Yes, there are alligators on Cross Lake. There are alligators in nearly all large bodies of water in North Louisiana.
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What is the best month to ice fish?
March is my favorite month for ice-fishing. The days are longer, the weather isn’t as cold, and the fish like to get caught in March. Following are some things to keep in mind to catch more fish through the ice until the end of the ice season.
What kind of fish are in Cross Lake?
Fish Species: Walleye, tiger musky, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, yellow perch, white perch, channel catfish, brown bullhead, common carp, bowfin, longnose gar, white sucker, round goby, and gizzard shad.
What is the best depth for ice-fishing?
In my experience, I’ve found that most of the best ice-fishing action comes in water from 3-to-20 feet deep. I like to set up my traps so that they cover a variety of depths. Areas with rock piles, weed beds, or dramatic contours are all good spots.
Where is the best place for ice-fishing?
- Devils Lake, North Dakota.
- Red Lake, Minnesota.
- Silver Lake, California.
- Birch and Quartz Lakes, Alaska.
- Lake Gogebic, Michigan.
- Lake Champlain, Vermont.
- Antero Reservoir, Colorado.
- Ice Fishing Destinations in the US: There’s Many More!
Does time of day matter for ice fishing?
The best time of day to ice fish is during the first couple of hours after sunrise, and for about 2 hours both before and after sunset. These are the times when most fish are heading to their feeding grounds, and when most species are active.
Is it good to ice fish at night?
Ice fishing at night offers anglers chances to catch crepuscular or nocturnal species like walleye and burbot in numbers and sizes that they never knew existed. These species become more active at night, often hunting and feeding with an avidity unseen during the day.
What is the slot limit on Cross Lake?
As the City of Shreveport owns this lake, anglers can find several regulations not seen elsewhere. See our “boating” section below to learn more. This lake also has 14-17-inch slot limit, requiring that any angler catching a bass caught within that range to release it immediately.
Is Cross Lake man made?
Cross Lake is an 8,575-acre man-made lake built in 1926 that is around 13.4 square miles. The lake is the primary water source for the City of Shreveport and is also used for many recreational activities such as boating, fishing and hunting.
What is the best bait for ice fishing?
For ice fishing live bait, try wax worms (bee moth larva), maggots, spikes (fly larvae), wigglers (mayfly larvae) or minnows. You can drop your bait and leave it alone, or you can slowly jig to attract the fish. Ice fishing jigging also works with artificial ice fishing bait.
How do you attract fish while ice fishing?
- Chumming and scents. Chumming is the most obvious way of attracting fish to a centralized location.
- Glow lures.
- Bottom bouncing.
- Turn on the transducer.
- Change up your presentation.
- Match the hatch.
- Cover the hole.
- Bring in some flash.
Is ice fishing good after dark?
Most anglers are active during the day, so fishing at night will mean fewer anglers hovering over that hot brush pile or creek channel. The reduced the number of anglers crunching across the ice and the potential fish disturbance won’t hurt either.
Is ice thicker in the middle of a lake?
Re: Is lake ice thicker in the middle or close to shore? Ice on the edge is limited to the depth of the water at the edge. So it is always thicker towards the middle.
Where do walleyes go in winter?
The coldest part of winter puts most walleyes in main basins of lakes and reservoirs, using deeper areas than they did during early winter or than they will toward the end of the ice season. Deep, of course, is a relative term, and mid-winter depths vary pretty dramatically from one lake to another.
What state has the most ice fishing?
Wisconsin. Wisconsin is on top of the hit list when it comes to ice fishing, Green Bay is a basin of Lake Michigan that covers 2,000,000 acres and has some of the best ice fishing on the planet.
How do you measure ice fishing depth?

What time are fish most active?
Before we dig into the details, however, we can make one blanket statement: fish just about everywhere are almost always active at sunrise and sunset. These periods of changing light levels trigger feeding behavior in all kinds of predatory fish.
Do glow sticks attract fish?
Do glow sticks attract fish? Yes. Glow sticks are useful at attracting fish in murky or dirty water but you can also use them to attract fish in deep water where sunlight does not reach. Popular glow sticks to attract fish include 1 inch, 3 inch and up to 6 inch glow sticks.
Do Bluegills bite at night in ice fishing?
Bluegill will bite all day long but a lot of ice fishermen have trouble catching them at night. The truth is night fishing for cold-water bluegills can be tough but it can also be awesome if you do it right.
What is the best bait for ice fishing walleye?
- Leech flutter spoon.
- Northland whistler jig.
- Clam drop jig.
- Spoon baited with minnow head.
- Jig baited with live or dead minnow.
Where in Louisiana has the most alligators?
Of the almost 4.5 million acres of alligator habitat available in Louisiana, coastal marshes account for more than 3 million, followed by cypress-tupelo swamp (750,600 acres), Atchafalaya Basin swamp (207,000 acres), and lakes (32,105 acres).
Does Louisiana have a lot of Gators?
Louisiana has the largest alligator population in the world. There are more than 2 million alligators in the wild and another 1 million that live on alligator farms. Florida has the second largest population of alligators with 1.3 million gators.
Can you swim in Cross Lake?
Though fishing and boating are especially popular activities on Cross Lake, swimming and waterskiing are also permitted. Swimmers should be aware that the lake is home to alligators.
Who owns Cross Lake?
Maximum drawdown capability is limited to 3 feet below normal pool stage by the design of the spillway. Cross Lake is owned, operated and maintained by the City of Shreveport as a water supply reservoir for the city. Drawdowns are not a viable management strategy due to its use as a city water source.
Can you fish at night in Louisiana?
In Louisiana, night fishing exists in some form throughout the state. Although mostly considered a winter sport, it can be done on any cool night. Most people will say that they prefer this method of fishing because the fish bite better in cooler night waters.