Northwest Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) fisheries biologists are optimistic about fishing success in 2026. Most fishing in this area is on the Corps of Engineers’ flood control reservoirs (FCRs - Sardis, Enid, and Grenada). They get about 1.7 million hours of fishing annually, mostly for crappie. Since 2023, Arkabutla has been drawn down awaiting dam assessment and repair.
Normal water levels on the FCRs the last four years have resulted in smaller fish populations as they “readjust” to smaller lakes. MDWFP sampling found crappie and bass numbers near long term averages. Trophy crappie were older fish from high water years. Bass and bream numbers go up and down with water levels, but crappie numbers are more stable since they are less shoreline oriented. There are more and larger blue than channel catfish. Shad or flavored chicken are better baits for blues than “catfish baits”. Shad and other forage fish were numerous. FCR crappie regulations were changed in 2024 due to higher fishing pressure, enhanced fishing technologies, and the loss of other area waters (e.g. Arkabutla).
An angler survey last year on Sardis found high use and harvest (mostly crappie). Other sampling there found good numbers of adult sport fishes and successful spawning. Bream anglers should head to Community Fishing Assistance Program ponds, or Spring Lake at Wall Doxey State Park.
Food, lodging, and other amenities are available in Hernando, Batesville, Grenada, Oxford, and other nearby towns. There are MDWFP state parks on Sardis, Enid, and Grenada Reservoirs; book ahead as they fill up quickly during peak fishing times.
Northeast Mississippi
The 2026 fishing forecast for northeast Mississippi looks promising. Several of the northeast region State Lakes and State Park Lakes looked great during fall sampling, and bass and crappie anglers have been very successful at Pickwick Lake.
Elvis Presley Lake continues to trend in a positive direction, and largemouth bass exceeding five pounds are being caught. An abundance of bream and shad are keeping both the bass and crappie well-fed. Lake Monroe is stacked with bass in the five-to-eight-pound range and is primed to produce a new lake record largemouth. Exceptional bluegill and redear sunfish were also seen during fall sampling at Lake Monroe.
The crappie and bass fishing have been good at Trace State Park, with an emphasis on numbers over size. Tombigbee State Park and Lake Lowndes State Park are both under-utilized lakes that provide good crappie fishing for those in the know.
Over the winter, MDWFP biologists added fish attractors to Elvis Presley Lake, Lake Lamar Bruce, Lake Monroe, and Tombigbee State Park Lake. Check each lake’s Fishing Reports page at www.mdwfp.com/fishing-boating/fishing-reports for GPS coordinates.
The overwhelming majority of reports coming from Pickwick Lake have been positive. Both crappie and bass anglers have been doing very well over the winter, and we anticipate spring fishing will continue that trend. Some early signs of a good year include the numbers of crappie that have been being caught around docks and piers, and the 28-29 pound first-place bags that were weighed in during winter bass tournaments. Catfish anglers at Pickwick can expect to continue to have good luck as well.
Fishing on the TTW looks good for catfish and crappie, and fair for bass. Black bass fishing at Bay Springs Lake is expected to continue to be good, and crappie fishing at Aberdeen, Aliceville, and Columbus Lakes, (particularly Aliceville) should be very good. Catfish anglers should anticipate having success as well.
Mississippi Delta
The Delta region biologists are looking forward to the spring crappie season this year. Lake Washington is looking to have another good year. Lead net sampling for crappie showed increased catch rates revealing a good number of large fish. There were significant numbers of legal fish (11 inches) and high numbers of 8–10-inch fish, which will grow to legal size later this year. Early creel data has produced several 2-pound fish with 1-pound being common. The future of the lake seems promising. Another lake that showed promising results from the fall sampling season was Moon Lake. Electrofishing samples revealed an increase in crappie catch rates and the lead net samples showed good recruitment, which indicates a good spawn in previous years. There were also several very large crappie caught in the lead net samples as well as many large catfish.
In general bass anglers will need patience when fishing the delta. At Moon Lake, fall electrofishing catch rates of largemouth bass were higher compared to last year. A large percentage of the bass sampled in the fall were above 11 inches which indicates a high number of catchable size fish. Biologists expect good fishing at Horseshoe Lake this year as well. With the progress made in the aquatic plant management and restoration project, more of the lake is accessible to anglers. Both crappie and bass anglers reported great catch rates last summer, and our fall sampling supported the claims of Horseshoe being a healthy fishery. Bass catch rates were high, and fish condition for larger fish was excellent. Lead net sampling showed high catch rates for crappie and fast growth rates.
In oxbow lakes like Ferguson and Whittington, anglers have reported improving catch rates for bass and crappie. Fishing these water bodies can still be tough, and anglers will need patience to find fish. With consecutive low water years and the persistence of invasive carp in these systems sport fish populations are still recovering.
