Sardis Reservoir is the largest local body of water near my home. It has held many memories for me over the past 40 years. Takes about 40 minutes to get to this wonderful place. And whether you like fishing the spillway, fishing for your favorite fish from a boat, or just fishing from the bank, it has something to offer everyone.
Located on the Little Tallahatchie River, Sardis boasts a 98,520 acre impoundment. It occupys parts of three different counties in North Mississippi. The dam site is only 9 miles southeast of the town of Sardis, Ms., and only an hours drive from Memphis, Tn.
Sardis Dam was the first of the Yazoo Headwaters Projects to be built. Authorization for the project came when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1936. Right after congress approved the dam, construction began in a frantic pace. Twelve-hour days, seven days a week were the rule, not the exception. Thousands of men toiled, doing backbreaking work using mules, brush hooks, crosscut saws and axes to clear fourteen miles along the Little Tallahatchie River, characterized by hardwood, dense undergrowth and meandering sloughs.
It wasn't until 1940 that the dam became operational. At that time, the dam was one the most advanced systems of it's kind. At 15,300 feet long, and an average height of 97 feet, Sardis Dam was for many years the largest earth-filled dam in the world. The most distinctive aspect of the dam's construction was the use of "hydraulic fill" techniques. This required that soil be dredged from the river below the dam site and pumped up to provide the earth fill that forms the major portion of the dam. To do this, the Corps of Engineers built and operated the "Pontotoc", a special dredge powered by two 3,000 hp electric motors. the 425 acre "Lower Lake" on the downstream side of the Dam was created by this dredging.
Sardis Lake has a maximum storage capacity of 1,512,000 acre feet of water. During the fall and winter months the lake is drawn down to a conservation pool of 9,800 acres to compensate for the spring rains from the 1,545 square-mile area above the lake. Sardis Dam has performed it's flood control mission remarkably well. Only 3 times has the water topped the emergency spillway. Those were in 1973, 1983, and 1991. The lake's normal "recreation pool" is 32,500 acres. Annual visitaton tops 5 million people. The lake is popular with anglers, and has a reputation for its abundance of bass and crappie. Other recreation activities include hunting, camping, boating, skiing, swimming and picnicking.
We at BBM try to bring you a variety of topics and posts. Trying to enlighten you on our countries great outdoors, and also with knowledge in the world of boating and fishing is our destiny. Please stop in and check out our magazine. Join and become a member of one of the fastest growing magazines on the world wide web.
Located on the Little Tallahatchie River, Sardis boasts a 98,520 acre impoundment. It occupys parts of three different counties in North Mississippi. The dam site is only 9 miles southeast of the town of Sardis, Ms., and only an hours drive from Memphis, Tn.
Sardis Dam was the first of the Yazoo Headwaters Projects to be built. Authorization for the project came when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1936. Right after congress approved the dam, construction began in a frantic pace. Twelve-hour days, seven days a week were the rule, not the exception. Thousands of men toiled, doing backbreaking work using mules, brush hooks, crosscut saws and axes to clear fourteen miles along the Little Tallahatchie River, characterized by hardwood, dense undergrowth and meandering sloughs.
It wasn't until 1940 that the dam became operational. At that time, the dam was one the most advanced systems of it's kind. At 15,300 feet long, and an average height of 97 feet, Sardis Dam was for many years the largest earth-filled dam in the world. The most distinctive aspect of the dam's construction was the use of "hydraulic fill" techniques. This required that soil be dredged from the river below the dam site and pumped up to provide the earth fill that forms the major portion of the dam. To do this, the Corps of Engineers built and operated the "Pontotoc", a special dredge powered by two 3,000 hp electric motors. the 425 acre "Lower Lake" on the downstream side of the Dam was created by this dredging.
Sardis Lake has a maximum storage capacity of 1,512,000 acre feet of water. During the fall and winter months the lake is drawn down to a conservation pool of 9,800 acres to compensate for the spring rains from the 1,545 square-mile area above the lake. Sardis Dam has performed it's flood control mission remarkably well. Only 3 times has the water topped the emergency spillway. Those were in 1973, 1983, and 1991. The lake's normal "recreation pool" is 32,500 acres. Annual visitaton tops 5 million people. The lake is popular with anglers, and has a reputation for its abundance of bass and crappie. Other recreation activities include hunting, camping, boating, skiing, swimming and picnicking.
We at BBM try to bring you a variety of topics and posts. Trying to enlighten you on our countries great outdoors, and also with knowledge in the world of boating and fishing is our destiny. Please stop in and check out our magazine. Join and become a member of one of the fastest growing magazines on the world wide web.