Alert
Caution is advised as the water level falls. Watch out for obstructions (like standing timber and roadbeds) and shallow areas.
Construction has begun on replacing the Skuna River bridge at Gums Crossing. Watch for work crews in the area. The structure that you can't get a boat under at the current water level is a temporary structure to allow building the permanent bridge.
Fishing Report
Grenada Lake - 9/26/2023 3:15:53 PM| Species | Detail | |
| Bass | Fish shallow cover (brush tops, stake beds, timber, etc.) early and late in the day with topwaters or other “search baits” (spinnerbaits, bladed jigs), but have another rod rigged with soft plastics to follow up on missed strikes. Midday, fish main lake points (best reports), humps, or flooded roadbeds with crankbaits or soft plastics. The edges of river and creek channels (0 to 4 ft of water over them) has been good with the water falling. | |
| Crappie | Collins' Bait Shop (662)226-3581 and MDWFP creel surveys say fishing has been fair. Single pole, troll, or drift jigs and/or minnows 6 to 16 ft deep (fish move deeper as the sun rises) for suspended fish along standing timber edges about halfway down either main lake river arm or over main lake flats. Fish bigger baits and/or fish deeper to target larger crappie. Replace treble hooks with single hooks and/or pinch down the barbs to make releasing short fish faster and less damaging; it does no good to release dead fish. | |
| Bream | Fish crickets or redworms 4 - 7 ft deep under a bobber near any cover (timber, stake beds, brush tops, riprap, etc.). | |
| Catfish | Fish various natural baits on noodles (jugs), trotlines, or rod-and-reel over main lake flats or in the rivers and creeks as fish move to the main lake. | |
| White Bass | Cast jigs or small crankbaits over hard-bottomed, sandy main lake points. The main lake point where the rivers join is always a good spot. There are no size or number limits on white bass. | |
Fall drawdown is underway; fish will be moving via creek and river channels towards the main lake. It's fall, but it doesn't feel like it yet. Nights will be a little cooler this week. No matter what the Tuesday fishing report says, always check the links in the "Water Level" section for the lake's current level and if it's rising or falling. A big rain can change conditions quickly. Adjust to current conditions like the fish do. Except for catfish, fishing is usually better on a slow fall than a fast rise. Water falling, fish deeper; water rising, fish shallower.
Special Fishing RegulationsSpecies |
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| Species | Type | Length To Release |
| Crappie (combined black and white) | Minimum Length Limit | 12 inches and under |
Creel Limits (per person, per day) |
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| Type | Amount | Additional Information |
| Crappie (combined black and white) | 15 | There is a 40 crappie per boat limit for boats with 3 or more anglers. |
Anglers may use no more than 4 poles per person and no more than 2 hooks or lures per pole.
Spillway
The spillway had two gates open 2.5 ft each (1525 cfs) Tuesday. Fall drawdown is underway. Best luck in the spillway is when some water is being released, but not too much. Catfishing has been the best bet lately (some days are better than others). Fish cut shad, or nightcrawlers near bottom under a slip cork; flatheads have been biting live goldfish. A few crappie have been biting jigs and/or minnows fished along the rocks or in the old river run. Try for largemouth bass down near the pier with crankbaits or soft plastics. Spillway gate openings, flow rates, and spillway water levels can be obtained at (662)226-5911 or check at Vicksburg District Daily River Bulletin OR Yazoo River Basin Reservoirs (click on 24-hour change for picture explanation of gate flow, spillway flow, etc.). Be sure to check the date on the table; it is usually updated midday.
All fish captured and kept with dip or landing nets, cast nets, boat mounted scoops, wire baskets, minnow seines, and minnow traps in the spillway areas bordered by rip rap must be immediately placed on ice or in a dry container. Game fish caught with these gears must be released. This regulation was enacted to reduce the potential of transferring harmful Asian carps to the reservoir or other waters.
The 12-inch crappie length limit does not apply to the reservoir spillway, but the spillway has a 15-crappie creel limit.
Water Level
Water level 207.86, falling 0.1 ft/day, 0.4 ft over rule curve Tuesday. Fall drawdown started August 1; the water level should reach winter pool (193 ft) by December 1. Expect water level rises and drawdowns as rain events happen and the Corps tries to achieve and maintain rule curve. Emergency spillway level is 231.0. For water level information, call (662)226-5911 or check at Vicksburg District Daily River Bulletin for a table OR Yalobusha River @ Enid Dam, MS for a graph OR Yazoo River Basin Reservoirs for both (click on 24-hour change for picture explanation of gate flow, spillway flow, etc.). Be sure to check the date on the table; it is usually updated midday.
Additional Information
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Fisheries Biologists use various sampling methods to assess the fish populations in the State’s waters. Sampling results for selected water bodies are summarized in Reel Facts Sheets.
