Fishing Reports
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pole. There is a 50 crappie per boat limit for boats with 3 or more anglers. The 12 inch length limit does not apply to the reservoir spillway, but the spillway has a 20 crappie creel limit. SARDIS LAKE Water level 247.0 ft, stable; 4.8 ft above rule curve Monday. For water level information, call (662)563-4531 or check at http://155.76.244.230/ offices/ed/edh/docs/bullet.txt for a table or http://ftp.mvk.usace.army.mil/ offices/ed/edh/graphs1.htm for a graph. The lake should rise from 241 ft March 1 to summer pool (260 ft) by May 1. Expect a little warm-up this week. Best luck will be for crappie fishing 4 to 8 ft deep with jigs and/or minnows. A few catfish could be taken fishing natural baits on the bottom. White bass in the 2 lb range are biting in the river above Lake. Cast jigs or small crankbaits over sand bottom out of the main current (pockets, back side of sand bars, etc.). Historically, crappie spawning runs from about the last week of March until the first week of May, peaking the second week in April. It varies year to year with temperatures, rainfall, water levels, etc. The spillway had 2 gates open 7.0 ft each Tuesday (2500 cfs). Best luck down here will be for crappie on jigs and/or minnows or for catfish on natural baits. Expect the action to speed up due to water temperatures warming up. Contact the COE office (662)563-4531 for accessible ramps at current water levels. The daily limit on black bass (largemouth and spotted) is 7 fish, any size.
Contact the COE office (662)563-4571 for accessible ramps at current water levels. The daily limit for black bass (largemouth and spotted) is 7 fish, any size. The daily creel limit for crappie on Enid Lake is 20 per person. Crappie must be over 12 inches. Anglers fishing Enid Lake may use no more than 5 poles per person and no more than 2 hooks or lures per pole. There is a 50 crappie per boat limit for boats with 3 or more anglers. The 12 inch length limit does not apply to the reservoir spillway, but the spillway has a 20 crappie creel limit. DESOTO LAKE Mississippi River stage near Desoto Lake (Helena gauge) is up to 25.9 ft and falling. There hasn’t been much fishing going on at Desoto yet, so there’s no new fishing reports. Fishing should start to pick up in the coming weeks with the warmer weather coming in. For crappie, the best bet in cold weather is trolling in the deeper waters or jigging around submerged structure. Also try fishing jigs or minnows along the outside edges of the willow trees. For bass, fish slowly and patiently around downed logs, steep points, or other deep structure. Good bait choices include spinnerbaits, soft plastics, or jig-n-pig combos. Try tightlining with nightcrawlers, cut bait, or chicken liver, or try running trotlines over mud flats for catfish. After a good rain, fishing around inflowing creeks or ditches can normally produce good catfish too.
The daily crappie creel limit is 15 per person. Crappie must be over 11 inches. Anglers fishing Sardis Lake may use no more than 3 poles per person and no more than 2 hooks or lures per pole. There is a 40 crappie per boat limit for boats with 3 or more anglers.
MOON LAKE The warmer weather should increase fish activity due to higher water temps. Look for fishing on Moon Lake to start to pick up this week on Moon Lake.
The crappie length limit does not apply to the reservoir spillway, but the spillway, including Sardis Lower Lake, has a 20 crappie creel limit.
Best bet for wintertime crappie is fishing the deepest ends of the fishing piers in 8-12 ft of water. Jigs or minnows are both good bait choices. Try targeting fishing piers along the east side of the lake, especially piers out of the wind with sunken structure around them. Trolling between the piers over structure can also produce fish on calm days.
ENID LAKE Water level 239.0 ft, stable 0.0 ft/day; 3.6 ft above rule curve Monday. For water level information, call (662)563-4571 or check at http://155.76.244.230/offices/ed/edh/docs/bullet.txt for a table or http:// ftp.mvk.usace.army.mil/offices/ed/edh/graphs1.htm for a graph. The lake should rise from 235 ft March 1 to summer pool (250 ft) by May 1. Expect a warm-up this week. Best luck will likely be for crappie fishing 6 ft to 8 ft deep, slow-trolling in the main lake or jigging over submerged brush with jigs and/or minnows. Few crappie are being caught jigging in shallow water. A few catfish could be taken fishing natural baits on the bottom. White bass in the 2 lb range are biting in the river above Lake. Cast jigs or small crankbaits over sand bottom out of the main current (pockets, back side of sand bars, etc.). Historically, crappie spawning runs from about the last week of March until the first week of May, peaking the second week in April. It varies year to year with temperatures, rainfall, water levels, etc.
For bass, fish slowly and patiently around downed logs, cypress knees or other deep structure, or try throwing a spinnerbait or jig around the fishing piers. Remember, the creel limit for bass has changed on Moon Lake, and now anglers may keep 5 fish per day instead of 2 fish per day. Catfish should continue to bite chicken livers, nightcrawlers, or red worms. Fishing around inflowing pipes after a good rain, using trotlines near the shoreline, or tightlining on the bottom are all good methods. LAKE LAMAR BRUCE The lake is closed due to renovations.
The spillway had 1 gate open 2.0 ft each (600 cfs) Monday. Best luck down here will be for crappie on jigs and/or minnows or for catfish on natural baits. Action lately has been relatively slow due to cold water temperatures. Page 13