The headwaters of the Yazoo River begin with the Coldwater River near the Tennessee state line, and flow southward to where they meet the Tallahatchie River in Tallahatchie County. Along the way, the Coldwater’s flow is subsidized by the waters of Moon Lake in Coahoma County via the Yazoo Pass.
The Tallahatchie River flows from the backwaters of Sardis Reservoir east and north of Oxford. Southwest of Batesville in the edge of the Delta, the Yocona River flows east from the Water Valley area, through Enid Lake and joins with the Tallahatchie. From its junction with the Coldwater, the Tallahatchie flows south, joining with numerous smaller streams like Opossum, Muddy and Cassidy bayous. It meanders slowly southward until merging with the Yalobusha River at Greenwood. The Yalobusha drains the waters of Grenada Lake and other tributaries such as Six Mile Lake and Tippo Bayou.
From Greenwood, the Yazoo grows larger and stronger, draining the land from the loess bluffs clear across to Highway 49 W at Itta Bena. At Itta Bena, Blue Lake empties into Bear Creek, which drains southward into Wasp Lake. Wasp Lake and the Yazoo merge just north of Belzoni. The Yazoo is now a force to be reckoned with as it roars past Yazoo City, picking up waters from the Holmes and Yazoo County hills as it flows. Just south of Satartia, the Yazoo receives the waters of the Big Sunflower River.
The Big Sunflower traces its origins all the way back to the doorstep of Moon Lake north of Clarksdale. It has carried with it all of the rain drops from just south of Moon Lake down to the Hushpuckena River in Bolivar County and Bogue Phalia in Washington County. The Quiver River forms as a mere ditch near Tutwiler and empties into the Sunflower near Moorhead.
Flowing southwesterly from the mouth of the Big Sunflower in Delta National Forest, the Yazoo again increases in size and flow when the waters of Steele Bayou join it north of Vicksburg. Steele Bayou carries runoff from as far north as Greenville, including Black Bayou and Deer Creek. From the point where Steele Bayou and the Yazoo merge, it is just a short float down to the bluffs of Vicksburg and into the Mississippi River. Naturally, the Mississippi River plays a large part in the drainage of the Delta from which all of the aforementioned tributaries have flowed. If the Mississippi River is full, the Yazoo and all of its helpers will back up in response.
But what does all of this geographical madness mean to you as a catfish angler? Well, it means that you have just about as much chance of catching a trophy catfish in the upper reaches of the Sunflower and Coldwater rivers as you do anywhere in the Mississippi River or in the nation.
Editor’s Note: This article was part of “Cat Burglars,” a feature in the June issue of Mississippi Sportsman magazine. To ensure you receive all the information on where and how to catch fish in the Magnolia State, subscribe now to have the magazine delivered to your doorstep.
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