Louisiana
Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex open for public sport fishing starting March 15 – American Press
Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex open for public sport fishing starting March 15
Published 12:18 pm Friday, March 8, 2024
- (Metro Creative Services)
Special to the American Press
The Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex including Cameron Prairie, Sabine, and Lacassine National Wildlife Refuges will open for public sport fishing Friday, March 15, through Oct. 15.
Boat admittance into the refuges is permitted from one hour before legal sunrise to one hour after legal sunset. Fishing and crabbing are permitted from legal sunrise to legal sunset with the proper licensing. Only boats with motors of 40 horsepower or less may be used in Lacassine Pool and Sabine’s Unit 3 Impoundment. Use of surface drive motors and push poles are encouraged. The fisheries are solely managed by the staff of the Southwest Louisiana complex. For questions, call one of the refuge offices or email us at swlrcomplex@fws.gov.
The entrance gate to Lacassine Pool will open at 6:19 am on March 15. Parking on or along Illinois Plant Road is not permitted. It is best to arrive at the refuge at the time or after the entrance gate opens. Boat operators traveling in Lacassine Pool are reminded to travel in appropriate waterways and to be aware that kayaks and other non-motorized vessels may also be using the Pool. Water control structures in the Pool are set to hold water at full Pool. Continued significant rainfall is required to maintain water levels at this elevation. Water levels are reduced by evaporation, which rises as temperatures increase, and plant transpiration, which rises as plant growth increases.
The Eastern portion of the pool will be open to all boaters this year, but you will not be able to cross under the levee to access the other portions of the pool. You will need to trailer and physically move the boat across to the other ramp.
Lacassine pool does not have any restrooms or trash cans, everything brought in must be taken out. Lacassine pool water levels are currently lower than normal currently, due to significantly less precipitation in the area.
Fishing will open in Cameron Prairie’s 2-mile stretch of Outfall Canal and will remain open along Bank Fishing Road and Roadside Canal. Non-motorized boats may be used in Roadside Canal and waterways accessible from Bank Fishing Road. Boat operators should proceed with caution in canals and marshes.
Cameron Prairie’s East Cove Unit, accessed through the Grand Bayou Boat Bay on the East side of Calcasieu Lake will open to public one hour before Sunrise on March 15 th and will remain open through the first day of Louisiana west zone waterfowl season as long as management and hydrologic conditions allow and the Grand Bayou boat bay is open. For updates or more information about access to this area, call 855-532-9955.
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge will open for all fishing and boating activities. All boaters and visiting public are asked to proceed with caution both on the water and when navigating all public use areas. The Sabine NWR recreation areas along Highway 27 south of Hackberry that will open March 15, include: Northline Recreation Area and boat launch, Blue Crab Recreation Area, West Cove North Recreation Area and boat launches, and West Cove South Recreation Area and boat launch.
Hog Island Gully North and South, including all Recreation Areas, parking lots, and boat launches, remain closed to the public for ongoing Army Corps beneficial use of dredge material projects. Anticipated reopening of May 15, 2024 is contingent upon project completion. Completion status will be updated at https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sabine.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 11, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Nov. 11 drawing
10-13-40-42-46, Mega Ball: 01
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 11 drawing
4-6-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 11 drawing
6-4-7-9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Nov. 11 drawing
2-3-8-7-8
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and his Louisiana Sunspots band will fill Christ Episcopal Church with their distinctive fusion of zydeco, blues, gospel, jazz, Afro-Caribbean and African music on Nov. 16 as the Third Sunday Concert series continues in Covington.
Barnes’ powerful voice and the group’s distinctive sound are part of the rich soundtrack that defines New Orleans. It’s also a sound heard yearly at the city’s most significant music venues, including Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival and other major music events inside and outside of Louisiana.
But Barnes (born Bruce Barnes) and his band will curate and present a special hour of music for their 5 p.m. concert audience in Covington, and there’s plenty to choose from, having released six albums and played in more than 50 countries across Africa, Europe, Central America and South America.
Selections at Christ Episcopal are expected to include “Bunny Bread,” “Irene,” “Trouble In Mind” and “Island Man,” with Barnes on his accordion and harmonica; Matt Hampsey on guitar; Leroy Etienne on drums; and Kerry Lewis on bass.
In addition to the music, Barnes (who plays more than a half-dozen instruments) was a college All-American and NFL player; a book author and photographer who currently leads an iconic Mardi Gras Indian tribe in New Orleans and continues his longtime National Park Service employment as a ranger.
Come to the show for the music — this concert is just the latest concert in the church’s decades-long music ministry — and then meet Barnes and his band members in a reception immediately following the show.
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A major traffic improvement project is moving forward near one of Baton Rouge’s busiest shopping areas.
The MOVEBR program has officially broken ground on the railroad underpass phase of the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project, a key part of the city’s effort to improve mobility and safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
The $38 million project is the latest phase in a multi-step plan to ease congestion and enhance flood control in the area. Fred Raiford, East Baton Rouge Parish’s director of Transportation and Drainage, said the project is designed to give commuters more options and reduce bottlenecks near the Mall of Louisiana.
“We just feel like it’s a good connector to be able to tie the interstate in Perkins and provide more opportunity for drivers to use the vehicles to go where they want to go in that general vicinity,” Raiford said.
Phase One included the Backcourt Drive Bridge and the Dawson Creek twin bridges. This new phase focuses on building a railroad underpass and pump station, a critical addition to keep traffic flowing and reduce flooding during heavy rain.
Raiford said once this stage is complete, crews will move into roadway construction and signal installation.
“Our next phase will be the actual road construction, and the last thing is to look at putting the traffic signal at Perkins and the Mall of Louisiana Road,” he said.
Previously known as the Picardy-Perkins Connector, the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project is being developed in coordination with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railroad to safely separate vehicle and train crossings. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said it’s a major step toward modernizing local infrastructure.
“I think this roadway is going to be a fantastic asset for our parish, for today and for the future,” Edwards said.
Once completed in roughly three years, the four-lane roadway will feature a 10-foot-wide shared-use path connecting to BREC’s Trail at Dawson’s Creek, along with a privacy wall to buffer nearby neighborhoods.
Officials said the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project is another milestone in MOVEBR’s mission to reduce congestion and create safer, more accessible routes throughout East Baton Rouge Parish.
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