Over 5 Million Florida Bass Stocked In These Louisiana Lakes This Spring
s an avid Louisiana bass fisherman, I can attest to the fact that our fisheries are some of the nation's best!
Even though the Good Lord blessed us with an abundance of fantastic fisheries and weather that is suitable for these fish to thrive, there is one little factor missing that has required the help of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Louisiana has an abundance of black bass, but our native Northern Largemouth just don't have the genetics to become true giants. And because those monsters are what bring anglers from all over to fish our waters, LDWF has, again this year, lent a helping hand to Mother Nature.
In cooperation with the USFWS’ Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery and the City of Shreveport’s Cross Lake Fish Hatchery, LDWF produced and stocked approximately 5.3 million freshwater sportfish into 56 waterbodies statewide during the spring 2025 stocking season. The stocked fishes primarily consisted of Florida Largemouth Bass (5.2 million).
Why Does LDWF Stock So Many Of These Florida Bass Into Our Lakes?
As LDWF explains in the release regarding this year's stockings, "Florida Bass stocking is not typically performed to increase the abundance of bass in Louisiana waterbodies, but, rather to increase the size potential of bass in Louisiana waterbodies. The Florida Bass species is capable of growing larger than Louisiana’s native Largemouth Bass species."
Just how big are these "giants" of which they speak? We're talking largemouth bass in excess of ten pounds! LDWF says that when the Florida bass hybridize with native, Louisiana largemouth, the chances for anglers to catch quality and/or trophy bass increases exponentially. In fact, in most cases when an angler reels in a bass of ten pounds or greater, it will generally have some degree of Florida Bass genetic influence.
Which Bodies Of Water Received These Florida Bass Stockings In 2025?
Florida Bass stockings completed from January to June of 2025 are listed in the table below.
| Body of Water | Species | Size | Quantity Stocked |
| Bayou Bartholomew | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 16,200 |
| Bayou D'Arbonne Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 300,400 |
| Bayou St. John | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 3,200 |
| Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 2,000 |
| Black Bayou and Black Bayou Reservoir | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 11,500 |
| Black Bayou Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 84,200 |
| Black Lake and Clear Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 105,400 |
| Black River Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 33,000 |
| Bussey Brake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 40,100 |
| Caddo Lake and James Bayou | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 176,900 |
| Cameron Prairie | Florida Bass | Phase II Fingerlings | 100 |
| Caney Creek | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 53,000 |
| Caney Lake (combined) | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 61,200 |
| Chatham Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 3,100 |
| Cheniere Brake Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 63,400 |
| Chicot Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 32,900 |
| Clear Lake and Smithport Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 15,100 |
| Corney Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 14,600 |
| Cotile Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 26,200 |
| Cross Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 114,100 |
| Drainage Canals, Jefferson and Orleans Parishes | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 600 |
| Eunice City Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 1,200 |
| False River | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 6,000 |
| Fullerton Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 570 |
| Grand Bayou Reservoir | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 36,000 |
| Gretna City Pond | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 300 |
| Henderson Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 50,300 |
| Holbrook Park Pond | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 250 |
| Iatt Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 71,000 |
| Ivan Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 10,000 |
| Kepler Creek Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 24,600 |
| Kincaid Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 38,000 |
| Lacassine Pool | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 180,400 |
| Lake Bistineau | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 229,900 |
| Lake Bruin | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 20,000 |
| Lake Buhlow | Florida Bass | Adults | 77 |
| Fingerlings | 5,300 | ||
| Lake Claiborne | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 143,800 |
| Lake Concordia | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 22,000 |
| Lake Fausse Point and Dauterive Lake | Florida Bass | Fry | 2,080,500 |
| Fingerlings | 100,300 | ||
| Lake LaFourche | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 25,900 |
| Lake Providence | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 44,300 |
| Lake St. John | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 50,600 |
| Larto Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 80,500 |
| Little Alabama Bayou | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 4,000 |
| Mill Creek Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 6,800 |
| Millers Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 32,100 |
| Nantachie Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 36,400 |
| Pearl River Navigation Canal | Florida Bass | Phase II Fingerlings | 3,200 |
| Perez Park Pond | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 300 |
| Poverty Point Reservoir | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 20,100 |
| Rockefeller Refuge | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 105,800 |
| Sibley Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 21,000 |
| Spanish Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 26,600 |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 499,400 |
| Valentine Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 1,100 |
| Vernon Lake | Florida Bass | Fingerlings | 84,000 |