Bass, bream, catfish and crappie: Catch giant, trophy fish at these top MS state lakes
If you're looking for a place to fish, Mississippi state lakes are hard to beat because they're spread out across the state and each offers excellent fishing.
"We've got state lakes all the way up to Tippah County and all the way down to Perry County," said Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks' Fisheries director Jerry Brown. "They range from 70 acres to 882 acres. From a fisheries management standpoint, our biologists intensely manage the lakes."
And anyone can fish them. For people with boats, the lakes have boat launches and courtesy piers. For people without boats, Brown said there are fishing piers and bank access.
"Access is plentiful," Brown said. "There's plenty of opportunities for our customers whether it's fishing from a boat or from the bank."
All of the lakes offer quality fishing, including lakes at state parks. However, state park lakes are not included in this list because records of biggest fish aren't kept. It is worth noting that Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park Lake produced the state record largemouth bass weighing 18.15 pounds.
Our state lake managers keep records of the largest fish caught. So, whether you're fishing for bass, bream, crappie or catfish, here are the state lakes that have produced the biggest, including two state records.
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Largemouth bass: Lake Bill Waller
Location: Columbia
Acreage: 168 acres
Camping: No camping is available.
Slot: Bass 18 inches-22 inches must be released.
Biggest bass: 15.88 pounds
More information: 601-736-1861
Bluegill: Lake Perry
Location: Beaumont
Acreage: 68 acres
Camping: 15 camping pads with electrical and water hookups
Biggest bluegill: 1.8 pounds
More information: 601-784-6119
Catfish: Lake Tom Bailey
Location: Meridian
Acreage: 182 acres
Camping: 22 camping pads with electrical and water hookups
Biggest catfish: 51.75 pounds, state record channel catfish
More information: 601-632-4679
Crappie: Lake Perry
Location: Beaumont
Acreage: 68 acres
Camping: 15 camping pads with electrical and water hookups
Biggest crappie: 3.5 pounds
More information: 601-784-6119
Redear sunfish: Tippah County Lake
Location: Ripley
Acreage: 145 acres
Camping: 22 camping pads with electrical and water hookups, dump station onsite
Biggest redear: 3.33 pounds, state record
More information: 601-837-9850
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: These are the top MS state lakes for bass, bream, catfish and crappie