Mighty Mississippi

“ST. FRANCISVILLE TO BATON ROUGE
229.1 LBD Glass Beach (Baton Rouge Boat Ramp)
There is a paved public ramp just downstream from the Interstate 10 Bridge, at mile 229 on the East bank. On the maps it is labeled Baton Rouge Boat Ramp, but locals call it Glass Beach. Its banks are covered with white clamshells. These are imported from the Gulf. Glass Beach Boat Ramp is directly upstream from the old Municipal Dock, future (2015) site of the Water Institute of the Gulf. The Pastime Lounge (poboy sandwiches and pizza), lies about 400 yards from the ramp in the shadow of the bridge approach ramp. Why “Glass Beach?” Embedded in the levee (LBD), just upstream from the I-10 Bridge, behind some sheet piling, sits –not inappropriately—a dump. It closed before 1960, but locals know this spot as the “glass beach,” because it glitters at low water. If you want a souvenir of Baton Rouge, see if you can find an old Coke bottle bottom with “Baton Rouge” molded into it. (Mike Beck)

Glass Beach is the only public access for boaters on the main channel of the Mississippi within greater Baton Rouge. If you need access to water, supplies, or a shuttle pickup, this is the ramp you’ll want to use. (Note: The boat ramp shown in the so-called “Baton Rouge Harbor” on the USACE 2007 maps is not publicly accessible it is part of an old Baton Rouge Landfill property which is behind locked gates). The only other choice would the public boat ramp on the other side (the west side) of the Port Allen Lock and Dam of the Intercostal Waterway (RBD 228.4).

Don’t leave your vessel unattended at Glass Beach, and not recommended for overnight camping. Baton Rouge is a big city with all the problems big cities have, use common sense safety practices. Your best option for resupply is to leave one person at the ramp and the other walk into town for whatever you need. If you are staying for any length in Baton Rouge, remove your vessel from the water and take it with you.

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans dozens of refugees made Glass Beach their home, and it became a tent city full of the homeless huddled under blue tarps and ringed around driftwood fires. The city has since run the homeless out and keeps the area mowed to discourage its use in that way (mowing being the only upkeep that the city undertakes of the ramp).“

You can catch catfish from the banks and really don't need a boat. I've caught some big cats by bank fishing and best results were gained using live or cut bait for bigger fish.

You can catch smaller cats that are ideal for eating using worms, shrimp or liver balls for bait.