Lake Henderson is located in the center of the Atchafalaya Basin. It offers excellent fishing for crappie, bream, bluegill, sunfish, catfish, and paddlefish. You can find some good bass fishing as well on certain parts of the lake. The long shoreline features many modern boat ramps along with more rustic launches for kayaks, canoes, Jon boats, and fishing crafts. Several local guides offer chartered fishing trips.

driving directions

Henderson Lake is swampy and relatively shallow. Most of the lake is no deeper than three feet. It’s a great place for kayak fishing. If you really want to explore the lake a shallow prop motorboat is ideal.

Sometimes Lake Henderson struggles with lower than normal water levels. You’ll want to check a current Lake Henderson fishing report before planning your fishing trip.

Baits and Artificial Lures

Crappied, bream and small panfish are the more popular catches on Henderson Lake. They’ll take a variety of live bait including worms, maggots and small insects, as well as artificial lures. You can catch bream, bluegill and crappie all day long just using live crickets and green head jigs. A jig with a soft plastic worm is also effective for catching just about anything swimming in Lake Henderson.

Recommended Tackle and Gear

The most common setup for fishing Lake Henderson is a light weight two-piece graphite jigging pole about 10 feet long, but any type of baitcaster or spincast reel will work. When fishing Henderson Lake you’ll want to use light tackle as the majority of the panfish you’ll be pulling out are going to be in the 1/2 lb to 1 1/2 pound range.

If fly fishing is your preferred fishing method, Lake Henderson is a great place to wet your line. Fly fishing with a small fly is quit effective for targeting bluegill.

Fishing Hot Spots

One of the locals’ favorite fishing spots is at the cypress swamp end of the lake on the south side of the interstate near the west limit levee. Fish among the cypress trees and you’ll reel some nice size panfish. Cast in between groups of two or more cypress as this is where a lot of crappie, breams and bluegill hold up.

Just off of Kern’s Landing at the southwestern side of Lake Henderson is a great place for catching bluegill. A simple bobber setup with your bait about 24″ below your bobber is perfect. Using a cricket on a long shank No.6-No.10 hook will catch you some decent size panfish. Using light tackle is key.

Henderson Lake boat ramps:

The following boat ramps provide access to Henderson Lake.