Mississippi Fishing Report for May

Nichor02

Senior Fisheman
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Location
Byhalia, Ms.
Boat
Polar Craft
#1
Columbus Lake - 5/10/2011



COLUMBUS LAKE (TENN-TOM):
The bass reports are fair. Several anglers are reporting nice catches in the gravel pits and any other areas that have cleared up a little. Buzzbaits are picking up some nice fish early, with spinnerbaits good choices later in the day. The crappie anglers are still picking up a few stragglers in shallow water; the best shallow bite has been in the old river runs on the north end of the lake. The few crappie showing up on the lower end of the lake are coming out of deeper water near spawning areas. Both crappie jigs and minnows are catching fish. The catfish anglers are picking up a few fish off the fishing piers and also below the dam; liver, nightcrawlers a
Bay Springs - 5/10/2011



BAY SPRINGS:
Water temps are still in the high 60s. The bass bite is good for numbers, with larger fish being tougher to come by. It’s still a typical post-spawn pattern with the fish being scattered, and can be caught from 1-20 ft. The best baits to catch numbers are crankbaits and plastics, either Texas or Carolina rigged. The crappie bite has slowed, we haven’t seen that many crappie anglers on the lake in the last week or so. The few people who have been catching them have been fishing deeper. Hair jigs are better for quality fish; minnows are good for numbers. We had very few catfish reports this past weeknd cutbait are good bait choices
Alicevile Lake - 5/10/2011



ALICEVILLE LAKE (TENN-TOM):
We are still getting some good postspawn crappie reports. Best areas continue to be Coalfire and Pumpkin creeks, with the Pratt’s Camp area also getting some attention. Crappie jigs are better than minnows. Best water depths were 2 to 5 feet, with some crappie also coming out of 8 to 10 feet of water. The bass reports continue to be fair. It took over 18-lbs to win a local tournament this past weekend. Good numbers of bass are coming out of shallow vegetation near spawning areas. Flukes and Senko’s have been best baits, with spinnerbaits also catching fish. Popular areas again this past week were the backs of the sloughs in the Coalfire area. The catfish anglers reported some success just off the channel. Target current breaks and eddies with cutbait for best results.
JP Coleman/Pickwick Lake - 5/10/2011




PICKWICK LAKE/J. P. COLEMAN:
Pickwick Lake elevation: 414 ft. Water temps are in the upper 60s. The bass reports continue to be excellent. Most people are catching good numbers of fish. 80-100 fish days are not uncommon right now. It’s a typical post-spawn pattern, with the fish moving around a lot, and being caught along the banks and out on deeper points and structure. Just about anything seems to be catching them right now. The catfish bite is excellent. More anglers this past week were hitting bluff banks, river channel ledges, and the rip-rap around Scruggs Bridge. Night crawlers and cut bait seems to be picking up the most fish, although in some areas, just about anything seems to be working. The deep bite for crappie has picked up some, with good numbers being caught. Average size is not as good now as it was a few weeks ago
Trace State Park - 5/10/2011



TRACE STATE PARK:
Water temp. 72 degrees. Bass Fishing is good; they are catching them with topwater, lizard, large worms, and swim baits 2’ to 15’ of water on around point, coves, areas containing structure, and down levee. Bream fishing is good they are catching them near or around bedding areas in 1’to 6’ feet of water cork fishing, dragging the bottom, and tight-lining using crickets, meal worms, and red wigglers. Crappie fishing is fair; few are caught around the concrete spillway 5’ to 15’ feet of water, plus on or around points, coves, and structure 1’ to10’ of water using minnows and jigs. Catfishing is fair they are catching them in the day use area tight lining and few are often caught around or near bedding bream. There will be a Kids’ Fishing Rodeo at Trace this coming Saturday morning.
Elvis Presley Lake - 5/10/2011



ELVIS PRESLEY LAKE:
Water temps are in the high-60s. The bream fishing has been fair, with good numbers being reported, but average size not great. Finding the beds is the key; fish shallow with red wigglers or wax worms. The bass bite has been fair as well, with most fish still being caught on or near points. Small lizards and crankbaits are catching bass in the coves and buzzbaits and topwater baits are good choices in the upper end of the lake. The catfish bite has been fair over the past week, with lots of fish being caught in 10 to 18 ft of water. Both worms and minnows are catching fish. The crappie reports have been fair, with most fish being taken around treetops and dropoffs using jigs and minnows.
Sardis Lake - 5/10/2011


