Overview
Lake Bistineau is a roughly 17,500-acre cypress-studded reservoir on Bayou Dorcheat in Bossier, Bienville, and Webster parishes in northwest Louisiana, southeast of Shreveport. A dam on Loggy Bayou first held a permanent pool in the late 1930s and was enlarged in 1951 to today's pool stage. The lake is managed for recreation and fisheries by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, with Lake Bistineau State Park anchoring public access on the western shore.
Bistineau is a shallow, swampy lowland lake averaging about 7 feet deep and reaching near 25 feet in places, with vast stands of bald cypress and tupelo, flooded timber, and bayou channels. Much of the basin feels more like an impounded cypress swamp than an open reservoir, and aquatic vegetation and organic muck are long-standing management challenges for boaters and anglers.
The lake is popular for largemouth bass, crappie, bream, and catfish, with fisheries managed by LDWF. State park boat launches, camping, cabins, and trails, plus parish and private landings around the shoreline, support fishing, paddling, and wildlife viewing across the cypress flats.
Water levels are held near a normal pool of about 141 feet above mean sea level, with flood references near 142.5 feet. LDWF periodically schedules multi-foot drawdowns to combat invasive vegetation and improve habitat, which can shrink usable acreage dramatically, so monitoring current lake levels is essential for boating safety, fishing access, and shoreline use. Nearby sister waters include Cross Lake and Cypress Bayou Lake in the greater Shreveport–Bossier area.
Current Conditions
Lake Bistineau is currently 0.28 feet below full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.13 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.72 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Lake Bistineau is a 17,500-acre reservoir on the Bayou Dorcheat managed by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.