Where did all the bass go?
August 2010
Hundreds of bass tournaments are held each year on Mississippi lakes, reservoirs and rivers, and some anglers attribute declines in bass populations to tournaments. The “tournament issue” is neither new nor restricted to Mississippi.
Why are bass where they are?
July 2010
Mickey Aldridge and I were off on a bucket-list fishing trip. Destination: Lake St. Clair, Mich. The mission: pre-spawn smallmouth bass.
Cover, temps predict crappie location
June 2010
Crappie fishing is as good as it gets in Mississippi’s lakes and reservoirs. But for many anglers, good crappie fishing occurs only during the month surrounding the spawn when crappie are in predictable, shallow-water haunts. Serious crappie anglers ignore this “wisdom” and fish our waters year round. And they catch fish, too, as many articles in Mississippi Sportsman attest. It’s a matter of knowing where to look.
Spawning is only part of the story
May 2010
In last month’s column, I shared what biologists know about largemouth bass spawning, emphasizing those aspects that may help anglers intercept spawning bass and habitat conditions that are needed for successful spawning. Largemouth bass are, compared to other fishes, pretty flexible in their spawning requirements.
Do you know the biology of the spawn?
April 2010
The largemouth bass are spawning. In South Mississippi, bass have been bedding for a couple weeks in ponds and in backwaters of the Pascagoula and Pearl rivers. In central Mississippi waters, the spawn is heading toward a peak.
An easy fish for a common problem
March 2010
Every year, starting about now and continuing through May, a lot of farm ponds in Mississippi are plagued by “pond scum.” I pass a few farm ponds on my way to work every morning. When I see the ponds developing their annual ring of pond scum, I know to expect a few phone calls.
Anglers tax selves for fisheries’ benefit
February 2010
Providing fishing opportunities costs money. Think about it. A launching ramp with a 3-acre parking lot and a road to it might cost $1 million. Modern hatcheries cost $10-20 million, maybe more. The new North Mississippi Hatchery cost $12 million.
Odds of catching a trophy bass are long
January 2010
If you want to catch a really big bass, my first advice is to travel to some place where double-digit bass are common — places like the California Delta, the lakes around San Diego or maybe Lakes Amistad, Falcon or Fork in Texas.
‘Tis the season for fish furniture
December 2009
Christmas means many things to many people. But after the holidays are over, it means there’s a pile of fish attractors somewhere waiting to be gathered up by ambitious anglers and “replanted” in a favorite fishing hole.
Flying carp: coming to a lake near you
November 2009
You’ve seen the videos on the internet and even on the national news — silver projectiles weighing 10 to 20 pounds erupting from the water and occasionally landing in boats.
Once abundant, gator gar are struggling
September 2009
I’ve heard they attack people. Any fish that grows to more than 7 feet and 150 pounds, has a tooth-lined snout big enough to grab and hold a grown man’s leg, and lurks in shallow backwaters is bound to generate some scary stories.
Taking a look through the foraging window
August 2009
Late summer is when anglers begin seeing schools of shad. The schools are generally most apparent in the evening when the water is calm and the shad tend to swim at the surface. With all this forage, how could bass growth rates not be off the charts?
Underrated ‘stripes’ plentiful here
July 2009
The white bass — what many call “stripes” — is Mississippi’s unsung and untapped sportfish. They are abundant where they occur, grow to good size, blast the heck out of topwaters and crankbaits, and can be darn-good eating.
Three steps for healthier summer bass
June 2009
Warm water can be tough on fish. Hatcheries avoid handling and transporting fish during warm seasons. The mortality of tournament-caught bass goes up in the summer, too.
Business Listings
Gettin' Fresh 
