Your Best Spring Fishing in Mississippi

Whether you're planning on hitting the steelhead or spring fishing in Mississippi for white bass, these are the top places you definitely won't want to miss. And don't forget your catfish baits because the flatheads are waiting for you in the Big Black River.

MARCH

White Bass

Bayou Pierre

White bass provide the hottest springtime fishing action available in Mississippi.  And I can think of no better time and place to pursue these vicious fighters than during their annual spring spawning run up Bayou Pierre near Port Gibson.

Following the mass exodus of schooling fish as they make their way up Bayou Pierre to spawn is the most productive technique.  Your best bets for finding these giant schools of fish is along the sandbars, run outs, and where the murky backwater meets the clear current from upstream.  Although white bass attack most any lure, small rattling crankbaits in shad or crawfish colors work best.

Alternative choices:

Grenada Lake has long been considered one of the top trophy crappie lakes in the country.  The hot lures for crappie at Grenada Lake are pink or black/chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows.  But if you prefer lunker largemouth bass, Natchez State Park Lake in Adams County is an excellent choice.

APRIL

Flathead Catfish

Big Black River

For big flathead catfish, trotlines and the Big Black River are the perfect combination. Each spring, floodwaters cause the Big Black to get out of her banks.  Foraging catfish move into the flooded timber in large numbers. Catfish anglers take advantage of this feeding frenzy by setting multiple trotlines in likely spots along the main channel.  Chicken livers, cut skipjack, live goldfish and pond perch are the baits of choice when a boatload of catfish is the objective.

Great catfishing can be had the entire length of the Big Black River.  However, caution is advised since the Big Black River is always potentially dangerous, especially during the spring floods.

Alternative choices:

Excellent speckled trout fishing can be had this month by wade-fishing the barrier islands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  And don't forget that redear sunfish are moving onto their beds in farm ponds across the Magnolia State.  Crickets or worms fished in the beds yield fantastic catches of shellcrackers.

MAY

Bluegills

State Lakes

Bluegills are the most popular sport fish in the Magnolia State and definitely one of the most abundant.  All 18 of the state fishing lakes operated by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks are great choices for bedding bluegills.  Bream fishing is best a few days on either side of the full moon.  And while crickets are the bait of choice, jigs and flies like the "bream killer" can be deadly when fishing active bream beds.

Some of the better state fishing lakes for bream include:  Lake Mary Crawford in Lawrence County, Lake Claude Bennett in Jasper County, and Tippah County Lake near Ripley.  A complete list and description of all the state fishing lakes can be found by logging onto www.mdwfp.com

Alternative choices:

During the past several years, Neshoba County Lake near Philadelphia has been one of the most productive big bass lakes in the Magnolia State.  And despite the heavy fishing pressure, Sardis Lake remains a good choice for crappie this month.

Don't forget to share your best fishing photos with us on Camera Corner for your chance to win free gear!

Video That May Interest You

×

---

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Email Address

Sign Me Up