North MS Crappie?

Southern Sportsman

Southern Sportsman

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Anybody fish in North MS? My dad and I used to fish together a fair amount, then I moved to school and my dad took a job in KY, and that put an end to our hunting and fishing together. Now we both find ourselves in the Memphis area, and I'd like to get back into the crappie. I know Arkabuttla and Sardis are supposed to be good, but dont know anything about any of the lakes around here. Any suggestions?
 
I had a duck lease in Sardis ms last year, we stayed in the state park on Sardis lake and there were crappie fisherman all over it, heard it was very well known for crappie . If you go there you can stay in a cabin for CHEAP dying the winter months. Very easy to get to also .
 
I trolled Sardis a few times last year with Bandit crankbaits. I think we caught 21 keepers and 22 crappie total with tons of catfish. It was a good time. Now where to pole fish... Couldn't tell ya.
 
I fish Sardis for crappie when I have time but between turkey hunting and my son wanting to bass fish all the time, I don't get much time. I have 2 buddies with fish camps at Sardis and I know a BUNCH of guys that fish there year round. I usually know what's going on.

I will tell you this: the keeper to catch ratio is better at Enid and it gets less pressure. Shoot me a pm before you go and I can point you in the right direction. Generally speaking crankbaits are over since the cooler weather is here. It's time to spider rig with minnows. The lakes are drawn down and the fish are concentrated. Find a bunch of spider riggers in one spot and ease in there with them. All the crappie will be suspended at one depth. Your graph will tell you how deep to fish.
 
I know this is an old thread but decided to revive it instead of starting a new one.

I used to fish sardis a lot when I was in high school 1998-2001. I had a boat and trolled with crankbaits, caught a lot of fish and had a lot of fun doing it. I had a depth finder and used it a bit but it wasn't very good. I often just rode around watching the poles and could tell when they started hitting bottom that I needed to go out deeper. I'd just ride around till the poles started dropping then threw out a bouy and circle it several times and just cruise around.

The slot limits are higher now and there's a lot of short fish being put back. I've got a boat again and wanted to get back into trolling crankbaits this summer like I used to at sardis and maybe enid. Also my kids are a bit older and I'm sure they'd love it too.

I went wading yesterday at Enid and had a lot of fun and a good day. I have a friend who has a camper down there and let's me know when it's the perfect time to join him. So without him doing the scouting and putting in effort, none of this would have happened. I caught a 1/2 limit of keepers in a half days worth of walking around in leaky waders. It was wet and cold and I probably should pony up and buy a good pair but can't justify it because I'd use them so little.

My friend was also telling me how much the fishing has changed over the last 10-20 years with the live scopes. He said guys are just fishing differently now. Who knows what that will mean for a low rent hack like myself when I try to troll this summer.

Until they figure out how to attach a transducer and a live scope screen onto the front of waders this type of wade fishing for crappie will still survive.

IMG_3526.webp
 
WTG! I got to wade Enid and Sardis for the first time ever last year. What a blast! My friends fishing with LiveScopers caught more, but they admitted it wasn't nearly as much fun as catching them wading.

crappienow.com

Get Your Feet Wet for Slabs, by Capt. Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor - Crappie Now

CrappieNOW Editor Richard Simms said chasing crappie in knee-deep water was an awesome "up-close-and-personal" experience. (Photo by Aaron Barton) Get Your Feet Wet for Slabs by Capt. Richard Simms CrappieNOW Editor I live in East Tennessee and primarily fish Tennessee River reservoirs. In our...
crappienow.com crappienow.com

04012025_wade_fishing1.webp
 
rsimms said:
WTG! I got to wade Enid and Sardis for the first time ever last year. What a blast! My friends fishing with LiveScopers caught more, but they admitted it wasn't nearly as much fun as catching them wading.

crappienow.com

Get Your Feet Wet for Slabs, by Capt. Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor - Crappie Now

CrappieNOW Editor Richard Simms said chasing crappie in knee-deep water was an awesome "up-close-and-personal" experience. (Photo by Aaron Barton) Get Your Feet Wet for Slabs by Capt. Richard Simms CrappieNOW Editor I live in East Tennessee and primarily fish Tennessee River reservoirs. In our...
crappienow.com crappienow.com

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Outstanding, are you going to make another trip this year?
 

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