Want to have the quintessential Louisiana experience? If you’ve always been curious about the mysterious swamplands and delectable Cajun cuisine, then book a trip to St. Mary Parish. Baldwin is a great entry point to this unique parish, which locals lovingly call the Cajun Coast. Baldwin is a tight-knit community of 2,000, situated on Louisiana Highway 182, offering easy access to the rest of the Cajun Coast’s must-see destinations.
St. Mary Parish is one of the most exciting regions in South Central Louisiana. You can ride through the swamp rivers, feel the district’s rich Native American heritage, and sample mouthwatering cuisine here. Fishing is a particular highlight in this lush locale, as it has many fishing hotspots that anglers of all levels will enjoy.
Use Baldwin as a comfortable access point to many of St. Mary Parish’s productive fishing spots. The community has convenient boat ramps that launch into many state-renowned water bodies. One of them is Bayou Teche, accessible via the Highway 182 boat ramp within the area. Bayou Teche is a long and peaceful body of water surrounded by lush wilderness and teeming with catch such as bluegill, largemouth bass, and warmouth.
If you’re seeking to fish Lake Calcasieu, you can access one of its tributaries within the parish. Bayou Choupique is a meandering water body. Its main bayou is known as a trout hotspot, surrounded by plenty of marshlands that attract redfish and flounder. Anglers can launch a boat on Highway 90-83 within Baldwin to access this rich bayou.
The same boat Highway 90-83 boat launch allows anglers to access West Cote Blanche Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, along with East Cote Blanche Bay. Both subdivided waters are excellent places to fish for redfish, speckled trout, and sheepshead.
While in St. Mary Parish, don’t miss out on fishing in the renowned waters of Atchafalaya Basin. This rich swamp is known for its robust fishery and is a well-loved home to many bass fishing tournaments. Aside from largemouth bass and striped bass, it yields bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, crappie, garfish, redear sunfish, warmouth, shad, minnow, paddlefish, and even sturgeon.
The basin is the country’s biggest swamp river, so naturally, it has miles of shoreline from which you can fish. Anglers need not worry about access as the basin is dotted with all kinds of boat launches, from modern to undeveloped ones, so you’ll never run out of options.
Every St. Mary Parish trip must include a Bayou Teche Paddle Trail trip. Travel the entire length for multiple days or opt for shorter, family-friendly trips.
Add a Cajun Coast twist to your All-American road trip by driving down the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway. Make pit stops along the way — the byway is home to fascinating museums such as Chitimacha Museum in Charenton and the Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill Museum.