District 2 – Sardis Lake: Last Updated:   6/17/2008: Water level 265.17, falling 0.11 foot/day, mostly clear.

For water level information, call (662) 563-4531 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt.

Wyatt’s Crossing Outdoors and Long’s Sporting Goods and Quick Stop both report catfishing has been good with best luck on trotlines. For bass, fish soft plastics in cover on main lake points 12 – 14 feet deep.

This past weekends Crappie Masters tournament was won with 11.30 pounds (seven fish); big fish was 2.05. Most participants caught fish with eight pounds coming in 30th place.

Top strings were taken trolling chartreuse/orange crankbaits 12 – 19 feet deep from Clear Creek to Coontown. Winning weight was two pounds more than last year and participants and tournament officials remarked on the improved size of fish.

There may be bream bedding over sand or gravel bottoms with the full moon; fish crickets or redworms 2 – 4 feet deep. Piney Point to Blackwater Creek and on the flooded road at Hurricane Landing are traditional bedding areas.

The lake is 5.2 feet over summer pool (260 feet by May 1).*

MDWFP biologists investigated a kill of an estimated 31,000 white bass on Sardis twoweeks ago.

White bass were in very poor shape during last fall’s sampling from the drought and were susceptible to disease. Only adult white bass were affected; preliminary findings suggest the kill was due to bacteria normally found in the water that infect fish when stressed. White bass are not hardy fish and are naturally short-lived.

The spillway had one gate open 6.0 feet, one open 7.0 feet June 17. Channel catfish on chicken liver or cut shad have been the best bet.

For flatheads, use live bait. White bass can be taken in the faster water. Some crappie have been caught, mainly from the north bank. For spillway fishing regulations, check http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35598.

Enid Lake: Water level 253.19, stable, murky to clear. For water level information, call (662) 563-4571 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt.

Best luck for crappie seems to be from folks trolling 15 – 20 feet deep in the mouth of Longbranch and other creeks; for keepers, fish crankbaits. Best luck for largemouth bass has been from main lake points; fish crankbaits and soft plastics.

Channel catfish have been biting worms, liver, or cut shad on the rip-rap rocks on the dam or boat ramps and in Otoucalofa Creek. Some good coolers of bream have come from the Wallace and Hubbard Creek cove; they should be bedding on the full moon.

The dam near the spillway tower has also been giving up a lot of bream on crickets or worms. White bass have been schooling off main lake points in the evenings; use jigs or small crankbaits. The lake is 3.2 feet above summer pool (250 feet)*.

The spillway had one gate open 0.25 foot (50 cfs) Tuesday. Best luck here has been for channel catfish on standard baits. A few flatheads are showing up on live bait.

Bream fishing has been good on crickets, and some largemouths can be taken on black plastic worms. For spillway fishing regulations, check http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35598.

Arkabutla: Water level 234.89, falling 0.15 foot/day, murky to clear.

For water level information, call (662)562-6261 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt.

Recent rains may bring the lake up a little, but it’s still clear in the backwaters of some creeks. Crappie have been very scattered in heavy cover with very few being caught.

Best luck has been fishing chartreuse jigs five feet deep in seven feet of water. A few fish have been caught recently trolling six feet deep in creek mouths. Fishing has been good for blue (white river or white humpback) and channel catfish, especially in any inflowing water, with worms on trotlines.

For flatheads, live bait is better. Some good white bass catches can be made off main lake points in the evenings; fish two white/blue jigs five feet deep under a cork. For largemouths, look for clearer water and fish spinnerbaits or buzzbaits in flooded cover early or late.

Main lake points have been holding bass all day. There may be bream bedding over flooded gravel roads on the full moon; fish crickets. The lake is 14.9 feet above rule curve.* Expect the lake to be drawn down as fast as the weather and river levels in the Delta permit.

The spillway had one gate open 7.5 feet June 17. Best fishing here has been for catfish on the wingwalls. A few crappie have been taken in quieter water. For spillway fishing regulations, check http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35598.

Grenada Lake: Water level 214.27, stable, murky to muddy, clearing. For water level information, call (662) 226-5911 or check http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/riverstage/bullet.txt.

Collins Bait Shop reports best luck for crappie has mostly been coming from the Yalobusha side from Graysport to Carver Point fishing 10 – 13 feet deep.

Anglers have been taking about 10 keepers a day slow-trolling the main lake or jigging isolated cover. Deeper water and bigger baits have been keys to landing larger crappies.

There’s been some good catfish landed grabbling. Channel catfish have been biting worms or crickets on the rip-rap rocks on the dam or boat ramps. Blues have been more likely caught on trotlines. Few reports on largemouths; try crankbaits or soft plastics on main lake points. The lake is 0.7 foot below summer pool (215 feet)*.

The spillway had one gate open 0.5 foot (100 cfs) Tuesday. A few crappie, catfish, and white bass have been landed recently; crappie mostly in the old river run, catfish and white bass in the faster water.

Most catfish have been hitting nightcrawlers, but fish live bait for flatheads. For spillway fishing regulations, check http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35598.

*The low water last year allowed colonization of vegetation on mudflats to be flooded this year. This vegetation will provide cover for small fishes and pump nutrients into the water as it decays.

Woody vegetation provides long term fish habitat. Much of the original cover on the flood control reservoirs drowned from prolonged flooding in 1973.

Cypresses, buttonbush, and other “buckbrush” recolonized in the mid-to late 1980’s, but drowned from flooding in 1989 and 1991. High water provides a short term boost to fisheries, but does more long term damage to fish than low water by destroying habitat.

Effective August 6, 2007: On Arkabutla Lake, Enid Lake, Grenada Lake and Sardis Lake the daily creel limit for crappie will be 20 per person.

The minimum length limit for crappie at these lakes will be 12 inches. Anglers fishing Arkabutla Lake, Enid Lake and Sardis Lake may use no more than five poles per person.

Grenada Lake anglers may use no more than 3 poles per person. The 12 inch length limits do not apply to these reservoir spillways. However, these spillways, including Sardis Lower Lake, will have a 20 fish creel limit.