Fishing Report 3-2-17

Cool weather and windy conditions made the fishing tough over the weekend in central Mississippi lakes. The abundant sunshine did however keep fisherman hopeful and many people found success although it was in fewer numbers than the previous week.

IMG_2914Lake Washington near Greenville is still the “hottest” lake to date. As stated last week, this lake is often one of the most talked about crappie destinations in the early part of the year. There have been a few reports of crappie being caught in shallow depths of only 2 feet but the bulk of the big fish and big stringers are still being caught in depths of 12-15 feet. The go to rig for most anglers have been road runners however some have seen success with crankbaits.

Grenada Lake is finally seeing some rain that will hopefully bring the water level up into areas where most fishermen are familiar with catching fish. Personally I don’t mind the low water level but as the water rises it presents the opportunity to catch fish while wading in shallow water areas. Despite the tough weather conditions the big fish are still biting, finding them has been the issue. Reports have stated many fish are being caught trolling in water as deep as 8 feet but the fish are often suspended in the 3-5 feet range. Trolling around areas that are close to shallow water spawning has been the key to success but some fishermen, myself included, have caught big females in water depths 3 to 4 feet deep next to creek channels.

Sardis and Enid have yet to start producing big numbers but the forecast ahead shows a lot of promise as the sunshine will begin to warm the water.

Pickwick continues to produce good numbers of crappie on jigs and live minnows especially around boat houses. The key is that the boat houses are in water depths of 6 to 10 feet deep. The bass fishing continues to get better and following this weather front the fish are expected to bite really well. Alabama rigs and crankbaits in areas of transition between deep channels and shallow points and coves are the key as fish prepare to move into shallow water.

We are excited this week to begin a report from the gulf with the Mexican Gulf Fishing Company.  Justin Fayard is the king of catching swordfish! The weather has kept them off the water nearly all week but they will resume fishing once it stops. Justin can be reached at 228-342-5807. Facebook is Justin Fayard and Instagram is sword_struck. Check him out and look for his reports soon!

IMG_5889Blake Hall will also be joining us from here on as our main contact for bass fishing reports on Pickwick, Guntersville, Smith Lake, Wheeler, and Smith Lake. To contact Blake you can reach him at 256-566-3380 or on facebook at Blake Hall fishing.

Guntersville lake has been the slower to turn on compared to Pickwick in terms of finding and catching good bass. Now that we have finally made it to the magical month of March the fishing is expected to turn on as the weather and water warm up. The outside grass lines of the main river in water 5 to 10 feet deep has been the key to running jerkbaits and lipless crank baits. Umbrella rigs have also produced along the bridges and causeways following two major keys, current and bait!

The Texas coast has been red hot with speckled trout action at Run-N-Gun Adventures. Daniel and Nick have had great success in the month of February catching fish from boats and wading. Most fish have been caught under popping cork with shrimp over areas of deep mud and scattered shell. The fishing should continue to be great with the worst of the recent storms gone from the area.

 

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Venice is the true sportsman’s paradise and Bart at SWC Sportsman Lodge is the man to call! Coming out of a great February catching mostly redfish and speckled trout the fishing is only expected to get better. Be looking for more updates from SWC Sportsman in the coming reports. To contact call 601-466-0152 or find on Facebook at Sportsmans Lodge SWC.

Looking at the way this year has gone so far I firmly believe that the fishing is going to kick off in the central Mississippi lakes a little earlier than normal. Using the amount of crappie already being caught and the depth in which they have been found as indicators I believe that the spawn is close, really close. Water levels will for sure rise and fall but this weekend I would be in the more stable waters of lakes like Ross Barnett and lake Washington. As far as the coast is concerned there is hardly ever a bad day in Venice! Personally I would say find a place where you can wade that has shell barriers and you will have more fun reeling in speckled trout than you can imagine. Good luck guys and gals, let us know how the fishing is and stay tuned as the reports continue to grow each week!