Collinston, LA Fishing: Bayou Fishing in North Louisiana

Collinston is a small village situated southwest of Morehouse Parish in North Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, only over 200 people reside in the small community. It is part of the Bastrop Metropolitan Statistical Area. Collinston is one of the four villages in the parish named after Kentucky Col. Abraham Morehouse, who fought during the Revolutionary War in the late 1700s. He was also hired to encourage immigration to the area and later bought the region’s land grant from Baron de Bastrop Felipe Enrique Neri, who owned over a million square acres of land. The place has rich Irish, English, German and French ancestry. It was originally part of Ouachita County. Morehouse Parish was established in 1884 due to the increase in population. Around the 1890s, the steamboat era, river traffic, and railroads had a big impact on forming the area's communities.

Collinston has a heart and sense of community that cannot be found in big cities. The community has much to offer for those seeking a quieter and calmer pace of life. It is also one of the region’s most scenic and feature-rich areas due to its proximity to wildlife areas and beautiful waterways. Collinston is the ideal place for those seeking respite while immersed in nature. The village is also very accessible and explorable due to its meager size. There is also direct access to the parish seat of Bastrop to the north. Collinston can be a terrific destination for anglers’ fishing tours because it is surrounded by lakes, rivers, and bayous filled with a variety of sought-after species.

Collinston Fishing

Anglers won’t have difficulty looking for excellent spots to fish in Collinston because there are plenty of game-filled waters to choose from. Those on their Louisiana fishing vacations can rest assured that Collinston can deliver peaceful and action-packed fishing.

Bayou DeSiard, to the city’s west, is one of the best places an angler can go fishing for bass and bream. It is an impounded stream and historic river channel abundant in aquatic vegetation in its upper section and lined with cypress trees along its banks. It looks like the quintessential Louisiana bayou and is the home to the nationally-acclaimed ULM water ski team. The bayou is a refuge for many birds, wildlife, and fish species. Bream species an angler can find in the bayou include bluegill, redear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, green sunfish, white perch, black crappie, white crappie, common carp, and warmouth. Bass species anglers can spot in its waters are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass. Most Louisiana bayous also have populations of blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black bullhead, brown bullhead, and yellow bullhead. Anglers can fish from the bayou’s banks or launch their boats and vessels from the nearest boat launch area, Boat Ramp Bayou Bartholomew in Sterlington. 

Anglers who’ve experienced bream fishing from Bayou DeSiard use unlimbered ultralight spinning reels and trolling motors to cover more area. Wax worms and live crickets are an ideal bait combination to lure bream. The best spots to find bream are where there are overhanging tree limbs with fringing shade with a few twigs and timber sticking out of the water. Hog Bayou, another bream hotspot, is a dredged cove found downstream of the bayou from the golf course. Grass beds, standing cypress trees, and lots of boathouses and docks hold plenty of bass. Big bass are caught around submerged timber and cypress trees. Bass anglers use Super Flukes, Sweet Beavers, and any creature bait in black and blue or watermelon red. Using white or chartreuse spinnerbaits around trees also work well. Spinnerbaits and plastic worms are excellent in grass beds. 

Black Bayou Lake in the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge Area is another fantastic bream fishing spot due to its high water and spread-out vegetation. Resident sunfish, crappie, and bass species are in its waters. There is also a population of alligator gar. The best way to catch big fish from the lake is by presenting their bait under a cork on the bottom. Anglers who frequent the lake like to net grass shrimp from lily pads and use them as bait for bream. Vegetation mats and cypress trees are terrific places to spot bass. A public boat launch can be found off Highway 165 near the park’s Visitor Center. There is a restriction for boats that should be 50 horsepower or less with outboard motors.

The longest bayou in the world, Bayou Bartholomew, can also be found near Collinston to its west. It is also the second-most diverse bayou in the United States. It is known for its excellent crappie, bream, and catfish fishing. Some of the game fish one can find include bass, crappie, sunfish, bream, bullhead, and garfish. Minnows, jigs, spinners, and light tackle are ideal for catching bream and crappie. Bottom fishing using worms, minnows, and stink baits is the best way to land catfish. The best way to find fish in the bayou is to spot migratory birds hunting around the surrounding tupelo and cypress trees. A throwable life preserver (type IV) is necessary for those on 16 feet or longer boats. Glass containers are prohibited onboard canoes and paddle boats. 

Collinston also offers anglers opportunities to fish from the Ouachita River, next to Bayou DeSiard in Monroe and West Monroe, the Boeuf River past Oak Ridge and Mer Rouge to the east and south, and the Mississippi River further east.

Top 10 Fish Species in Collinston, LA

The top 10 fish species found in Collinston, LA, are bluegill, redear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, white crappie,  blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish.

Seasonal Fishing

Bluegill are easiest to catch in the warm summer months, usually from May to August, sometimes up to September. Sunfish and warmouth are best caught during their spawning season between late spring and summer. The state’s bass season starts in April and is very productive until November. Crappie’s spawning season occurs from late February through early May. Catfish and bullhead can be targeted throughout the year in Louisiana, but summer is the prime time to chase them. Spring is the best time for carp fishing. White perch are most active from late January through the spring months. Anglers are advised to check for weather updates and water conditions.

Check Out Collinston

Collinston has the advantage of being surrounded by several nature areas and welcoming communities where people can enjoy the region’s features.

1. Book a Fishing Charter

Plenty of Louisiana offshore fishing and Louisiana inshore fishing charters can be found by anglers to level up their angling experience in and around Collinston. Some of the best guide services in the state are Serigne's Fishing Charters, Ron Ron Fishing Charters, and Tapped-Out Charters based just out of New Orleans, and Fowl Language Guide Service in Lafayette. Rentals for boats, fishing gear, and equipment can be availed around designated fishing areas. Bait and tackle shops can also be found near local waters. Those planning their fishing trips in Collinston should have their Louisiana fishing license. 

2. Go Bayou Paddling

Go paddling through Bayou Bartholomew, a designated Scenic and Natural Waterway. Its undammed rivers are some of the wildest and most picturesque in the region, which provides a thrilling experience. There is also a section with a gently flowing stream suitable for family fun and paddlers of all levels. Paddling through the impoundment will let people enjoy exploring the beautiful articulation of cypress and hardwood forests of the state.

3. Go Hunting and Trapping

The Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area,  south of Collinston, is home to popular game species such as white-tailed deer, waterfowl, squirrel, and rabbit. It has areas managed for waterfowl hunting. Dove, raccoon, snipe, and woodcock hunting are also available.