2013 Fishing Forecast for Southwest Mississippi, Southeast Lakes
Southwest Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) fisheries biologists are looking forward to the upcoming fishing season. “Fishing has been awesome on many of our lakes this past fall and we expect that to continue throughout the spring,” according to MDWFP fisheries biologist Jerry Brown. One example is Eagle Lake where crappie, bream, and bass anglers have done really well. “We’ve seen an improved fishery at Eagle Lake following the high water in 2011, plus MDWFP has been stocking this lake to help maintain an abundant sport fish population,” Brown added.
The construction of a new weir at Lake Mary was recently completed and is designed to maintain desirable lake levels during low river stages. “Higher water during the summer and fall months will improve water quality and provide more available habitat for fish,” said Brown. Lake Mary is a 2,250 acre oxbow of the Mississippi River located in Wilkinson County that has long been known for good crappie and catfish.
Anglers in Southwest Mississippi should make plans to visit Lake Jeff Davis during 2013. Lake Jeff Davis was closed for renovation during 2010 and several improvements have been made, including dam modifications, new fishing piers, a new double-wide boat ramp, a new office building, and upgrades to the campground. “Largemouth bass, bream, crappie, and catfish have been stocked and the opening of a State Lake is a great time to catch a lot of fish,” according to Brown. Lake Jeff Davis is located near Prentiss and is scheduled to open during May 2013.
Southeast Mississippi Lakes
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) fisheries biologists are anticipating a productive 2013 fishing season. Winter flooding of the Pascagoula River and associated oxbow lakes should bode well for anglers. Population sampling during fall 2012 revealed good catch rates for both largemouth bass and young sunfish in the Pascagoula River oxbows. Caswell Lake, Dead River, and Parker Lake were some of the oxbow lakes that look to benefit from the high water conditions.
Fall 2012 fish sampling in the Pascagoula Marsh produced large numbers of quality largemouth bass and sunfish. This area looks to be a hot spot for the upcoming fishing season as well. “The high water should provide adult fish with more spawning habitat and additional cover allowing young fish to survive predation. The successful spawn and subsequent productive year-class of fish should provide great fishing for our anglers in the years to come,” according to MDWFP Fisheries Biologist Stephen Brown.
Fall sampling also revealed an abundance of bass in Geiger Lake at Paul B. Johnson State Park. “We’re encouraging anglers to continue to harvest small bass at this lake to help promote a balanced fish population,” said Brown. Samples taken at Bogue Homa Lake and Lake Perry revealed a quality bass fishery and both lakes support a healthy population of crappie and sunfish. Lake Bill Waller just outside of Columbia is still producing trophy size largemouth bass and remains one of the top destinations for anglers looking to land a double digit bass.
