Most people consider smallmouth bass a “northern” fish since it likes cold water, but Mississippi offers some of the best trophy smallmouth fishing anywhere.
One of the best trophy smallmouth lakes in the nation, Pickwick Lake, spreads across 47,500 acres on the Tennessee River from Wilson Dam in Florence, Alabama, 53 miles down to Pickwick Dam at Counce, Tennessee. Along the way, it clips the northeast corner of Mississippi near Iuka.
“Pickwick Lake is one of the premier smallmouth waters in the nation,” Dustin Rodgers, a fisheries biologist for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks in Tupelo, said. “In Mississippi, smallmouth bass only occur in Pickwick and Bay Springs lakes. Those waterbodies have cooler water temperatures, so they can sustain smallmouth bass.”
Pickwick Lake is one of the premier smallmouth waters in the nation. In Mississippi, smallmouth bass only occur in Pickwick and Bay Springs lakes.
Pickwick Lake produced many smallies in the 5-to 8-pound range and some approaching double digits. Pickwick also produced monster largemouth with at least one hitting 14.50 pounds and many huge spotted bass.
“Pickwick is a dynamite lake for big smallmouth,” Roger Stegall, a professional bass angler and guide from Iuka, said. “I’ve heard of some 10-pound smallmouth. I caught one about eight pounds. People can catch big smallmouth anywhere in Pickwick Lake.”
Thomas Wilbanks set the Mississippi state smallmouth record with a 7-pound, 15-ounce fish he caught in January 1987 while fishing in Yellow Creek. This stream connects Pickwick Lake to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and flows into Pickwick near where the Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi state lines converge.
Magnolia State anglers can also fish Bay Springs Lake, the only waterbody entirely within Mississippi that holds smallmouth bass. The northernmost impoundment on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, covers about 6,700 acres in Tishomingo and Prentiss counties. Bay Springs connects to Pickwick Lake through Yellow Creek via the 29-mile-long Divide Cut.
“Bay Springs is a highland reservoir,” Rodgers said. “It’s really clear and much deeper than most other lakes in Mississippi. Bay Springs Lake is a great winter bass fishery, but anglers typically catch more largemouth and spotted bass than smallmouth. In the winter, follow the baitfish.”
Since smallmouth like colder waters, winter offers one of the best times to catch massive smallies in Mississippi. That’s also when big females swollen with roe reach their maximum size before spawning. Unlike their largemouth bass cousins, smallmouth prefer more current while largemouth like placid waters. Like largemouth, smallies build nests on gravel bottoms, but typically a little deeper and earlier. Pickwick smallmouth usually begin spawning mid-March. Spawning continues through May.
Smallmouth and largemouth hit many of the same lures. Fishing with live shad also makes a great temptation for both species and could deliver exciting action on a cold day. Hook a live shad to the line. