Calcasieu Lake

Southwest Louisiana, primarily in Cameron Parish, is home to the brackish lake known as Calcasieu Lake. The Lake, commonly known as Big Lake to the locals, lies about 27 km south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and is paralleled on its western bank by Louisiana Highway 27.

There is a small island slightly to the east of three big tanks on the western shoreline, where the northernmost part of Calcasieu Lake narrows down into Mud Lake. One of the largest oyster reefs in the entire system is located between Turner Bay, which is located immediately north of this island, and the three tanks to the west.

Anglers on the Gulf Coast are well aware of Big Lake as a place to catch red drum (redfish), spotted sea trout (speckled trout), flounder, and brown and white shrimp. In this estuary, speckled trout of seven pounds or more are not unusually caught by anglers.

The lake is renowned as the "Speckled Trout Capital of the World" for its outstanding red drum and spotted trout fishing. Trout fishing is successful from the shore, and various boat launches surrounding the lake offer possibilities to fish in deeper waters. At Calcasieu Lake, white shrimp, brown shrimp, and crab are also frequently caught.

Location: Cameron / Calcasieu parishes, Louisiana, United States

Surface Area: 49,150 acres