Mississippi river stage at Helena is at 42.9 ft and has crested  The river is expected to fall around 0.1 or 0.2 feet a day over the next week. Fishing is usually tough at these high waters levels, and the public boat ramp is currently underwater.

Look for bass moving back into newly flooded areas with the rising water.  Try spinnerbaits or soft plastics around flooded treetops or underwater logs and other structure.  Any areas of flowing water like inflowing ditches or pipes could also be good locations to try.

For crappie try using jigs or minnows around flooded vegetation or deep tree tops.  Or try trolling slowly through the open water areas. 

Bream are slow right now but should pick up later on into the summer as the water temps warm up.

For catfish try tightlining using worms or chicken livers, or try trotlines fished in shallow water when the water levels go back down.  

For Mississippi River oxbow lakes, the fluctuations of the Mississippi River is an important factor for determining how the fishing is. Slow rises and slow falls produce the best fishing. The best crappie fishing on Desoto Lake is normally at water levels between 12-18 feet (Helena gauge).

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Online Map

For a general map go to Http://outfitters.org Click on public waters and then click on Desoto Lake under "more area lake maps".