In a joint project between LDWF Inland Fisheries Division and Major League Fishing (MLF), 32 fish attracting structures/reefs were added to Lake Claiborne on April 25, 2023. MLF donated $25,000 worth of the MossBack Fish Habitat structures for use in Louisiana public waterbodies in conjunction with their Bass Pro Tour Heavy Hitters tournament going on simultaneously in north Louisiana.
The fish attractors were assembled and deployed by LDWF fisheries biologists, members of the Lake Claiborne Watershed District Commission, MLF Fisheries Management Division staff, Duck Dynasty celebrity and avid crappie angler John Godwin, along with MLF anglers Kevin VanDam, Gary Klein, and Dakota Ebare.
Many of the attractors were added near the Lake Claiborne State Park fishing piers and along the shoreline near the camping area to aid bank fishing anglers. Other attractors were added at varying depths and locations throughout the lake to target multiple species.
Attractor locations are posted on our “Louisiana Outdoor Explorer” interactive map tool at: http://ldwf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4c4a4d9526c248c080c3eaa4808b9bea. To view the locations, simply click on the “Get on the Water” tab and check the box labelled “Freshwater artificial reefs” under the “Layers” list, and the locations will appear on the map. Click on individual locations for reef descriptions and coordinates.
Approximately 20 of the donated MossBack structures were held in reserve for deployment by LDWF biologists in Poverty Point Reservoir at a later date.
LDWF thanks MLF for their donation as well as the MLF anglers, Duck Dynasty celebrity John Godwin, and the Lake Claiborne Watershed District Commission for their help in assembling and deploying the structures. For questions regarding Lake Claiborne fisheries, please contact LDWF Inland Fisheries Biologist Manager, Jeff Sibley at (318) 371-5294 or jsibley@wlf.la.gov.