LDWF’s Fish Hatcheries Complete 2025 Spring Florida Bass Stockings

Florida Bass fingerlings being stocked by LDWF hatchery technician.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Inland Fisheries Section, in cooperation with the USFWS’ Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery and the City of Shreveport’s Cross Lake Fish Hatchery, 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 (Micropterus salmoides) (5.2 million).

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 (Micropterus nigricans) species. The two species readily hybridize, and individuals reaching or exceeding 10 pounds in Louisiana usually have some degree of Florida Bass genetic influence as a result of LDWF’s stocking efforts. Stocking Florida Bass into existing native populations of Largemouth Bass, where successful, increases the potential for anglers to catch quality and/or trophy bass.

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
		TOTAL	5,219,797

More information about the LDWF Freshwater Fish Hatcheries can be viewed at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/freshwater-fish-hatcheries.

For more information about stocking, contact Hatchery Biologist Manager Talon Jeppson at (318) 484-6914 or tjeppson@wlf.la.gov.