Fishing/Hunting Towns in Louisiana? (Lafayette, Lake Charles: rent, insurance, high crime)

[Georgiaonmymind6]

I am looking to relocate somewhere in Louisiana (Preferably north) and just wondering what small towns (<5000) are the best areas for hunting and fishing? The smaller the town the better, I come from a town of 750 and do not like cities! Maybe something near a swamp? I am not familiar with the area at all...
Thanks!

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by Georgiaonmymind6

I am looking to relocate somewhere in Louisiana (Preferably north) and just wondering what small towns (<5000) are the best areas for hunting and fishing? The smaller the town the better, I come from a town of 750 and do not like cities! Maybe something near a swamp? I am not familiar with the area at all...
Thanks!

Louisiana is called "Sportsman's Paradise." You'd be hard pressed to find an area in Louisiana that's NOT good for hunting or fishing.

Louisiana is mainly small towns. Very few sizeable cities.

I was born in and spent the first few years of my life in a tiny town called Welsh. It's between I-10 and Hwy 90, about 30 miles east of Lake Charles (a small city of about 70k). Welsh is a pretty little town, and it's surrounded by farm land and woodsy areas south of town that are great for hunting, they say. As for fishing, there are lakes and waterways everywhere in Louisiana, including Welsh.

In between Lake Charles and Lafayette (a small city about 60 miles east of Lake Charles) are several small towns. Welsh, Crowley, and others. They're ALL good for fishing.

Then there's the awesomely beautiful area of Toledo Bend (on west side of the state, north of Lake Charles, on the border with Texas). THAT is a prime fishing area. People from all over go there to fish, many having vacation homes (you don't have to be rich to have a little shack there for vacations). The whole area there is dotted with little towns. There are also two large wildlife preserves near there, but I think those areas are to preserve, not kill, the wildlife.

Are you going to buy or rent? I would think that it's easier to find something to buy rather than rent in a small town. And even to buy, there aren't a lot of homes to choose from in small towns, obviously.

The west side, north of the southernmost area (in and around Toledo Bend) would be less susceptible to hurricanes, which involves flood insurance (not cheap), flooding in your home, hurricane damage, evacuations.

A lot of La. is high crime, so you need to check that out, too, in deciding on an area. The high crime may come from a large impoverished citizenry in the state, but I don't know.