Mississippi Fishing Report

Nichor02

Senior Fisheman
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Location
Byhalia, Ms.
Boat
Polar Craft
#1
Ross Barnett Reservoir:
Upper Lake and River - 3/3/2011


ABOVE HIGHWAY 43:

Crappie fishermen may be staying close to the river channel, but the bass anglers are moving back, deeper into the backwaters. The warmer the water, the more active the fish. Most fishermen are reporting bigger females holding a little deeper on drops, but the males are moving up into the shallow vegetation.
Aberdeen Lake - 3/2/2011



ABERDEEN LAKE (TENN-TOM):
The bass and crappie reports were fair to good and had been improving before the fronts. There were several reports coming from shallow water; both shallow grass and wood in the sloughs are beginning to hold fish. Most of the crappie folks I’ve heard from are using jigs, but minnows would be a good choice also. The bass bite is fair; most anglers are throwing spinnerbaits and t-rigged lizards and tubes in the same areas that the crappie anglers are fishing. Several anglers are targeting catfish with some success; the old river runs and the canal above Hwy. 278 are best areas.
Columbus Lake - 3/2/2011



COLUMBUS LAKE (TENN-TOM):
Most reports are coming from the gravel pits at the lower end of the lake and also a couple of sloughs. The crappie bite should start to get better as it warms up this week; historically, the second and third week of March has been the best time to start hitting the lake. The grass in the gravel pits is starting to hold some nice crappie that are moving shallow to spawn; most anglers are fishing jigs tipped with minnows. The bass anglers are also reporting a good bite on the lower end of the lake. Most anglers are fishing shallow grass and wood with spinnerbaits, crankbaits and t-rigged lizards. Kellogg’s slough off Tibbee, the Hwy. 50 sloughs and the gravel pits are getting fished pretty hard with some success. The catfish anglers are fishing Tibbee Creek and the mouths of the river runs at the channel with some success; both rod-n-reel and jugs are catching some nice channel cats.
Bay Springs - 3/2/2011



BAY SPRINGS:
Water temps are in the low 50s. The bass reports were excellent before the cold-front hit. There were numerous reports from anglers who said they could have had 20 lb+ stringers on Saturday. Bass are both deep and shallow depending on whom you talk to. Most anglers are hitting the points with suspending jerkbaits and crankbaits; some are fishing timber with spinnerbaits and t-rigged plastics. The creek channels in McDougal and Riddle are also getting a lot of attention. The crappie anglers are reporting a fair bite. The fish are still deep; target standing timber or sunken brush in 12 to 18 ft of water with either jigs or minnows. Popular areas are Ashcraft Hollow and McDougal Branch.
Lake Monroe - 3/2/2011



LAKE MONROE:
Water temps are in the low 50s. The bass reports are good. Good numbers of bass in the 1 to 2 lb range are starting to show up in shallow water, with a few quality bass holding in slightly deeper water. Best bass baits have been texas-rigged plastics. The crappie reports have been good, with anglers fishing off of the piers and in boats doing well using jigs tipped with crappie nibbles. The bream bite is still good for those who know how to catch them out of deep water. The little jigs with crappie nibbles are still the best choice for baits. Some bream should start moving toward the banks in the next few weeks. No catfish reports came in this week.
Tombigbee State Park - 3/2/2011



TOMBIGBEE STATE PARK:
Water temps are running in the low to mid 50s. The bass, bream and crappie bite was fair this past week. Most bream are still coming from deep (8 to 12 feet) water near the mouths of the coves and off the ends of the piers, with a few redear starting to come out of shallow water. Tight-lining jigs and/or meal worms are the best techniques. The crappie reports are fair. Most crappie are being caught out of sunken brushpiles near the mouths of the coves and on the points; best depths have been 5-9 feet. Other good areas are the sunken brushpiles in front of the fishing pier. Jigs and minnows are both catching fish. The bass reports have also been fair. Mainlake points and deeper banks in the coves are the best areas to target; use crankbaits and jig-n-pig combinations for the quality bite; small 4-inch finesse worms have been good for numbers.
Alicevile Lake - 3/2/2011



