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Ouachita River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

North Louisiana’s big river: the Ouachita runs catfish, crappie and bass past Monroe toward the Black.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
97 / 97 F
Wind
E 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Ouachita River stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. Today brings a mixed sky, wind E around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 97. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 99 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp97 F
High / Low97 / 73 F
WindE 6-7 mph
Pressure1012.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain25% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset06:45 / 19:29
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 97/73 F, wind 14 mph, rain 7%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Ouachita River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Ouachita River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Ouachita River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 96 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Louisiana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Louisiana license. Catfish, crappie and black bass limits per current LDWF regulations.

Access

Public landings around Monroe and West Monroe, lock and dam areas, and parish boat ramps.

About this water

A lowland Delta river through Ouachita Parish, north Louisiana, joining the Tensas to form the Black River.

Fishing Ouachita River: the full guide

A Delta river

The Ouachita River enters Louisiana from Arkansas and runs south past Monroe and West Monroe before joining the Tensas to form the Black River. Here it is a wide, slow bottomland river of oxbows, sloughs and timbered banks, holding blue and flathead catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, white bass and bream through a long warm season.

Catfish in the channel

Blue and flathead catfish are the river’s headline fishery, taken on cut and live bait in the deeper channel bends, around log jams and below the locks and dams that regulate the river for navigation. Big fish are a realistic target, and night fishing through the warm months is the standard approach.

Crappie and bass in the backwaters

Crappie fill the standing timber, brush and oxbows off the main channel and provide the most consistent action, best in spring and again in fall. Largemouth work the same cover, and white bass school in the current seams. Water level governs everything: when the river rises into the bottomland, fish spread out and follow it.

Ouachita Parish logistics

Access is via public landings around Monroe and West Monroe, the lock and dam areas, and boat ramps through the parish, with Monroe providing full services. Bayous and oxbows off the main river offer sheltered water when the channel runs high or barge traffic is heavy.

Common questions

What is the main fishery?

Catfish in the channel and crappie in the timber and oxbows: both are strong through most of the year.

Does water level matter?

Enormously: when the river rises into the bottomland, fish spread out into the flooded cover and follow it.

Where do I launch?

Public landings around Monroe and West Monroe and ramps through the parish, plus the lock and dam areas.

Is fishing good at Ouachita River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Lake D Arbonne23 miCaney Lake45 miBlack Lake67 miBig Black River74 miLake Chicot79 miRed River93 mi
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