Central Mississippi
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Central Region biologists are looking for 2026 to produce another great year of fishing. Much like previous years, Ross Barnett Reservoir or “The Rez” as it’s known to locals will lead the way for crappie fishing in the region. Ranked as the #2 crappie lake in 2025 by Crappienow.com and Monstercrappie.com, The Rez has already produced numerous two-pound crappie in 2026 and doesn’t look to slow down moving into the spawn. Spring 2025 creels documented angler catch rates over three fish per hour and average weights of 0.8 pounds. Other large lakes to visit for crappie fishing include Eagle Lake near Vicksburg and Okatibbee Reservoir outside of Collinsville. Eagle Lake produced solid limits in the fall with average crappie weights of 1.2 pounds with 87% of crappie being over one pound. During our spring creel surveys, we observed numerous fish over 2.5 pounds. Okatibbee, while not known for producing big crappie, will provide good numbers of perfect eating sized fish on a regular basis. For smaller lakes don’t pass up a chance to visit Simpson County Lake or Shadow Lake at Roosevelt State Park. Both lakes hold quality crappie fisheries and are on track to make a splash in 2026. Recently a new Simpson County Lake record crappie weighing 2.25 pounds was caught by Mr. Don Barnes.
For anglers targeting bass, the Rez will once again be the place to go. 2026 is already shaping up to be an excellent bass fishing year if the weather cooperates. Early season tournaments have produced quality bags over 20 pounds. Big bass can be caught everywhere on the lake from Pelahatchie Bay to Oil Well Woods, to Twin Sisters and Richards Old River. Numerous largemouth over seven pounds have been weighed in during tournaments with the biggest exceeding 10 pounds. During the Fall 2025 electrofishing survey quality fish were observed in every area of the lake. Another bass fishing lake to visit is Okatibbee, holding healthy populations of largemouth bass and spotted bass. Fish between two and five pounds are common. Some smaller lakes to look at for bass fishing are Simpson County Lake which is likely to produce double digit fish this year and Calling Panther Lake which presents a challenge for anglers due to deep, clear water with abundant habitat.
Bream anglers looking for trophy fish should head to Prenttis Walker Lake in Smith County and Lake Claude Bennett in Jasper County. Big bluegill and redear sunfish over half a pound with some pushing a pound can be found in these small state lakes.
Much like 2025, fishing on oxbows off the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers such as Wolf Lake, Lake George, Chotard, and Albermarle will be tough. Flood waters in the spring and summer of 2025 helped produce good spawns, but low water in the fall limited the ability of those fish to recruit into the system. Catch rates on Chotard and Wolf Lakes were low for largemouth bass in Fall 2025 electrofishing, but the collected fish were healthy. Sampling on Wolf Lake yielded more promising results for crappie in Fall 2025 compared to Chotard with roughly 20% of the crappie collected being above ten inches. See you on the water!
South Mississippi
Fishing season is already showing some early success in south Mississippi waters and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) fisheries biologists are anticipating a very productive 2026 season. Anglers are seeing large fish beginning to show bedding behavior at Lake Bill Waller, but the big bass producers may be a little farther west. During fall electrofishing sampling in Lake Tangipahoa at Percy Quin State Park, numerous 5-to-7-pound bass were collected and released. Another lake in that area that produced numerous big largemouth bass during fall sampling was Lake Lincoln at Lake Lincoln State Park. Fall sampling should provide an early indicator of bass fishing success for anglers this spring and summer. Additionally, the annual Mississippi Bass Tournament Report indicated that the two best water bodies for tournament fishing in south Mississippi were Lake Bogue Homa and Biloxi Backbay. These two water bodies should be a target for bass anglers as well.
The state lake to target for crappie in south Mississippi this spring is Lake Mary Crawford. Currently six years post lake renovation, the fishery is continuing to grow and thrive and will produce great fishing through this fishing season. Notably, the lake recently produced a lake record crappie weighing in at an impressive 3.25 pounds. The new lake record and reports of other quality sized crappie being caught point to a banner spring crappie season at Lake Mary Crawford.
Bream fishing will be picking up on our south region state lakes, being best just before every full moon this spring through the summer. The state lake to target quality bream in south Mississippi is Lake Bogue Homa. It has historically been a very good bream lake and should continue with this trend. The redear sunfish, or shellcracker, population looked very good this fall and should bode well for the upcoming spring and summer anglers. Larger bluegill were also observed during fall sampling at Lake Mary Crawford. This lake should also produce some great bream fishing in the upcoming fishing season.
Angler reports indicate that the two main rivers for south Mississippi, the Pearl River and the Pascagoula River, should produce good flathead and blue catfish in the upcoming fishing season. With increased water levels on both river systems, catfish fishing should get even better. Angler creel surveys and fall angler catch reports have shown that Lake Bogue Homa produced some larger channel/blue catfish throughout 2025 and should continue to produce quality catfish in spring and summer 2026.
For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com or call us at (601) 432-2212.