About the Lake

Quick facts

Lake Concordia is an oxbow lake of the Mississippi River in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The lake covers about 1,100 acres (4.5 km2), has an average depth of about 20 feet (6.1 m), and lies next to the town of Ferriday.[2][4][5] It formed naturally when the Mississippi River changed course before recorded history, and it was permanently cut off from the river by federal flood-control levees built in the 1920s.[2] The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) manages the lake's fish and wildlife, and the Concordia Parish Police Jury is the lake's legal authority and operates its water-control structure.[2] The lake is used for boating, water sports and recreational fishing, chiefly for largemouth bass.[2][6]

Geography and formation

Lake Concordia is in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. The Geographic Names Information System places it on the Ferriday North topographic quadrangle.[1] According to the LDWF, the lake formed when the Mississippi River changed its course at some point before recorded history, leaving behind a section of abandoned channel.[2] Writing for 64 Parishes , the geographer Richard Campanella listed Ferriday among Louisiana's oxbow-lake communities. He noted that the town grew up around a train station of about 1903 that stood on the natural levee of Lake Concordia.[4]

The lake has about 17.8 miles (28.6 km) of shoreline, and its maximum depth is about 50 feet (15 m).[2] A 1977 report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Eutrophication Survey, using figures supplied by the State of Louisiana, gave a surface area of 4.25 square kilometres (1,050 acres), a mean depth of 6.1 metres (20 ft), a maximum depth of 15.2 metres (50 ft) and a volume of about 25.9 million cubic metres.[3] The LDWF describes Lake Concordia as an open-water oxbow lake with a fringe of bald cypress along its shoreline.[2]

Hydrology and water levels

Lake Concordia drains a small watershed of about 5,702 acres (23.08 km2), about five times the lake's own area.[2] The United States Geological Survey (USGS) records a drainage area of 8.91 square miles (23.1 km2) for its "Lake Concordia near Ferriday" station and places the lake in the Bayou Cocodrie hydrologic subbasin (HUC 08040306).[7][6] The USGS collected water-quality samples and peak water-level records at sites on the lake between 1961 and 1986.[7]

The lake's normal pool stage is 48.5 feet (14.8 m) above mean sea level.[2] The first outlet structure was built in 1948 and was a single 4-foot-diameter (1.2 m) pipe. In 1975 the Concordia Parish Police Jury asked the state Department of Public Works to design and fund a new control structure in the Cocodrie Outfall Channel. The police jury agreed to take full responsibility for running and maintaining it once it was built. The newer structure has a 5-foot (1.5 m) pipe and a concrete weir with a 5 by 5 feet (1.5 by 1.5 m) gate, which holds the lake at pool stage when closed.[2] No drawdowns of the lake have been carried out.[2]

Because the watershed is small, the lake's water level is fairly stable, usually varying by less than 3 feet (0.91 m) a year. Drops of 1 to 2 feet (0.30 to 0.61 m) below pool stage are common in summer and autumn.[2] When the Mississippi River is high and rainfall is heavy, high water in the lake can lead to closures for boats.[2] Water can also flow backward from Bayou Cocodrie into the lake through the control structure during high-water events.[2][8] In May 2025 the Concordia Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, working with the police jury and the Lake Concordia and Lake St. John commissions, declared a no-wake zone on Lake Concordia and nearby Lake St. John because of high water. The order cited the risk of shoreline erosion and damage to property.[9]

Water quality

The National Eutrophication Survey sampled Lake Concordia three times in 1974 and classified it as eutrophic (nutrient-rich and highly productive). Chlorophyll a levels averaged 32.9 μg/L, and dissolved oxygen was nearly used up in the deep water (hypolimnion) during summer. Algal assays suggested that growth was limited mainly by nitrogen.[3] In 2007 EPA Region 6 published for comment a total maximum daily load for dissolved oxygen in the Lake Concordia water-quality subsegment (101604). The load was one of 34 prepared for Louisiana waters under a federal court consent decree.[10]

The LDWF describes the lake's water quality as generally good but moderately eutrophic. It reports that dense mid- to late-summer algal blooms have become more common as shoreline development has added nutrients from septic systems and lawn fertilizers. The department also notes that turning bottomland hardwood forest into row-crop farmland has increased erosion in the watershed and is suspected of speeding up sedimentation.[2][11] As of 2025 there were no active fish consumption advisories for the lake.[2]

Ecology and fisheries

Fish

Lake Concordia's fish community is dominated by largemouth bass and their forage. The most abundant forage fish are gizzard shad and threadfin shad. Bluegill, longear sunfish and redear sunfish are also abundant.[11] The lake is one of a few landlocked Mississippi River oxbow lakes with a self-sustaining population of Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli). No threatened or endangered fish species have been documented there.[2][11] Crappie numbers have historically been low because the deep, stable open water offers little crappie habitat. Gill-net and electrofishing catches of crappie rose in 2016 and 2017, possibly because submersed vegetation increased.[11] Commercial species include channel, blue and flathead catfish, freshwater drum, buffalofish, common carp and gar. A small number of commercial fishers catch channel catfish with hoop nets.[11]

