Overview
Caddo Lake is a roughly 26,800-acre natural lake and wetland complex on Big Cypress Bayou along the Texas–Louisiana line in Harrison and Marion counties, Texas, and Caddo Parish, Louisiana. A low dam near Mooringsport helps hold the pool; recreation and park lands are anchored by Caddo Lake State Park / Texas Parks and Wildlife, while the dam itself is associated with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations. The lake is famous for its cypress swamps, bayous, and wildlife rather than as a conventional deep reservoir.
Caddo is shallow, with a maximum depth near 20 feet and vast stands of bald cypress, duckweed, and flooded timber. Narrow boat roads, sloughs, and open-water pockets create a maze-like habitat that is distinctive among Texas lakes. Shoreline mileage is not reliably published because much of the margin is swamp and wetland rather than a simple pool edge.
The lake is prized for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and paddling through cypress forests, with fisheries managed cooperatively by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Louisiana agencies. State parks, wildlife management areas, and public boat launches provide access on both sides of the state line.
Water levels are held near a conservation elevation of about 168.5 feet above mean sea level at Caddo Lake Dam. Elevations respond to Big Cypress Bayou inflows, rainfall, and dam operations rather than a large flood-control rule curve. Monitoring current lake levels is important for navigating shallow, vegetated channels and for fishing and paddling access.
Current Conditions
Caddo Lake is currently 0.62 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 0.74 ft
- Drought conditionsAbnormally Dry
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Caddo Lake is a 26,800-acre reservoir on the Big Cypress Bayou managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Caddo Lake Dam); recreation/parks Texas Parks and Wildlife / Louisiana.