Lake Concordia
"Home-Lake" of Bassin' In The Boot
February 2020, Volume 110
Lake Concordia is a naturally formed lake existing prior to recorded history in the Louisiana territory, that predates the earliest explorers to the area. Like so many lakes in the Mississippi River Basin, Lake Concordia is an oxbow lake formed from a channel swing where the Mighty Mississippi cut itself off. Over much of its history as a lake it was under the influence of the annual flooding of the Mississippi. That all changed with the Flood Control Act of 1927, and the subsequent Mississippi River levees that were constructed. Since then the lake has taken shape as an 1,100-acre reservoir, providing drainage retention for an area of approximately 5,700 acres.
Located in Ferriday, Louisiana, if ever there was a home lake for Bassin’ In The Boot, this would be it. Just miles away from where we grew up, Lake Concordia offers the closest access to a quality lake with great bass fishing. In fact, the frequent trips, along with our season of weekly big bass tournament events led us to one of our original partners, Lakeview Lodge. As its name indicates, the lodge provides scenic views of Lake Concordia, along with the most convenient boat launch, and lodging facilities on the lake. Before heading to the lake though, you may want to check out the local Trak store, U-Pak, for all of your non-ethanol gas, cold drink, and tackle needs to make your time on the water most enjoyable. And if you are looking to maximize that enjoyment, stop by our friends at Bryan’s Marine and pick you out a new Tracker, Nitro, Xpress, or Phoenix! Feel free to check them out by clicking our ads to head over to our partners page.
Once on beautiful Lake Concordia, you are greeted with various forms of desirable fishing cover and structure. With a good mixture of developed bank and natural shoreline, there are no shortage of bass hangouts to explore. The lake typically has a stable elevation, given its small watershed, but has suffered a few closures over the past couple of years due to some of the extreme rain events in the area. The pool stage of the lake is around 48.5’ MSL, with a single 5’ drainage structure. The overflow structure, and the operation and maintenance of it are handled by the Concordia Parish Police Jury. They also serve as the legal authority for the lake with various law enforcement organizations having jurisdiction. Fishing and boating regulations are generally enforced by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Aside from Lakeview, there are three other boat launches on the lake, one of which is a public launch at a LDWF station.
A beautiful sunset from the aptly named Lakeview Lodge located on Lake Concordia.
The nearly 18 miles of shoreline provide native cypress trees, and docks alike for fishing structure. Additionally, there are two artificial reefs placed by LDWF on either side of an area of the lake known as the “blue-hole”. The lake also provides offshore grade changes from its prior life as a river channel, offering an average depth of about 20’ with maximum depths in excess of 50 feet. Additional fish habitat includes native grasses and some aquatic vegetation. Although present on the lake, Salvinia has not gained a huge stronghold, but does cover some of the coves and shorelines dependent on prevalent winds. LDWF does routinely monitor and spray for aquatic vegetation on Lake Concordia.
With a stable water level, and prior management practices, Lake Concordia has a very healthy population of black bass. For a few years in the late 90’s and early 2000’s there was a 15”-19” slot on the lake, but with evidence of no positive effect, the slot was removed. Given the lakes regulated level and historical stability, there have been no major drawdowns associated with the lake ever recorded. Further, the stable environment has resulted in no major fish kills recorded on the lake. Despite being surrounded by agricultural lands and residential areas, the water quality is good to great in the lake, only being impacted after major rain events. The lake has been stocked with Florida Largemouth Bass (FLB) since the late 1980s, with a total of nearly 1.5 million fry, fingerlings, and other age FLB being stocked in that time. Though the FLB stocking has been greatly reduced since the early 2000’s, they have taken root with DNA testing showing influence in nearly 30% of the tested population as of the latest available testing data (2012). In addition to bass, the lake sports a healthy population of other popular fish, including catfish, and various members of the sunfish family (bluegill, sunfish, crappie).
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Our friend Lee Smith, owner of our partner Pro Gator Boats taking in a Bassin' In The Boot Big Bass event on Lake Concordia.
Lake Concordia hosts several major bass fishing events a year, including being a popular stop for major high school tournaments. The lakes popularity continues to grow, and it isn’t completely out of the norm to see an elite pro on the lake from time to time practicing and shooting promo videos. Along with the popularity for fishing, the lake is also a popular recreation destination for boaters and other water activities like skiing, tubing, jet skiing, etc. For an all-around beautiful lake, with great fishing, and some of the best amenities, check out Lake Concordia; while you are there stop by to launch or stay a while at Lakeview Lodge, and be sure to tell Paul that Bassin’ In The Boot sent you!
Want to learn more about the partners discussed in this article? Click the button below to head over to our Partners Page and have a look around!
Night time view of Lakeview Lodge from the water on beautiful Lake Concordia.
Beautiful sunset through the cypress trees on the north end of Lake Concordia.