A 1995 analysis of fish standing-crop data from rotenone surveys of 43 Louisiana lakes between 1969 and 1989 found that Lake Concordia had the highest largemouth bass standing crop of all the lakes studied. It recorded 56.6 kg/ha of largemouth bass, compared with an average of 22.5 kg/ha for the oxbow lakes in the study.[12]

Electrofishing surveys by the LDWF since 1989 show that the bass population rose to a peak in 1998, declined from 2001 to 2008, and has trended upward since 2010. In the most recent sampling it was close to good historical levels.[11] The department linked the decline to several possible causes: reduced stocking after 2002, drought, and the discovery of largemouth bass virus in the lake in 2001.[11] A 2010–2012 LDWF stock assessment found total annual mortality of about 50%, driven more by natural causes than by fishing. It also found growth rates similar to those in other Mississippi River oxbow lakes, which are generally at or above the state average.[11] Genetic testing in 2024 found that the bass population carried an average of 66.2% Florida bass alleles.[11]

On March 11, 2024, LDWF biologists collected a 49.5-inch (126 cm) grass carp weighing 92 pounds (42 kg) during routine electrofishing. It was the first grass carp recorded in the lake, which the LDWF has not stocked with the species. Biologists believed the fish had entered with backwater from Bayou Cocodrie through the control structure.[8] The LDWF's 2025 management plan reported that genetic testing showed the fish was diploid, indicating that it came from a wild, reproducing river population.[2]

Vegetation

Problem aquatic vegetation has historically been uncommon in Lake Concordia, and submersed plants generally cover less than 5% of the lake.[11] Giant cutgrass (Zizaniopsis miliacea) dominates much of the shoreline. Submersed vegetation, mainly coontail, grows on the shallow flats at the north end of the lake. Water hyacinth occurs at both ends.[2] In a 2024 survey, coontail covered about 62 acres (25 ha) at the north end and water hyacinth about 1.4 acres (0.57 ha).[2] The LDWF sprays herbicide on nuisance plants when residents complain. In 2007 it released salvinia weevils to control common salvinia, but there was no evidence that the weevils survived.[2]

Recreation

The LDWF describes recreational water sports, including water skiing, personal watercraft, party barges and sailing, as very popular on the lake. The main body of the lake is free of obstructions, while the ends are heavily covered with cypress trees and stumps.[2] A 2017 USGS fact sheet on the parish's water resources also listed Lake Concordia among the parish lakes where water sports, fishing and swimming are popular.[6] Fishing focuses mainly on largemouth bass, and numerous bass tournaments are held each year. In LDWF creel surveys in 2010–2012, about 65% of anglers on the lake described themselves as bass anglers.[2][11] A fishing columnist for The Natchez Democrat wrote in 2011 that lakes Concordia, St. John and Bruin were among the best cold-water fishing lakes on the lower Mississippi River. He singled out Lake Concordia's cold-weather fishing for white perch (crappie).[13] In 2021 the mayor of Vidalia proposed that the LDWF stock Lake Concordia and other parish lakes with 100,000 Florida-strain bass fingerlings each year, describing parish fishing as an economic development tool.[14]

There are no beaches or designated swimming areas; most swimming takes place from private piers and docks.[2] Hunting is limited by shoreline development, although several duck blinds are found at the upper end of the lake.[2] The lake has one public boat launch, at a former LDWF district office, and two commercial launches. The LDWF office on the lake closed in 2009.[2] No state or national parks are located on the lake.[2]

History

Before it was permanently cut off, the lake was subject to the influence of the Mississippi River.[2] An 1874 manuscript map by Louisiana's chief state engineer, held by the Louisiana State Museum, shows the profile of the Lake Concordia levee between the lake and the river and marks a slough formed by an earlier crevasse.[15] According to the LDWF, construction of federal flood-control levees in the 1920s ended the exchange of floodwater between the river and the lake. The department's management plan connects these United States Army Corps of Engineers mainline levees to the federal flood-control legislation that followed the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.[2]

About 60% of the shoreline is lined with camps and private homes, and the rest is used for row crops and cattle pasture.[2] In 1977 the Greek Revival house Roseland was moved to a tract on the lake about 1 mile (1.6 km) east-southeast of Ferriday. Its 1985 nomination to the National Register of Historic Places described it as a plantation house built between 1835 and 1850.[5]

Local tradition also holds that the lake, an old bed of the Mississippi abandoned centuries ago, may have been the last resting place of the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who died along the Mississippi in 1542. The story is a legend and has not been confirmed.[19]

Conservation and management

The State of Louisiana owns the lake bottom. The LDWF manages fish and wildlife, and the Concordia Parish Police Jury is the legal authority for the lake.[2] The police jury appoints a Lake Concordia Advisory Committee of local residents to advise on fish and wildlife issues.[2][16]