ALICEVILLE LAKE (TENN-TOM):
A few bass anglers were reporting some nice bass showing up in Rivermont and Coalfire before the front. These areas are historically the first areas to turn-on as water temps climb as bass begin to move shallow to spawn. Shallow vegetation with any type of wood will be key areas. Best baits right now are t-rigged lizards, jig-n-pig combos and spinnerbaits. The crappie reports are picking up, with some nice fish being caught just off of the main channel. Several crappie anglers also reported some success in Pumpkin Creek. Most crappie were coming out of shallow grass or brushtops. Minnows or jigs were both catching fish.
JP Coleman/Pickwick Lake - 3/2/2011



PICKWICK LAKE/J. P. COLEMAN:
Pickwick Lake elevation: 410 ft; water temps are in the high 40s to low 50s. The bass bite is excellent, with TVA moving lots of water right now. It took over 20 lbs to finish 9th in a local tourney out of JP Coleman this past Saturday! First place was over 29 lbs, with a big bass of 9.4 lbs!! On the lower end of the lake, most anglers are targeting the shallow water bite with jerkbaits, rattletraps and spinnerbaits; most of these bass are in the 1 to 1.5 lb range. The quality bite has been coming from a little deeper water (8 to 15 ft). Deep cranks, shaky heads, and jig-n-pig combos have been better big fish baits. As water temps warm back up this week, the quality fish will begin to move shallow. The crappie reports have been fair to good. Most anglers are catching them deep; best depths have been anywhere from 15 to 25 ft. Trolling or pulling hair or tube jigs has been the best technique. Popular areas are the port in Yellow Creek and the creek channel in Indian Creek.
Trace State Park - 3/2/2011



TRACE STATE PARK:
Water temps are running in the low to mid 50s. The bass reports have been good. The quality bite is coming in 5 to 20 ft of water on points with structure located near the creek channels; best baits are crankbaits, swim baits and suspending jerkbaits. Other anglers are targeting shoreline structure and the riprap along the dam with jerkbaits and reporting good numbers of 10 to 13-inch bass. The crappie anglers are also reporting a good to fair bite. Crappie are suspending in 10 to 20 ft of water on the main lake; popular areas are near the creek channel, near the spillway, and the drain structure. Both jigs and minnows are catching fish. We also had a couple of fair bream reports this past week. Bream anglers are fishing the creek channels and other ditches that are adjacent to spawning coves. Best depths are 10 to 15 ft; best baits have been tight-lining crickets and red wigglers. The catfish bite is fair; they are catching them in the day use area tight lining and few are caught in deep creek channels 10’ to 30’ using night crawlers, liver, and cut bait.
Lake Ferguson - 3/3/2011


LAKE FERGUSON


The current river stage at Greenville is 36.6' and is on a fast rise. The river isn't forecasted to crest until 3/14.

Crappie fishing has begun to pick up some with the warmer weather.The fast river rise may mess them up as fresh cool water moves into the lake. Big numbers were being caught late last week before high winds moved in and forced fisherman off of the water. Most anglers were trolling near the rip-rap bank on the eastern shore that drops off quickly. Try trolling with minnows or jigs in 8-15' of water or jigging around points with structure.
For bass try sunken barges with a crankbait or spinnerbait. Also try the stumps near the upper lake with a plastic worm or jig. Bass should be holding tight to cover and will slowly begin to move into shallower water or flooded timber with the warm days of high water to come.
Grenada Lake - 3/1/2011


FISHING MISSISSIPPI
LATE WINTER SEASON


Water level 196.93, rising 0.1 ft/day, murky to muddy. For water level information, call (662)226-5911 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt Collins' Bait Shop (662)226-3581 has received most crappie reports from the Young's Landing area fishing towards Graysport Landing 8 ft deep in eddies in the river with a jig and/or minnow. As the water warms in the afternoon, fish may move shallower. Some fish were reported caught by waders. Some catfish and a few white bass can be taken in the same area. There have been some reports of crappie being caught trolling 5 to 7 ft deep in the main lake. There have been some reports of crappie being caught trolling 5 to 7 ft deep in the main lake. Fish were scattered, and bigger fish were more likely to bite minnows. No reports on largemouth bass. No reports of white bass running up tributaries yet. There is no size or number limit on white bass. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/grenplot.jpg for water levels. The lake is 1.2 ft below rule curve since we are well behind on rainfall.