Public access to Caddo Lake is easy, with multiple boat ramps on the Louisiana part of the lake. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Caddo Lake Waterbody Management Plan lists six boat launches.
The Drift-In Landing and the Mooringsport Ramp are located in the lower, deeper part of the lake, near the dam. Shady Acres, Pelican Lodge and the Earl G. Williamson Park Ramp are in the central part of the lake, and Shady Rest is in Jeem’s Bayou in the north.
The Mooringsport and Earl G. Williamson ramps are public. The others are pay ramps.
Todd Hopkins, who lives on the lake, noted that Shady Acres has cabins for rent, and Shady rest rents out jon boats without motors. The Earl G. Williamson ramp has bathrooms and campsites with RV hook-ups. Drift-In Landing has RV hook-ups, as well as a bait shop and deli.
The 26,700-acre lake is also an excellent fishing lake, offering hunters “cast and blast” opportunities. Hopkins and Brandon Garner agree that the lake offers excellent trophy largemouth bass fishing.
But there is more. “It’s a good crappie lake, especially because it’s so shallow,” offered up Hopkins. “Outside of a couple of 12-foot holes and the Mooringsport Bridge at 20 feet, it’s only 5 or 6 feet deep in its channels.
“There’s a lot of catfish here, too — blues, channels, and ops (flatheads). Trotlines and limb lines are what most people use.”
“Lots of white bass are here for the people who want them, too,” added Kelly Wells.
Besides the good fish populations, what makes the lake so attractive to fishermen is that the many stumps limit water sport activity such as water skiing and wakeboarding to the area below Turtle Island and to boat roads.