The lake was designated a "Trophy Lake" in 1990 and received priority stocking of Florida bass until 2002, usually about 100,000 fingerlings a year.[11] A protected slot limit of 15 to 19 inches (38 to 48 cm) for largemouth bass took effect in 1991. In 2001 area bass anglers petitioned against it, and an LDWF review found that bass had grown more slowly while it was in place. The slot was removed in 2002.[2] Since then the lake has been managed under statewide regulations.[2] In September 1991 the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission banned gill nets, trammel nets and fish seines on the lake.[17] Hybrid striped bass were stocked every year from 1977 to 1992 and have been stocked occasionally since. Florida bass stocking began in 1989 and continues from time to time.[2] In March 2025, LDWF biologists sank 160 recycled Christmas trees, anchored with cinder blocks, at three sites in the lake. The artificial reefs give cover to young fish in the lake's largely open water.[18][11]

The right water level for the lake is a long-running disagreement among users. Some anglers have proposed raising the pool stage to create more shallow water for fish spawning. Shoreline property owners have raised concerns that higher water would increase erosion and damage piers and boathouses.[2][11] The LDWF's 2025 recommendations include working with the police jury to set an acceptable conservation pool level. They also suggest that periodic drawdowns could reduce sediment build-up, though the small watershed makes timely refilling uncertain.[11]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System – "Lake Concordia", Feature ID 554067. https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/554067
2. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries – Waterbody Management Plan Part A: Lake Concordia, Lake History & Management Issues (March 2025). https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Freshwater_Inland_Fish/Inland-Waterbody-Management-Plans/Lake-Concordia-MP-A-2025.pdf
3. U.S. EPA, National Eutrophication Survey – Report on Concordia Lake, Concordia Parish, Louisiana, Working Paper No. 536 (March 1977). https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=9100DC3P.TXT
4. Richard Campanella, "The River Meanders: Looking at the oxbow towns of Louisiana", 64 Parishes (May 30, 2025). https://64parishes.org/river-meanders
5. Mary Warren Miller, NRHP Inventory/Nomination Form: Roseland (May 3, 1985), National Park Service. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/85003002_text
6. Vincent E. White, Water resources of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, USGS Fact Sheet 2016–3099 (2017). https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2016/3099/fs20163099.pdf
7. USGS National Water Information System – site 07373280, Lake Concordia nr Ferriday, LA. https://waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/site/?format=rdb&sites=07373280&siteOutput=expanded&siteStatus=all
8. LDWF press release – "Grass Carp Weighing 92 Pounds Caught During LDWF Sampling" (March 28, 2024). https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/grass-carp-weighing-92-pounds-caught-during-ldwf-sampling
9. ListenUpYall.com – "No Wake Zone Enacted for Lake Concordia and Lake St. John Amid High Water" (May 27, 2025). https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/27/no-wake-zone-enacted-for-lake-concordia-and-lake-st-john-amid-high-water/
10. Federal Register 72(206): 60666–60667, "Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Availability of 34 TMDLs in Louisiana" (Oct 25, 2007). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2007-10-25/html/E7-21063.htm
11. LDWF – Waterbody Management Plan Series Part VI-B: Lake Concordia, Waterbody Evaluation & Recommendations (March 2025). https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Freshwater_Inland_Fish/Inland-Waterbody-Management-Plans/Lake-Concordia-MP-B-2025.pdf
12. Jan Dean & Kenneth Lantz, "A Classification of Louisiana Lakes Based on Historical Rotenone Data", Proc. Annu. Conf. SEAFWA 49:140–152 (1995). https://seafwa.org/sites/default/files/journal-articles/DEAN-140-152.pdf
13. Eddie Roberts, "Rising river will affect game fishing", The Natchez Democrat (Nov 27, 2011). https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2011/11/27/rising-river-will-affect-game-fishing/
14. Hunter Cloud, "Concordia Parish: A fisherman's paradise", The Natchez Democrat (Oct 3, 2021). https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/sports/concordia-parish-a-fishermans-paradise-579482
15. Louisiana State Museum Map Collection – "Lake Concordia Levee Concordia Parish" (c. 1874). https://louisianastatemuseum.org/map-collection/lake-concordia-levee-concordia-parish
16. Concordia Parish Police Jury – Boards & Commissions. https://www.conppj.org/boards--commissions.html
17. La. Admin. Code tit. 76, § VII-157 – Netting Prohibition, Lake Concordia (via Cornell LII). https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-76-SS-VII-157
18. Sherry Douzat, LDWF press release – "LDWF Deploys Lake Concordia Christmas Tree Reefs" (March 11, 2025). https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/ldwf-deploys-lake-concordia-christmas-tree-reefs
19. Rivergator, "Vicksburg to Natchez," citing Marion Bragg, Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River (Mississippi River Commission, 1977). rivergator.org

Categories: Lakes of Louisiana · Oxbow lakes of the United States · Bodies of water of Concordia Parish, Louisiana