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Columbus Lake Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

An 8,910-acre Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway reservoir at Columbus that MDWFP manages for bass, crappie, catfish and paddlefish.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
108 cfs
Air / High
36 / 69 F
Wind
N 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02441390, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Columbus Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The nearest gauge reads 36.42 ft, easing 27.02 over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind N around 3 mph, falling pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 63 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:21 PM-1:21 AM and 10:57 AM-12:57 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

CrappieExcellent

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Tomorrow: Similar at 68 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Water and weather

Live readings from TOMBIGBEE RIVER AT STENNIS LOCK AND DAM, MS.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02441390.

40.9149.8158.7236.42 ft10/1010/2010/3011/09

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp36 F
High / Low69 / 34 F
WindN 3-7 mph
Pressure1023.8 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:20 / 16:55
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~63 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Columbus Lake this week

Today is the pick of the week on Columbus Lake, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Nov 9 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
11:21 PM-1:21 AM and 10:57 AM-12:57 PM
Minor period
6:25 AM-7:25 AM
Sun
06:20 to 16:55
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 5 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Columbus Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

When to come: the Columbus Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 63 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~63 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Columbus Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Crappie led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 8 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Crappie led the card at good. High of 61 F, wind to 10 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Crappie led the card at good. High of 75 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Mississippi requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

A Mississippi fishing license is required. MDWFP special limits: black bass under 14 inches released, 10 a day; crappie under 9 inches released, 30 a day; bream 100 a day; paddlefish must be released. Separate spillway gear rules apply.

Access

MDWFP counts 8 public boat ramps, 2 marinas and 3 campgrounds on the lake. Barge traffic uses the navigation channel.

About this water

An 8,910-acre Tombigbee River reservoir on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Lowndes County, Mississippi, run by the Corps of Engineers.

Fishing Columbus Lake: the full guide

A Tenn-Tom pool

Columbus Lake covers 8,910 acres and is the largest reservoir on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, according to MDWFP. The Corps of Engineers opened it in 1981 and still owns and runs it; it stretches 22 miles from Aberdeen Lock and Dam (mile 357.5) down to the Columbus, or Stennis, Lock and Dam (mile 334.7), just west of Columbus off Lock and Dam Road.

Bass and crappie

MDWFP manages the lake for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and paddlefish. Its weekly reports send bass anglers to the deep side of the channel bends in the old river runs, to woody cover and to the gravel pits, with frogs, spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged soft plastics. Crappie tips point to the deep old river bendways, the gravel pits and Tibbee Creek, fished with jigs and minnows around wood. White crappie far outnumbered black crappie in MDWFP's 2022 fall survey.

Catfish and the spillways

Catfish anglers work just off the navigation channel and below the dam with cut or whole shad. Fishing in the spillways has its own rules: one pole or rod per angler, limits on treble hooks, and from December 1 through February only two single hooks no larger than #2. Paddlefish caught anywhere on the lake must be released.

Giant salvinia

MDWFP warns that giant salvinia is present on the lake and throughout the Tenn-Tom. Remove all plants from boats and trailers before leaving the launch.

Common questions

What are the bass and crappie limits?

MDWFP's special rules: release black bass under 14 inches and keep up to 10 a day; release crappie under 9 inches and keep up to 30 a day.

Where do anglers find bass?

MDWFP's reports point to the deep side of channel bends in the old river runs, woody cover in those bends, and the gravel pits.

Is giant salvinia a problem?

It is present on the lake and across the Tenn-Tom, so MDWFP asks everyone to clean boats and trailers before leaving the ramp.

Is fishing good at Columbus Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Bankhead Lake66 miBay Springs Lake72 miOkatibbee Lake72 miGrenada Lake77 miCedar Creek Reservoir77 miDemopolis Lake78 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02441390 β€” TOMBIGBEE RIVER AT STENNIS LOCK AND DAM, MS
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-11-09 at 12:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 33.5175, -88.4894 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.