The Top Fish You Can Catch in Lake Charles, Louisiana
There’s no doubt – Lake Charles is one of the best fishing locations in all of Louisiana. With access to three bodies of water – Calcasieu Lake, the Calcasieu River, and Prien Lake – anglers of all levels come here to enjoy a successful fishing trip. When out on the waters, the most common fish species you’ll encounter include Largemouth Bass, Speckled Trout, and Redfish. Interested in learning more about these fish in Lake Charles? Read On!
Largemouth Bass
Also referred to as Green Trout, Black Bass, Big-mouth Bass, and sometimes Lineside Bass, the largemouth bass is one of the popular fish in Louisiana. You’ll mostly find them near the clear, quiet water, around different structures such as fallen trees, vegetation, and other artificial structures.
To survive, the bass feeds on smaller fish. They also have a liking for frogs, snails, snakes, bats, shad, and minnow. To lure them, you can use small shrimps and other artificial baits such as rubber worms, jigs, swimbaits, jerk baits, and spinnerbaits that mimic their prey in some way.
The largemouth bass is most active in warm water. This makes spring and early summer the best time to fish them. The warm conditions speed up the fish’ metabolisms, make them hungry, and lead them to the water surface searching for food. Additionally, you can make a bountiful bass catch early in the morning, from dawn until 8:00 AM, and evening, from 5:30 PM to dusk. In both cases, the bass fish are near the water surface, where you can easily catch them.
Speckled Trout
Commonly referred to, the spotted seatrout is another fish you can catch in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This fish is usually found in shallow, nearly freshwater to full-strength saltwater. Spotted seatrouts mostly swim near grass beds, weed beds, and shallow tidal creeks. Other common places to fish for them are stump fields and creek mouths.
Speckled trout are usually active in the morning and afternoon. At both times, the fish are looking for food. They mainly feed on crabs, shrimp, live minnows, and small baitfish. Also, there are changes in light conditions or tide movement in both morning and afternoon, making spotted seatrout active.
For best results, go fishing for speckled trout at night between 10 PM and 2 AM. Use artificial lights to attract smaller fish that will serve as bait for the speckled trout. Alternatively, you can use either live shrimp or pinfish to lure the speckled trout.
Red Fish
Other names for the redfish include spot tail bass, channel drum, red drum, or the puppy drum. You’ll mostly find these fish around areas with a good structure such as mangrove roots, docks, rocks, or shallow grass flats. These structures provide a healthy supply of bait and offer the redfish protection from their predators.
Redfish feed on shrimp, mullet, pilchards, and small crabs. However, live bait is not a requirement when luring them. You can use artificial lures such as crankbaits instead. In addition to packing artificial lures, ensure your gear is in good order. Replace old fishing lines with new ones. This enhances safety and ensures your redfish remains hooked on the line and won’t fall back into the water.
The best time to catch redfish is in the morning, as the water is cool and favorable for the fish to move around. However, as it approaches midday, the sun gets hotter, prompting the fish to dive deeper in the water and remain in one position. Also, you are likely to catch more redfish on cloudy days compared to sunny days. For better fishing results, you can combine good tide movement with cloudy weather.
Stop By Lake Charles Tackle to Stock Up Before You Go!
There you have it— the top fish you can catch in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Use the insight shared in this post to help you achieve a bountiful catch. Also, before you get out there, stop by to stock up on all your fishing supplies. Visit Lake Charles Bait & Tackle for quality and affordable baits.