Mississippi is crappie civilization: the delta-edge reservoirs (Enid, Sardis, Grenada) grow the biggest white crappie on Earth: the world record has lived at Enid since 1957: and the state's slow, fertile water keeps producing giants every spring.
Reports current for Friday, October 23
Every one of the 14 Mississippi waters we cover has a live read this morning. 12 are scoring 4 out of 5 or better, and none is slow. Water runs 74 F to 78 F. Pressure is falling on most of them, the trend our model scores highest.
Best right now: Arkabutla Lake 4/5, Bay Springs Lake 4/5, Big Black River 4/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
Enid Lake: the Corps reservoir on the Yocona River where, MDWFP notes, the reigning world-record white crappie was caught in 1957.
Sardis Lake: the oldest of north Mississippi's four Corps flood-control reservoirs, managed by MDWFP with a 12-inch crappie minimum.
The 3-pound crappie factory: Grenada's stained floodwater grows the biggest slabs in America, and the world knows it every March.
The Mississippi Sound's capital: barrier-island flats, the Biloxi Marsh across the water and a casino skyline over speckled-trout mornings.
Jackson’s Rez: a 33,000-acre Pearl River impoundment with timber, oxbows and pad flats for crappie, bass, bream and catfish.
The northernmost lake on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway: about 6,700 acres in Tishomingo and Prentiss counties, managed by MDWFP for black bass, crappie, bream and catfish.
Arkabutla Lake: a north Mississippi flood-control reservoir held low for dam repairs, with crappie rules of its own.
The last free river: the Pascagoula runs undammed to the gulf, holding bass, bream and coastal species in its swamps.
Okatibbee Lake: a 3,500-acre Corps reservoir north of Meridian where MDWFP manages the fishery under statewide limits.
The Big Black River: about 300 miles from Webster County to the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg, through rural central Mississippi.
Lake Ferguson: a Mississippi River oxbow inside the levee at Greenville, managed by MDWFP for bass, crappie, bream and catfish.
A 4,700-acre Mississippi River oxbow north of Vicksburg, known for bream, crappie and fast-growing fish.
A 3,000-acre Mississippi River oxbow near Glen Allan, managed by MDWFP for crappie, largemouth bass, bream and catfish.
An 8,910-acre Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway reservoir at Columbus that MDWFP manages for bass, crappie, catfish and paddlefish.
Species activity across the state's covered waters. Peak of the year: March.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for this state's dominant water type (estimated).
| Water | Type | County | Live gauge | Peak month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enid Lake fishing report | Reservoir | Yalobusha | USGS | Feb |
| Sardis Lake fishing report | Reservoir | Panola | modeled | Feb |
| Grenada Lake fishing report | Reservoir | Grenada | modeled | Mar |
| Biloxi fishing report | Coastal | Harrison | modeled | Sep |
| Ross Barnett Reservoir fishing report | Reservoir | Madison | USGS | Mar |
| Bay Springs Lake fishing report | Reservoir | Tishomingo | modeled | Mar |
| Arkabutla Lake fishing report | Reservoir | Tate | USGS | Feb |
| Pascagoula River fishing report | River | George | USGS | Sep |
| Okatibbee Lake fishing report | Reservoir | Lauderdale | modeled | Feb |
| Big Black River fishing report | River | Warren | USGS | Mar |
| Lake Ferguson fishing report | Lake | Washington | modeled | Mar |
| Eagle Lake fishing report | Lake | Warren | modeled | Feb |
| Lake Washington fishing report | Lake | Washington | modeled | Mar |
| Columbus Lake fishing report | Lake | Lowndes | USGS | Mar |
Four Corps reservoirs across north Mississippi (Enid, Sardis, Grenada, Arkabutla) drain delta-rich soil into some of the most fertile crappie water anywhere: two-pound fish are ordinary, three-pounders realistic every March-May. The drawdown cycles concentrate fall fish in the channels: the locals' quiet season. Catfishing is excellent everywhere, and largemouth thrive in the oxbows of the big river itself.
Delta fertility plus flood-control drawdowns: shad-rich water grows them fast, and fluctuating levels keep populations balanced against their forage. Spring water into the buckbrush is the giant window.