What are called bayous here in northwest Florida (where we pronounce the word "by-you") would be called creeks or small rivers elsewhere. The word doesn't have the "swamp" meaning that it does in Louisiana. We call our swamps "swamps".

Whether a body of water gets called a bayou or a river/creek seems to depend on how long it is. Bayous run only a few miles before emptying into a bay while rivers and creeks run many miles.