Local fishermen hit largemouths in the bayou

Brad and Kevin White with white bass from Caddo lake near Shreveport, La.

By Ken White

Nevada Daily Mail

"For someone who hadn't visited the Shreveport-Bossier City, La., area for several years, they wouldn't know the place," said Jim Nelson, Independence. Nelson last visited the area back when Toledo Bend was just a few years old and the fishing was outstanding.

Trees with Spanish moss hanging down along the shore of Caddo Lake.

Today the area hosts places like the Louisiana Boardwalk where shoppers can find shopping at its best, new casinos, art galleries, great golf courses, entertainment spots abound along with the many lakes and the Red River for the boaters and anglers.

Recently my two sons, Brad and Kevin and I spent a couple days fishing and exploring the Shreveport-Bossier City area and fishing on Caddo Lake north of the cities.

Our guide, Danny Dupoint, knows the lake very well and we caught bass, both white and black, amid the great scenery. Dupoint took us back among the lily pads where we started casting for largemouths. He had just turned the motor off and was putting the trolling motor in the water when a fish attacked Kevin's lure. "I've never seen a largemouth be so aggressive, he chased that lure after hitting it three or four times."

The action was fast and furious fish hitting and fishermen missing them. Finally Brad hooked a fish and it turned out to be a white bass. Our guide had us put on spinners and we all started pulling in big whites. The action finally slowed down a little and Dupoint said, "Let's go after some largemouths back in the bayou."

After a scenic boat ride among the Cypress trees with the Spanish Moss hanging down and beside lily pads, we pulled into a spot where a sunken boathouse lay in the water and a family of otters had made their home. "That's the first otters I have seen on Caddo," Dupoint said. "I'm surprised they haven't been meals for the alligators."

Using single spins, Brad hooked the first bass and it was truly a black bass. Since the bass in Caddo live in dark water and under lily pads, the bass was very dark. Several more casts and Brad hooked another bass. Before the sun bore down and we thought about going back after the whites, we had caught and released six black bass.

Returning to the spot where the whites had provided action, Dupoint stopped the boat and we picked up where we left of by catching more white bass.

Dupoint spends a lot of time on either Caddo or the Red River where he catches "some of everything."

"Fishing our area is a year around thing," he said. "I like fishing the river, but its a little muddy right now and the fishing might be tough."

We were the first guests at the new Red River Marina and Resort located along the banks of the river where anglers can put their boats in the water very easily. After a day on Caddo, we talked to the owner of the marina and he said "Although the water is off color, the crappie fishing has been excellent and two fishermen just came in with their limits." It just made us wish we had more time to try it.

Meanwhile, Nelson was still wondering what to do and where to go in the area. "I thought we would do some fishing, but when the rest of the family saw all the many things to do, from the many amusement parks to the gator farm to shopping, I guess fishing will become secondary until next time. I have already promised the wife and kids that we will come back on vacation next year. It sure is a much different place than my last time down here," he said.