Delta Region Archives - Page 8 of 25

Scott Lewis scored first with a big, battle-scarred blue catfish.

Mississippi Monsters — Top fishing tips for Mississippi River catfish

October 1, 2015 Jerald Horst

It looked like a sea monster when it first came up.

The wide, slate-gray body did a rolling churn when it surfaced in the turbid Mississippi River water. […]

Craig Jones (bearded, second from left) and his hunting party and friends stand behind the 319-pound female alligator taken Sunday morning at Eagle Lake. It is the first female over 300 pounds taken by a hunter in Mississippi in 11 years, obviously making it the new state record for that division.

New record for heaviest female gator

August 31, 2015 Bobby Cleveland

Another day of the alligator season, another record broken.

On Sunday, biologist Ricky Flynt certified a 319-pound female gator caught by Craig Jones of Mendenhall at Eagle Lake. It is by nearly 24 pounds the heaviest female gator taken in 11 years of alligator hunting in Mississippi. […]

Natchez's Clayton Gibson, Parker Gibson, Reeve Gibson and Aidan Gibson( left to right) kneel behind the 822-pound alligator they caught Friday night just off the Mississippi River on the opening evening of the Mississippi alligator season. It beat the previous record for heaviest gator by 30 pounds.

Mississippi state record for heaviest gator set this weekend, MDWFP says

August 30, 2015 Bobby Cleveland

This is how an alligator season should begin. The first night of Mississippi’s public-waters season saw two records broken — separate reptiles that produced new standards for the heaviest and longest gators ever taken in the state. […]

Morton's Kennie Crechale (right) killed the first Mississippi alligator ever certified to exceed 14 feet on Aug. 29, hunting with partner Ronnie Clifton of Petal. Hunting on a Private Lands Permit, Crechale shot the 14-foot, ¾-inch gator weighing 826 pounds on Davis Island in the Mississippi River.

Gator records shattered with Davis Island monster

August 30, 2015 Bobby Cleveland

State biologist Ricky Flynt had no way of knowing that hours before he had certified two alligators as the heaviest and longest ever killed in Mississippi’s hunting season, both had already been beaten by one Delta gator. […]

A fly rod is a favorite for bream anglers, using bugs and poppers on the surface and slow-sinkers such as black gnats and ants to go after the deeper bream.

The Eagle Lake option

July 15, 2015 David Hawkins

Eagle Lake is another oxbow but far less affected by the changes of the river. It is a well-developed area with many houses and boat houses along much of the lake. With the river restrained by levees, Eagle offers anglers a pretty even shot and getting on bream just about any time. […]

While most bream anglers use live bait, there is the artificial alternative: Small lures come in a variety of sizes and styles. Light tackle for bream is a great way to teach new anglers the fun of using a rod and reel.

Best baits and tackle

July 15, 2015 David Hawkins

There is no shame in using a cane pole with live bait, a combination that has fed many a hungry stomach.

But a Mississippi-based company, B&M Poles of West Point, offers a vast array of poles made of fiberglass and space-age materials. Crappie poles also work well for bream and collapse for easy storage and travel. […]

Don’t overlook Eagle Lake, where this 2-pound bluegill was taken from underneath a boat house. A few of these would make a big meal.

Flat is where it’s at

July 15, 2015 David Hawkins

Bream are renowned for bedding on a full moon. A male will make the nest, a shallow depression in the sand or silt on the bottom of the lake. A new moon causes a similar but lesser bedding period. […]

When four bream, three bluegills and a redear, are big enough to cover the lid of a cooler, you know there’s a delicious meal waiting at the end of a fun day of fishing.

Having a nose for bream

July 15, 2015 David Hawkins

Fish long enough and you will notice a pungent smell near bedding locations. Some anglers compare it to the smell of ripe watermelon. It will appear in conjunction with a thin, oily film on the surface of the water. […]

Chotard Lake, an oxbow off the Mississippi River, is famous for producing hand- and ice chest filling catches of bluegill.

Hanging out

July 15, 2015 David Hawkins

Even when bream are not bedding, they congregate in schools near brush or other structure that offers cover from predators. At Lake Chotard, the many trees and tops are great places to begin the search. […]

Chotard Lake, an oxbow off the Mississippi River, is famous for producing hand- and ice chest filling catches of bluegill. Alex Stuart uses worms and crickets to get a mess for dinner.

Bluegill fishing on Lake Chotard and Eagle Lake

July 1, 2015 David Hawkins

Those of us dragging 65 or more years behind us remember when fishing at Lake Chotard meant double-checking river gages, crossing the Little Sunflower River and Steele Bayou on a barge ferry powered by a Ford Model A engine, and dodging potholes along a muddy road to reach Laney’s Fish Camp.

[…]

After getting poked a few times with a rod tip and having its back rattled by trolling motor blades, an alligator about this size took the writer and his spinnerbait for a memorable ride at Eagle Lake.

Surprise: Snag starts swimming off

May 18, 2015 Bobby Cleveland

EAGLE LAKE — When I felt something hit my lure hard, instinctively, I set the hook.

What followed was comical, a bit sobering and never forgotten. […]

Whether it’s from the bed of a UTV or the seat of an ATV, the elevation gives a rabbit hunter an advantage of a better view down into the mass of a thicket.

Toeing a fine line of legality

February 15, 2015 Bobby Cleveland

In Mississippi, according to the law, hunting from a motorized vehicle is illegal. […]