Top spots for fishing the bass spawn

Pete Ponds wishes his schedule would allow him more time to fish several of the smaller waters in Mississippi.

“About the time they get right for the spawn and bedding, I have to be on the road for the Elites,” he said. “If I was home I know I’d be hitting those state lakes and the National Forest Lakes like Okhissa and Davis.”

Davis Lake near Houston is one of several trophy bass lakes where huge females can be found. A 17.3-pound bass was caught there in January of 2013 and scores of 10-plus fish have been taken. It is peak in April.

“The water is clear and you can easily spot fish on the beds,” said Jimmy Gaines of Tupelo, who makes the 30-mile drive down the Trace regularly. “You can get in the backs of the coves on the lower half of the lake and I think you have a better chance at a really big fish, 12 and up.”

Okhissa near Bude is another U.S. National Forest Service lake worth a visit. It is one of Ponds’ favorites.

“There’s so much water there (about 1,000 acres) and so many coves that are good for bedding,” he said. “I usually follow the creek channel on the far upper end and look on the surrounding flats for beds.

“Then I go down the lake and start moving back to the back of the many coves and look for hard bottoms with gravel, which is what bass like, and Okhissa has a lot of that, and late March and early April is good, but it ends pretty early in April. Maybe this year, with the cooler weather, it will last later.”

There are several jewels in the state lake system managed by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, but those in the Southern half of the state are usually done by mid to late March.

But, the best in the system is Neshoba County Lake near Philadelphia and the peak bedding period is early April.

“Man, I love that lake,” said Robert Williams of Brandon, who makes the trip two or three times in the spring. “I really like it in mid to late March when the females are in pre-spawn and I can catch them on cover on the outside edge of the shallow spawning areas, but last year I caught my biggest bass ever, an 11½-pounder off a bed in April. She’s still in the lake, too. I let her go and was rewarded with two other fish over 8 that day. Caught all three on the same white tube bait.”

Another MDWFP lake that is a must-hit is Trace State Park near Pontotoc. It is actually two lakes in one, sharing the same damn and connected by a channel. One is a fish-only lake while the other allows some skiing. Both sides are excellent for fishing.

“I like looking in the pockets off the main lake best,” said George Gentry of Holly Springs. “They are shallow, have shade and you can see the beds. My best female off a bed there was 11 pounds, five years ago, and I’ve caught several between 9 and 10.”

Ponds urges anglers to be conservative in their harvests during the spawning season.

“Keep in mind how important this time is in protecting the fishery for the future,” he said. “These big females and the males they partner with have vital roles in producing the next generations of fish. Release as many as you can and handle them with care.”