Earl G Williamson Boat Launch on Caddo Lake Closed Through October 11

It was the summer of 1972. I was nine years old and I was on a mission.

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Growing up in the north Shreveport/Blanchard area, there wasn't a lot for us kids to do, but my parents had taken up camping and we spent most every weekend at the Earl G. Williamson Park in Oil City. And my newest mission was to catch a bass. The previous weekend I saw my friend, Tubo Smith, catch one in the trees near the swimming area and now it was my turn.

My dad had just bought me my first rod and reel. She was a thing of beauty! A Zebco 202, tricked out with all new line and a brand new H & H lure. I only had one issue. Because she was afraid there might be a snake over in the trees where Tubo caught his fish, my Mom didn't want me wading around outside the swimming area. So, if I was going to catch a bass, it would likely be from the pier.

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I had caught bream, white perch and an occasional catfish from that old pier, but I had never seen anyone drag a bass over the guardrails. But, that day was golden. It was my day.

After only 2.6 million casts, I hooked my prized beast. It was a one pound black bass and I fought her with the expertise of Bill Dance and after getting a healthy dose of accolades from my parents, I couldn't wait to begin the quest for another and another. That was the start of my life-long love affair with bass fishing and it all began right there on that pier at Earl G. Williamson.

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That place holds many special memories for many different people, and I've been tickled to see the Caddo Commission's recent commitment to maintaining the park.

Earlier this year, Earl G. Williamson Park was reopened after the completion of over a million dollars worth of renovations and major upgrades including a playground, designed for children ages 5 to 12. The playground features modern, special needs friendly equipment, a poured-in-place safety surface, and a 45’ x 55’ fabric shade structure.

There's also a new floating fishing pier, a metal shade structure over the existing eight table picnic area, and thirty-four new single picnic shelters throughout the park.

And now, the tough part. It was determined that, in order to better serve fisherman using the park, the boat launch area would need to be dredged and some general repairs made. That means, the launch must be temporarily closed while this work is done.

So, effective today through October 11, as long as inclement weather doesn't get in the way, the Earl G. Williamson boat launch is closed to the public. During this short period, boaters are encouraged to use other public or private boat launches in the area.

For future updates on this, just go HERE to caddoparks.org