Water level 266.96, rising 0.03 ft/day, murky, clearing. For water level information, call (662)563-4531 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt Wyatt's Crossing bait shop (662)701-7447 reports the best luck on the upper end has been for catfish on chicken livers and other natural baits on trotlines or rod-and-reel. Catfishing in the river has slowed down as the flow has dropped off near the new Hwy 7 ramp. Crappie are being caught 1 to 5 ft deep either jigging or trolling, but most are running small. Look for bigger fish in deeper water. Bass have been found scattered in flooded grass in the backs of creek coves fishing spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, or other shallow running lures. White bass have started moving back into the main lake. There is no size or number limit on white bass. Bream and channel catfish are fattening up on worms and such in newly flooded areas. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/sardplot.jpg for water levels. The lake was 7.0 ft above summer pool (260 ft) Tuesday.

Enid Lake - 5/10/2011


Water level 252.37, stable, murky, clearing. For water level information, call (662)563-4571 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt Some anglers have found crappie 1 to 5 ft deep either jigging or trolling, mostly in creek mouths. A lot of small fish are being caught. Some bass are still spawning with the latest rise. Some good fish (5+ lb) have been reported from the upper lake area fishing spinnerbaits and buzzbaits in flooded vegetation. The catfish bite in inflowing waters has slowed down, but they can be taken on trotlines where they're feeding in flooded fields and flats. Good sized bream are also holding in flooded grass in the backs of creeks. White bass are moving back into the main lake where bright jigs or small crankbaits fished over sand bottoms should score. There is no size or number limit on white bass. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/enidplot.jpg for water levels. The lake was 2.4 ft above rule curve Tuesday.
Grenada Lake - 5/10/2011


Water level 214.94, stable, murky to muddy, clearing. 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 some folks are still catching crappie shallow, but the fish are running small. One angler was landing keepers jigging structure in creek mouths fishing 8 ft deep, about twice as deep as others have been fishing. Some folks have started trolling minnows in the main lake without much luck. Bass fishing has been good in the backs of the creeks fishing spinnerbaits, topwaters, and soft plastics. A tournament Saturday was won with 17.6 lb (5 fish) and big fish was 5.18. Catfishing has been excellent on a variety of baits using trotlines, rod-and-reel, or noodles. Folks have been putting out a lot of grabbling boxes, but no reports yet. Bream and channel catfish will fatten up on worms and such in newly flooded areas. White bass are moving into the main lake where bright jigs or small crankbaits fished over sand bottoms should score. 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 was 0.1 ft below rule curve Tuesday.
Pascagoula River - 5/4/2011


Pascagoula River: The river @ Merrill is at 5.77 ft. & falling while the lower river @ Graham Ferry is at 5.64 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.
Enid Lake - 5/10/2011


Water level 252.37, stable, murky, clearing. For water level information, call (662)563-4571 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt Some anglers have found crappie 1 to 5 ft deep either jigging or trolling, mostly in creek mouths. A lot of small fish are being caught. Some bass are still spawning with the latest rise. Some good fish (5+ lb) have been reported from the upper lake area fishing spinnerbaits and buzzbaits in flooded vegetation. The catfish bite in inflowing waters has slowed down, but they can be taken on trotlines where they're feeding in flooded fields and flats. Good sized bream are also holding in flooded grass in the backs of creeks. White bass are moving back into the main lake where bright jigs or small crankbaits fished over sand bottoms should score. There is no size or number limit on white bass. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/enidplot.jpg for water levels. The lake was 2.4 ft above rule curve Tuesday
Enid Lake - 5/10/2011


Water level 252.37, stable, murky, clearing. For water level information, call (662)563-4571 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt Some anglers have found crappie 1 to 5 ft deep either jigging or trolling, mostly in creek mouths. A lot of small fish are being caught. Some bass are still spawning with the latest rise. Some good fish (5+ lb) have been reported from the upper lake area fishing spinnerbaits and buzzbaits in flooded vegetation. The catfish bite in inflowing waters has slowed down, but they can be taken on trotlines where they're feeding in flooded fields and flats. Good sized bream are also holding in flooded grass in the backs of creeks. White bass are moving back into the main lake where bright jigs or small crankbaits fished over sand bottoms should score. There is no size or number limit on white bass. See http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/plots/enidplot.jpg for water levels. The lake was 2.4 ft above rule curve Tuesday