When planning an angling schedule for 2015, the 36 fishing holes that make up Mississippi’s wonderful State Lake and State Park system should be considered.
And we’re not just talking great fishing.
“For one thing, it’s the opportunities our lakes provide to fish so many different waters on one trip,” said Larry Pugh, chief of fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “I think that is one aspect of our State Lake system that people overlook: Except for the Delta, you can pick an area for a long weekend or a week trip, and then fish as many different lakes as you have days.
“I’ve always thought we should market it that way.”
For examples, let’s pick Hattiesburg and Tupelo for destinations.
Within short drives from Hattiesburg, fishermen can pick Lake Mike Conner at Collins, Lake Perry at Beaumont, Prentiss Walker Lake at Mize and Johnson State Park at Brooklyn.
Throw in the many nearby watersheds of the Pat Harrison Waterway District — Little Black Creek, Flynt Creek and Maynor Creek Water Parks — and you get the idea.
Lake Perry, you ask? Why should anybody want to plan a trip to this small 68-acre lake?
It’s simple — and this even surprised Pugh. On the MDWFP’s 2014 MS Fish Index, which ranks lakes by species based on biologists and angler reports, Perry is the No. 1 bass lake in the state. It is also No. 11 for crappie and No. 13 for bream.
Mike Conner at Collins is listed on all three species, too, including No. 2 in bluegill for its population of coppernose bream, No. 8 in bass and No. 19 in crappie.
Now, for Tupelo, which is my favorite despite being born and raised in Hattiesburg.
A trip to this Northeast Mississippi city puts me close to my two most-favorite MDWFP lakes: Trace State Park at Pontotoc and Tippah County Lake at Ripley. Plus there’s the hottest bass lake in the state — the U.S. Forest Service’s Davis Lake near Houlka.
Trace produced two of my most-memorable days on the water, including a stringer filled with 1-pound redear and a day when we caught over 30 bass between 4 and 10 pounds.
My first trip to Tippah County Lake produced 20 bass, including an 8-pounder. It was home to the state-record largemouth of 13 ½ pounds at the time, which was the reason for my visit.
While there, the lake manager told it was an ever better bream lake, and I planned a return and caught my largest redear ever — it weighed nearly 2 pounds.
While not a part of the MDWFP’s State Lake system, it would be a disservice not to mention Davis Lake, which last year made the first serious run at the long-time largemouth state record (18.13 pounds) when a Tupelo angler caught a 17.34-pounder.
Tupelo is also home to Elvis Presley Lake, where catching 50 largemouth is possible. They just won’t be big. It’s better known for its bream and crappie.
Tombigbee State Park is in Tupelo, and it offers another small lake that is easy to fish.
Pugh, who calls Tupelo home, pointed out that a trip there also opens the door to many of the pools of the Tenn-Tom Waterway and Pickwick Lake.
“A week isn’t enough time,” Pugh said, laughing. “The opportunities are endless.”
One other destination would be to either McComb or Brookhaven in Southwest Mississippi, providing access to Lake Mary Crawford at Monticello, Lakes Columbia and Bill Waller at Columbia, Lake Lincoln State Park at Wesson, Calling Panther Lake at Crystal Springs and the U.S. Forest Service project Okhissa Lake at Bude.
Never heard of Lake Mary Crawford? Take note: It ranks No. 2 in bass, No. 7 in crappie and No. 9 in bream on the MS Fish Index.
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