This doesn't surprise me one bit. I moved to sulphur la a couple months ago. You can't just use the waterways down here as you choose and I'm not talking about small creeks and what not the state only claims certain body's of water as public land. And it's your responsibility to know where you are at in the water at all times. The way the Louisiana law is written if the land that the lake encompasses wasn't mapped at the time of state hood then the area is private. The river itself will be public if it was a mapped waterway.
I'm sorry but it's a lake not a river. Even if it's a river wouldn't it be public as a navigatable body of water? I have never hunted the LAKE but I strongly disagree with the judges ruleing.
Even if the water is navigable that's fine you can drive through it. You can't anchor, get out, or build a blind there. So hunting would be impossible. They also have sold or leased out rights to majority of the land to the private sector.
I read somewhere that the state has appealed the decision and it will move to higher court. I am sure the ruling will not be upheld where the lake would not be public.
They have some major issues out there. It has also come to light in fishing tournaments. BASS has pulled all of their major tournaments from the state and said it won't be back until it changes.