Louisiana hunters and anglers have long known that Livingston Parish is the place to go to escape the hustle and bustle of the area’s larger cities. Located on Interstate 12 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Livingston Parish is where locals in the know go to do their hunting and fishing.
The parish is a veritable playground of outdoor opportunities laid out over more than 460 square miles of rivers, forests and bayous. The area’s freshwater fishing is good, and the hunting is some of the best in the Southeast. Bass Pro thought enough of the area’s sporting culture to locate a 75-acre development in Denham Springs.
If you had to choose a Louisiana destination for outdoor pursuits, Lake Maurepas should be high on the list. Roughly 100 square miles of brackish water make up this smaller and less famous neighbor to Lake Pontchartrain. Less famous means less pressured, and you’ll find good opportunities for standard bayou denizens like catfish, as well as trout, redfish and flounder.
The banks and wetlands to the north and south of Lake Maurepas are home to Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. If you want to wade into more than 67,000 acres of Cajun-style public hunting and fishing, this is a fantastic place to do it. Any of Livingston Parish’s communities would make excellent home bases for a bayou adventure.
If that sounds a little wild for your blood, the Amite and Blind rivers are full of spotted bass, white bass, crappie, catfish and panfish. Make a week-long trip out of your visit to Livingston Parish, and you can get in on a little of all of it. You’ll be about an hour drive from all of south Louisiana’s major attractions.
You should probably bring your family along, too. Dining is top-notch and features the Cajun cooking Louisiana is known for. For golfers, it’s worth a day to play a round on the renowned course at Carter Plantation in Springfield. And while you’re in Springfield, check out Tickfaw State Park. It’s one of the top-5 state parks in Louisiana. Finally, you’re likely to find antiques you just have to have in the Denham Antique District.
If a true experience of Louisiana culture is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it in the cities and towns of Livingston Parrish. There are fantastic sporting opportunities right out the front door, and you’ll feel at home surrounded by real southern hospitality.
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