These fingerlings and millions more were released this year in water bodies across Louisiana. www.wlf.louisiana.gov

BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Department and Wildlife and Fisheries personnel stocked 5.2 million Florida bass fingerlings and fry in 52 waterbodies across the state in 2025, according to a prepared statement released July 17 by the state agency.

LDWF’s Inland Fisheries Section, working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery and the City of Shreveport’s Cross Lake Fish Hatchery, produced and stocked those baby prized bass from Bayou Bartholomew to Vernon Lake and dozens of waters in between, including Lake Fausse Pointe/Lake Dauterive.

The Teche Area’s local lake received 100,300 Florida bass fingerlings, average 1 ½ to 2 inches long, on June 4. Those little fish were distributed by the Lafayette-based District 6 biologist manager and his staff to the “Back Borrow Pit,” also known as the “Stump Field,” several Texaco Field canals, Sandy Cove, Tee Bayou area (the bayou itself and cypress trees around the mouth of the bayou) and around Lake Fausse Pointe State Park.

Lake Fausse Pointe also was the beneficiary of thousands of much smaller Florida bass, the nearly microscopic fry, earlier during the year. According to the recent news release, 2,080,500 Florida bass fry, also were released in the lake January-June 2025.

That’s a huge shot in the arm for the lake’s fishery. It’s more of a size issue than an effort to increase numbers.

LDWF inland fisheries biologists for years have emphasized Florida bass stockings usually aren’t carried out to increase the bass population in a certain lake or river but to increase the potential size of bass. Florida bass are capable of growing larger than Louisiana’s native largemouth bass.

The Florida bass gene’s influence in a hybrid mix with largemouth bass can lead to bigger bass, 10 pounds and over, giving bass anglers better odds of hooking and boating a “trophy bass”.

Other Louisiana lakes, including Toledo Bend, and bayous got their share of Florida bass, either fingerlings or fry in 2025. Many of them came from the LDWF’s Booker Fowler Hatchery a few miles south of Woodworth near Indian Creek Reservoir.

Lake Fausse Pointe was the only waterbody in Louisiana to receive more than 2 million baby Florida bass, according to the report.

Legendary Toledo Bend led the way among the state’s recipients of Florida bass fingerlings with 499,400, followed by Bayou D’Arbonne with 300,400. Lake Bisteneau was right behind Bayou D’Arbonne with 229,900.

Caddo Lake/James Bayou received 176,900 Florida bass fingerlings; Lake Claiborne received 143,800 Florida bass fingerlings; Cross Lake received 114,000 Florida bass fingerlings, and Black Lake and Clear Lake received 105,500 Florida bass fingerlings.

Of other popular lakes in this region, Henderson Lake was stocked with 50,300 Florida bass fingerlings, Chicot Lake got 32,900 Florida bass fingerlings and Miller’s Lake got 32,100 Florida bass fingerlings.

Surprisingly, some areas along the coast also got more than 100,000 Floridas. Lacassine Pool received 180,400 Florida bass fingerlings while Rockefeller Refuge received 105,800 Florida bass fingerlings.