Atchafalaya Bay Fishing Spot

• Last Modified By: vinny60 on 09/10/09 01:04 PM
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The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The Atchafalaya is unique among basins because it has a growing delta system with nearly stable wetlands. The Atchafalaya Basin, the surrounding plain of the river, is filled with bayous, bald cypress swamps, and marshes that give way to more brackish conditions and end in the Spartina grass marshes, near and at where it meets the Gulf of Mexico. Inlet of the Gulf of Mexico on the Louisiana coast, U.S. Together with Four League Bay, it extends about 21 mi (34 km). The Atchafalaya River links the bay with Morgan City on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The area includes many natural gas and oil fields. The Cajun Coast offers great fishing and hunting throughout the year. Fishing is especially good during the early spring and summer months. Saltwater fishing offers both inside waters and offshore varieties. The inside waters of Vermilion Bay, East and West Cote Blanche and Atchafalaya Bay offer speckled trout, redfish and flounder and can be fished in small boats. Action begins late winter and is generally good through fall. Shell reefs and offshore platforms produce large numbers of fish.