Aberdeen Lake - 10/18/2010
ABERDEEN LAKE (TENN-TOM): Numbers of bass are being caught but the quality bite is tough to come by. Best baits have been spinnerbaits, square-billed cranks and t-rigged plastics. Popular areas right now are laydowns on old river bendways and grass or brushtops in the sloughs. If you find the shad, the bass arent too far away. The catfish bite is still fair to good. Most reports are coming from the Becker Bottom area and also along the channel near Blue Bluff. Best baits have been liver and cutbait. The crappie anglers are starting to have success hitting the old river runs. Pockets and sloughs on the west side of the lake near the Blue Bluff recreation area are also good. Best water depths are 6 to 8 feet. Crappie jigs or minnows are both working.
Ross BarnettABERDEEN LAKE (TENN-TOM): Numbers of bass are being caught but the quality bite is tough to come by. Best baits have been spinnerbaits, square-billed cranks and t-rigged plastics. Popular areas right now are laydowns on old river bendways and grass or brushtops in the sloughs. If you find the shad, the bass arent too far away. The catfish bite is still fair to good. Most reports are coming from the Becker Bottom area and also along the channel near Blue Bluff. Best baits have been liver and cutbait. The crappie anglers are starting to have success hitting the old river runs. Pockets and sloughs on the west side of the lake near the Blue Bluff recreation area are also good. Best water depths are 6 to 8 feet. Crappie jigs or minnows are both working.
Main Lake - 10/22/2010
UPPER MAIN LAKE:
Great day on Tuesday for bass on the edges of the vegetation on the Rankin County side. A shallow crankbait (a Bandit FlatMaxx) produced a good catch for Perkins. Crappie are still good on the edge of the river from Oil Well Woods to the bridge. Catfish are biting on deep flats (10-12 feet).
LOWER MAIN LAKE:
Move off the lake into the coves and along the rocks for largemouth, but watch the edge of the Fannin drop for the stripes and hybrids feeding on top. Crappie are slow.
Columbus Lake - 10/18/2010
COLUMBUS LAKE (TENN-TOM): The bass reports are starting to come in from the old river runs in the upper end of the lake. Texas-rigged craws or spinnerbaits seem to be popular choices. If you find the shad, the bass arent too far away. Crappie anglers are still reporting a good bite. Most are hitting the old river runs and targeting wood in 5 to 8 ft of water with minnows being the best bait this week. Popular areas are just north of the East Bank ramp around the gravel pits and the Waverly boat ramp area. Catfish anglers are having some success off the East bank pier and also below the dam. Cutbait seems to be working good right now.
Bay Springs - 10/18/2010
BAY SPRINGS: The bass bite is good for numbers, but big bites are still tough to come by. Lots of fish are being caught in the shallow vegetation on Ribbits, flukes, and senkos. Secondary points are holding the spotted bass and a shakeyhead or small jig should warrant some strikes. The topwater bite is good on cloudy days. Crappie anglers are catching good numbers of fish in the upper part of the lake. Best depths have ranged from 10 to 20 feet. The catfish reports are fair to good. Anglers are jug fishing and using rod-n-reels in the canal between Bay Springs and Pickwick. Livers, nightcrawlers, and cut bait are all producing right now.
Alicevile Lake - 10/18/2010
ALICEVILLE LAKE (TENN-TOM): The major tributaries feeding the lake are holding good numbers of fish right now. Shallow vegetation and laydowns seem to be pattern. Try flukes and buzzbaits early, with spinnerbaits and shallow crankbaits getting the know during the day. The catfish bite continues to be good for both rod-n-reel and jugs. Most anglers are fishing the channel at the mouths of the old river runs and also fishing in the river runs. Best baits have been liver and cutbait. The crappie reports continue to get better as the water cools. Pratts Camp and Pumpkin Creek are the most popular areas right now. Pratts Camp anglers are fishing 4 to 8 ft of water and targeting the ends of laydowns or wood on deep banks. Pumpkin Creek anglers are fishing shallow grass and wood combinations in 2 to 5 ft of water. Minnows have been outfishing crappie jigs.
JP Coleman/Pickwick Lake - 10/18/2010
PICKWICK LAKE/J. P. COLEMAN: Pickwick Lake elevation: 411.5 ft, water temps are right around the 70 degree mark. A variety of patterns are currently available with some bass anglers finding fish shallow and deep. It took a little over 16lbs. to win a local tournament this past weekend. The shad have moved to the creeks and the bass arent far behind. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, rattletraps, and topwaters are the best producers for these schooling fish. Popular areas are Dry Creek and Indian Creek. A few deep humps are still holding bass in the 3 lb plus range. Best ledge baits are Carolina-rigged plastics and oz football jigs. Crappie anglers are still hitting the deeper water in the creeks with good success. Best areas are Yellow Creek, Dry Creek and Indian Creek. Best water depths were 15-20 ft. Crappie minnows seem to work better than jigs. The catfish bite is fair right now. A few anglers are catching fish on trotlines and rod-n-reels along the old river channel.
