New fishing limits set for Atchafalaya Basin region

BATON ROUGE, La. — New recreational fishing rules for black bass and crappie will go into effect Aug. 1 in parts of the Atchafalaya Basin and nearby waterbodies in south-central Louisiana.

The adjustments stem from Senate Bill 111 of the 2026 Regular Session, which was authored by Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter and signed into law as Act No. 460.

The following limits will apply to all waters within the specified region:

Black bass (Micropterus spp.)

• Minimum length limit: 12 inches

• Daily creel limit: 5 fish

  This restriction covers largemouth bass, Florida bass, spotted bass, and their hybrids.

Crappie (Pomoxis spp.)

• Minimum length limit: 8 inches

• Daily creel limit: 25 fish

  This restriction covers black crappie, white crappie, and their hybrids.

Major bodies of water inside the revised zone include Henderson Lake, Grassy Lake, Lake Verret, Lake Palourde, and most of the Atchafalaya Basin. The designated area is bounded on the north by US 190, running from the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee to the intersection of LA 1 and US 190 north of Port Allen. It extends east of the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee from US 190 to US 90, north of US 90 from the levee to LA 20, north and west of LA 20 from US 90 to LA 1 in Thibodaux, and south and west of LA 1 from LA 20 back to US 190.

Statewide rules will remain in place for all locations outside of this boundary, meaning those areas will continue to have no minimum length limits, a daily creel limit of 10 black bass, and a daily creel limit of 50 crappie per licensed angler. The complete recreational fishing guidelines are available on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website.

Anglers using any boat launch inside the regulated zone must follow the new rules, regardless of where the fish were caught.