Spanish Lake

Spanish Lake is named for the early Spanish colonials who lived on its shores.  It is speculated that the lake is actually the remains of an oxbow lake formed by the Mississippi River when the Mississippi flowed down the channel of the present Bayou Teche. Five plantation homes surrounded Spanish Lake including Segura Plantation, Lady of the Lake Plantation, Keystone Plantation, Darby Plantation and Dulcito Plantation.  The Dulcito Plantation is the only home remaining, although a replica of the Segura Plantation has been built.  Spanish Lake is home to a variety of birds such as heron, woodpecker, warbler and hawk.  There are fifty three species that nest at the lake, with over two hundred forty species being spotted over the years. It is also home to alligators, beaver and nutria.  The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stocked the lake with Florida bass fingerlings in 1997, 1998, and 1999.