Leaf River is a summertime gem
August 2010
This month, I’ll be floating the Leaf River between Hebron and Moselle, which is a beautiful stretch of water that twists and winds through some of the prettiest country in Mississippi. Also, it has nice-looking banks, good cover, eddy breaks and other ideal habitat for spotted bass, and receives very little fishing pressure.
Fish frogs at Ross Barnett
July 2010
You can’t beat fishing the lily pads with a rubber frog at Ross Barnett in July. The lily pads provide shade and cover for the bass. Since Ross Barnett’s a fairly shallow lake, the bass have to utilize the shallow-water cover in the hot summer months. Also, the bluegills that the bass will be feeding on will be under the pads.
Ledges hold Pickwick bass this month
June 2010
In June, the ledges at Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River in North Mississippi heat up for bass fishing, and catching and releasing 40 to 50 a day isn’t uncommon. To catch these bass, you’ll have to fish the mid-river section, targeting humps, ledges, mussel bars and the secondary bars just off the river. You’ll find the bass from 17- to 23-feet deep.
Numbers highlight Bogue Homa reopening
May 2010
This month we’re going to Bogue Homa, a state-owned 1,200-acre lake right outside Laurel. The lake was closed in June 2007, but has since been restocked and is slated to reopen this month.
Top methods for Columbus spawners
April 2010
During April, I like to fish the Columbus Pool of the Tombigbee River because that’s when the bass usually spawn there. The bass stay very shallow, and are really accessible this month. You often can catch a nice string of good-sized bass in April at Columbus. They will be holding in all the backwater areas and around the banks.
Work is rewarded on Calling Panther
March 2010
Calling Panther is the lake, and March is the month to catch a bass of a lifetime. But to get that monster bass, you’ll have to fight for it. You’ll have to go where no one else goes and fish like most anglers don’t like to fish.
Archusa has few folks, plenty bass
February 2010
February is a productive month to catch big pre-spawn bass in almost any Mississippi lake. To catch big bass, go where you can find those big bass and have the least amount of fishing pressure.
January bass are on the rocks
January 2010
Heat’s the key to successfully finding and catching bass this month. The water temperature should be really cooling off this month, and during daylight hours, the bass often will move up from their deep-water haunts to their warm-water habitats.
Find the big ones at Lake Okhissa
December 2009
Lake Okhissa, a 1,100-acre lake tucked inside the Homochitto National Forest near Bude, is my December pick for bass fishing. A fairly new lake, Okhissa has plenty of deep water and flooded timber. The bass generally prefer to hold in the brush, especially in the winter months. When the water starts to get cold, the bass will begin grouping into bigger schools, as they move out to their winter habitat.
Four baits for Bay Springs bass
November 2009
I love those big spotted bass at Bay Springs Lake, located near Booneville in Tishomingo County on the Tombigbee Waterway. In November, the water has cooled down, and those big spotted bass really get fired up. You’ll have a lot of fun catching them on top and getting your rod bent to the breaking point.
Sardis is moving, shaking in October
October 2009
This month, I’ll be fishing Sardis Reservoir. The lake’s been on a downturn for several years, as far as the size and the numbers of bass. However, with the new regulations and the slot limit enforced by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the bass population has made a comeback.
Lily pads keep Barnett bass cool
September 2009
September’s a real-iffy month for successful bass fishing. The fish can be in transition, moving from shallow to deep, they can be schooling or they can be holding on bank cover. Regardless of where you’re fishing this month, if you can find lily pads, you usually can catch bass. Ross Barnett Reservoir, near Jackson, is my September pick because it has plenty of lily pads.
Ledges, grass hold Pickwick bass
August 2009
Pickwick Lake, on the Tennessee River in the northeastern corner of Mississippi, has productive August bass fishing due to current running through it because of the high demand for hydroelectric power, its Asiatic clam and mussel beds where largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass like to feed and its abundance of grass, which provides shade, ambush sites and plenty of oxygen for the bass.
Hunt for July bass at Calling Panther
July 2009
This month we’re going to 512-acre Calling Panther Lake near Crystal Springs because that’s where the big bass are in July in the deep water. The record for bass there is a little more than 13 pounds.