Tunica Cutoff - 10/20/2010
The Mississippi River was at 6.6 ft Tuesday. It should fall to 5.0 ft Saturday. For the river level and 5 day forecast, call (901)544-0408 (press 2) or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt Charlie's Camp (662)363-1353 bait shop is open under new management. Charlie reported Tuesday the lake is at about 8 ft so the bump in the river will not affect the lake. Folks are catching 12 to 14 inch crappie either trolling 8 to 12 ft deep out from steep banks or 3 to 6 ft deep in fallen trees on the banks. There are a lot of bream of all sizes being caught fishing crickets at various depths around the edge of the treeline on down to 10 to 12 ft deep over any submerged cover. For bass, fish crankbaits off sandy points or soft plastics around cover (fallen trees, mats, etc.) on steep banks. Catfishing should be good in the runout when the water's moving.
Arkabutla - 10/20/2010
Water level 215.58, falling 0.05 ft/day, murky to clear. For water level information, call (662)562-6261 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt There have been some limit crappie catches reported lately. The two patterns are jig fishing cover 3 to 6 ft deep in creek or river channels where the lake is pulling into the channel or trolling the main lake at the same depths. Bass are either on channel edges or off main lake points. Spinnerbaits or plastics will work in the channels, crankbaits will help search the points, then slow down with soft plastics. White bass can be taken off sandy main lake points with shad imitating lures 4 to 8 ft deep. Best luck on catfish has been fishing jugs (noodles) with cut shad or other standard baits on the bottom in creek and river channels. The lake was 0.5 ft below rule curve Tuesday. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/arkaplot.jpg . Fall drawdown is underway.
Sardis Lake - 10/20/2010
Water level 247.42, falling 0.29 ft/day, murky to clear. For water level information, call (662)563-4531 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt You can get in at the Indian Mound ramp this week, but the water hasn't pulled into the river there yet. Best luck in this area is for catfish on cut shad or chicken liver. Some crappie anglers are picking up a few fish jigging the timber 4 to 8 ft deep from Holiday Lodge to Piney Point. Best luck, with some limits seen, has been slow trolling or drifting jigs and/or minnows 10 to 14 ft deep from Holiday Lodge to Clear Creek. With the lake falling, bass have been concentrated in the river and creek channels. Cankbaits or soft plastics have been producing bass in the creeks as well as off main lake point pattern fished up to 10 ft deep down toward the dam. Some white bass can be taken off main lake points fishing spoons, jigs, or small shad-imitating crankbaits. There is no size or number limit on white bass. The lake was on rule curve Tuesday. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/sardplot.jpg. Fall drawdown is underway.
Enid Lake - 10/20/2010
Water level 240.26, falling 0.24 ft/day, murky to clear. For water level information, call (662)563-4571 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt MDWFP continues a creel survey started in March. Crappie fishing has been good this past week. Best luck has been good trolling minnows 8 to 10 ft deep from Chickasaw Hill to Plum point. numerous crappie have also been landed jigging standing timber with enough water (4 to 8 ft) on it. Some crappie have been coming from creek edges. With the lake falling, bass are concentrated in the river and creek channels and on any remaining cover in the main lake. Fishing the edges of the creeks or river with spinnerbaits or soft plastics has been producing bass, as well as main lake points or cover (brush tops, stake beds, etc.) up to 10 ft deep. White bass can be taken off main lake points with shad-imitating lures like small crankbaits or spoons. There is no size or number limit on white bass. Best luck on catfish has been in the timber in the upper end of the lake fishing minnows on the bottom. The lake was 0.5 ft above rule curve Tuesday. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/enidplot.jpg Fall drawdown is underway.
Grenada Lake - 10/20/2010
Water level 203.53, falling 0.5 ft/day, murky to clear. 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 reports crappie are still scattered and moving as the water falls. Best luck has been jigging the timber 4 ft deep in 8 ft of water next to the channels from Choctaw to Graysport Landings. Some crappie can be taken jigging in the river above Graysport or slow trolling jigs and/or minnows 8 to 10 ft deep over deep structure in the main lake. Bass have been concentrated in the rivers and the backs of creeks. Fishing the edges of the creeks or rivers with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or soft plastics has been producing bass, as well as fishing main lake points and remaining cover (brush tops, stake beds, etc.) with the same lures up to 10 ft deep. Catfishing has been good on various baits fished in the river channels on the bottom. White bass can be taken off main lake points with small, shad-imitating spoons or crankbaits. There is no size or number limit on white bass. The lake was 0.5 ft below rule curve Tuesday. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/grenplot.jpg Fall drawdown is underway.
Pascagoula River - 10/20/2010
Pascagoula River: The river @ Merrill is at 1.87 ft. & falling while the lower river @ Graham Ferry is at 1.24 ft. & falling.
Bass fishermen still fish the river & oxbows catching bass around woody cover in the main channel as well as the oxbows using soft plastics and spinnerbaits. Anglers fishing the lower river & marsh continue to report catching a few bass using soft plastics, especially on a falling tide.
Several reports came in of anglers catching flathead catfish in the 20 to 40-lb. range in the mid-river areas near Smith's Fish Camp using live bait.
The bream are still being caught using crickets in the oxbows & main channel near woody cover. Some anglers continue to report decent catches of redear (shellcracker) in the lower river oxbows and main channel south of the forks as well as in the marsh using redworms in 4 to 8 ft. of water. Some of the better catches reportedly coming from the edges of the main river channel & along the edges of the larger bayous in the marsh near I-10 using redworms. A few new crappie reports came in from the oxbows where some anglers are trolling mid-lake using small crankbaits or jigs to catch fish in the 1 to 1.5-lb. range.