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For sheer numbers of fish, you can't beat fishing the riprap near the dam at Calling Panther. 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.

You should catch plenty of 2- to 4-pounders at Lake Archusa, and don't be surprised when you catch a bass weighing 5 to 8 pounds. 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.

Once you find the bass, you can catch them not only on a jig, but also a thumper-type spinnerbait and a crankbait. Just remember to fish each one of these lures as slowly as you can. 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.

During most of the month, jigs will be hot for bruisers on Lake Okhissa. 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.

You can catch spotted bass in November on topwater lures, but if you find them to be reluctant to bite on the surface, don’t hesitate to go to a shallow-diving crankbait like the Mann’s C-4. 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.

The author’s No. 1 pick for lures this month is the Mann's black/blue Stone Jig. 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.

The author will carry a wide variety of rods, lures and lines when he goes to Ross Barnett. He'll have crankbaits, surface lures and frogs tied on because these three patterns are the ones he'll be betting on this month. 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.

Because of the growth of grass in Pickwick this time of year, you'll be able to find nice bass on the edge of creek and river channels. 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.

Calling Panther has some of the prettiest bass you'll ever see, and Paul Elias always expects to catch a 5-pound-plus largemouth when he fishes there. 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.

Britton Baker of Waynesborough likes to fish Chotard in June, because she can catch bass and work on her tan before starting back to college in the fall. Oxbows hold hot June bass action
June 2009
This month I’ll be fishing Chotard Lake, an oxbow off the Mississippi River north of Vicksburg near Redwood. Because of all the rain we’ve had this year, Chotard should have good water levels. Not only does Chotard hold a good population of bass, the two sister lakes on the sides of Chotard — Albemarle and Tennessee — also will yield plenty of nice-sized bass, if the water level is high enough to reach them.

Catching 10 to 20 bass out of the mouth of one drain on an outgoing tide is not uncommon on the East Pearl River. Looks like East Pearl River is back
May 2009
You’ll find the East Pearl River near Pearlington on the Mississippi-Louisiana border, a fun and exciting place to fish during May.

Spotted bass are common on Bay Springs, and you even may catch a gorilla-sized spot that weighs from 5 to 7 pounds. Big April spots active at Bay Springs
April 2009
Just south of Corinth, Bay Springs, an extremely clear, fairly deep lake created by the Tenn-Tom Waterway, has ideal habitat for really big spotted bass. I love catching those spots.

Thoughts of fishing Natchez this month bring a smile to Paul Elias’ face. Bet on the big ones at Natchez SP
March 2009
In 1992, the Mississippi state-record largemouth bass caught out of Natchez State Park Lake weighed a little more than 18 pounds. Known for homing big bass, and with March the prime time when the big bass go to the beds, Natchez State Park Lake is the best place to catch a trophy bass. Two patterns will pay off in trophy bass there this month.

Paul Elias would love to be fishing a tournament on Ross Barnett this month. Fish Barnett’s rocks, stems for bass
February 2009
This month, I’ll be fishing Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson. As the weather warms, and the bass are in their pre-spawn mode, the bass usually will be holding on riprap rock and lily-pad stems there. During February, if you get 10 bass to the boat, you’ve had a good day. On the best day I’ve ever had on Ross Barnett in February, I caught five bass that weighed a total of 20 pounds. Right now, most tournaments on the lake will be won with a 20-pound stringer or bigger.



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