There are great opportunities for fishing and crabbing. Freshwater lagoons, bayous and ponds are home to largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and crawfish. The marshes along Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne are estuarine nurseries for several saltwater species, including flounder, red fish, speckled sea trout, crabs and shrimp. Sport fishing with a hand-held rod and reel or hand-held rod and line and shell fishing are allowed year-round inside the hurricane protection levee and within the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. From November 1-January 31, and during the state teal season, all portions of the refuge outside of the hurricane protection levee are closed to fishing until noon. Outboard motors 25 horsepower or less are permitted in waterways inside the hurricane protection levees. There is no size restriction on outboard motors on waterways outside the levees. Most fishing opportunities in the refuge are along canal and levee banks.
