIC VEGETATION: Approximately 60% of the lake is covered with some type of vegetation and hydrilla is fast becoming the predominant grass. Lily pads also cover a large portion of the lake.
There are two state parks on the lake, Louisiana has a park located on Hwy. 1 just south of Oil city. It has a swimming area and lots of tent spaces. You can call Louisiana parks and recreation about spaces availability. (800) 810-3882. Texas has one state park on Caddo Lake. You can call (903) 679-3351 for information. It has cabins available and lots of tent pads. To get to the Texas State Park – Take Hwy 43 out of Marshall, TX (Marshall is located on Interstate 20) north 15 miles and turn right onto FM 2198. Go 12 mile and turn left onto Park Road which takes you to the park. From Atlanta, TX: Take Hwy 43 south for approximately 31 miles. Turn left onto FM 2198 for 1/2 mile to Park Road.
The Lake is the home of the first offshore oil wells and wells can be found all over the lake today. Nearly 1/3 of the Lake is covered with cypress trees.
Caddo Lake is known for it’s big Largemouth bass and lots of double digits bass are taken each year with 16.01 lbs. being the lake record. From late February through March the North end of the lake close to the mouth of Big Cypress Bayou is a real largemouth hotspot, as the bayou empty’s nutrients into the lake with the spring rains. Try lipless crank baits on the grass beds around Old folks playground and Ames Spring Basin, and dark colored jigs on the single trees out a little deeper. In the Summer through early Fall the trees on the main lake out in 5-6 feet of water yield some good stringers.
Bream start bedding in late May to early June. One of the hot areas are the scattered trees around Big Green Break. January and February find the white perch bunching up in the creeks and deeper sloughs. One of the best known areas is the bridge that crosses Jeems Bayou on Highway 43 just west of Oil City.
There are a few guides available for guided trips. Go the Caddo Lake home page for information.
Having a map of Caddo Lake is a MUST for those fishing the lake for the first time. Traveling the Lake requires boaters to follow marked boat roads. The boat roads are lettered and numbered for easy reference to available maps, but traveling the lake without a map is definitely not recommended.
For more information about Caddo Lake, you can visit these links:
Caddo Lake Bass Fishing Reports – Here you will find up to date information on Caddo Lake and reports from Ultimate Bass Members that fish Caddo Lake regularly.
Caddo Lake Bass Fishing Reports – Here you will find up to date information on Caddo Lake and reports from Ultimate Bass Members that fish Caddo Lake regularly.
Earnie (Papa) Cella
