Icy weather and brutally frosty winds whipping the surface into froth during late February delayed the spawn on Lake Washington. As the weather improves, so will fishing for all species.
One of the largest and oldest natural lakes in Mississippi, the 3,000-acre Lake Washington about 25 miles south of Greenville, Miss., formed when the Mississippi River changed course more than 700 years ago. The ancient oxbow no longer connects directly to the mighty river, so water levels don’t fluctuate much.
“The fish are in a transition phase,” said “Big” Mike Jones, (662-822-2087) promoter for the Big Mama Crappie Bass Tournament, held every March on the lake. “As the water warms, male crappie start moving into the shallows to spawn. Big females are right outside getting ready to start moving up into the trees.”
During the 24th annual tournament and other events held in early March, anglers caught some crappie exceeding three pounds and numerous fish in the 2.0- to 2.77-pound range. Bass anglers caught some largemouth topping three pounds.
Around the trees
Abundant flooded cypress trees dominate most of one shoreline. Houses, camps and numerous docks line the other side. Private citizens also established countless brush piles. As water warms, crappie and bass both move up under the flooded trees in 2 to 4 feet of water. Smaller males move farther into the flooded timber. Bigger females not quite ready to spawn hang on the outside edges.
“Some of the crappie and bass are staging closer and some are already in shallows,” Jones said. “The lake is about to get on fire as the weather warms. For crappie around the trees in March, I recommend turning off all the electronic devices, putting down Power Poles and jigging around the trees. A chartreuse or pink jighead tipped with a white, silver or blue and white soft-plastic trailer is good to use. Also try a black hair jig.”
The lake produces good numbers of largemouth with quite a few 3- to 5-pound bass and some in the 6- to 8-pound range. Occasionally, someone lands a 10-pound largemouth.
For bass, run buzzbaits or plastic frogs next to the trees or dock pilings. Also work bladed jigs, lipless crankbaits or square-billed crankbaits in shad colors around thick cover. Try thoroughly probing around the trees, dock pilings and other cover with Texas-rigged worms or jigs sweetened with craw trailers to imitate crawfish, a favorite bass meal in early spring.
“March is always a pretty a good time to catch both bass and crappie on Lake Washington,” Jones said. “The bass are starting to bite. They are also getting ready to spawn around the shallow trees. Some people are getting some 3- and 4-pounders and a few bigger ones.”
Other options
The lake also holds abundant catfish. Whiskerfish also start moving into the shallows as the weather warms. Catfish usually start spawning in April. Drake Davis, a 13-year-old from Missouri, recently landed his personal best flathead during the Big Mama tournament on his new B’n’M pole. The fish weighed about 10 pounds.
“The lake can produce some big catfish,” Jones said. “I’ve seen 40- to 90-pound catfish come out of Lake Washington in the past few years.
During March, anglers might also catch some huge white bass, some topping four pounds. White bass also move into the shallows to spawn at this time. White bass typically gather in huge schools and will hit anything that might tempt a largemouth.
They feed mainly on shad, so anything white, gray or silvery should work. Some top lures include small crankbaits, chrome spoons, blade baits and small spinnerbaits in chartreuse, white or shad colors.
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