Lake Pontchartrain fishing: Largemouth Bass, Redfin Pickerel, Warmouth

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Redfin Pickerel, Warmouth, Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Spotted Gar
Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct for Largemouth Bass
Second window: Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr for Redfin Pickerel
Boat: 9 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Williams Boulevard Boat Ramp, 4 lanes.

The lake

Lake Pontchartrain covers 406,837 acres in Louisiana, across 5 counties: Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Charles, Jefferson and St. John the Baptist. It is a lake: the deepest point measured is 102 feet (31.1 m). Our records hold 29 species for this water.

Lake Pontchartrain shore in Saint Tammany Parish Louisiana August 2013.jpg
Saint Tammany · CC BY 2.0

Depth: down to 102 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 102 ft (31.1 m). We hold 5 depth contours for this water, drawn from 8,925 soundings.

Coast Guard units train on Lake Pontchartrain (6726125907).jpg
Coast Guard · Public domain

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
  • Redfin Pickerel — Best months: Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr.
  • Warmouth — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
  • Alligator Gar — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
  • Blue Catfish — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
  • Channel Catfish — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
  • Spotted Gar — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.

Also recorded here: Chain Pickerel, Spotted Bass, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Redear, Flier, Green Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Spotted Sunfish, Bighead Carp, Silver Carp, Longnose Gar, Yellow Bullhead, Grass Carp, Gizzard Shad, Threadfin Shad, Western Mosquitofish, American Eel, White Mullet, Mummichog.

Water and conditions

Water temperature averages 74°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 37°F and the warmest is 97°F; the warmest monthly average is 87°F. pH averages 7.5. These readings span 2016–2026.

Monthly average water temperature: Jan 54°F · Feb 59°F · Mar 66°F · Apr 71°F · May 79°F · Jun 84°F · Jul 87°F · Aug 87°F · Sep 83°F · Oct 75°F · Nov 65°F · Dec 59°F

9 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 9 trailer ramps.

  • Williams Boulevard Boat Ramp — 4 lanes, open around the clock. Kenner. 5050 Williams Blvd, Kenner · website experiencejefferson.com/kenner/laketown
  • Madisonville Ramp — 3 lanes, open around the clock. Madisonville. Hwy 1077/Main St, Madisonville
  • Mandeville Harbor — 3 lanes, open around the clock. Mandeville. 140 Jackson Ave, Mandeville · phone 985-626-1617 · email [email protected]
  • Seabrook Launch & Pier — 3 lanes, open around the clock. New Orleans. Lakeshore Dr, New Orleans
  • Bonnabel Boat Launch — 2 lanes, open around the clock. Metairie. 1599 Bonnabel Blvd, Metairie · website bonnabelboatlaunch.com
  • Rigolets Bait and Seafood — 2 lanes. Slidell. 52250 US 90, Slidell · phone 985-641-8088; 985-640-1566 · website rigoletsmarina.com · email [email protected] · hours: Ramp: 24 hours a day; store and fuel: 5am-7pm
  • The Pointe Marina and Grill — 2 lanes, open 6am–5pm. Slidell. 118 Harbor View Ct, Slidell · phone 504-799-8664
  • Fort Pike State Park Public Launch — 1 lane, open 9am–5pm. New Orleans. 27100 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans · phone 504-255-9171; 888-662-5703 · website crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-parks/historic-sites/fort-pike-state-historic-site · email [email protected]
  • West End Launch — 1 lane. New Orleans. 7790 Breakwater Drive, New Orleans

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 9 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Season by season

  • Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb, 54–59°F) — Steady but no peak: Largemouth Bass, Redfin Pickerel, Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Spotted Gar.
  • Spring (Mar, Apr, May, 66–79°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Redfin Pickerel, Warmouth, Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish.
  • Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, 83–87°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Warmouth, Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Spotted Gar.
  • Fall (Oct, Nov, 65–75°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Redfin Pickerel, Warmouth, Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 406,837 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Winter water drops to 54°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do. Summer water sits at 87°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.

Where this data comes from

  • USACE eHydro — USACE eHydro channel surveys: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • NOAA BlueTopo: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • NOAA ENC — NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts: soundings: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • NOAA National Bathymetric Source (S-102 ed3.0.0) — NOAA S-102 bathymetric surfaces: contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • NOAA ENC — NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.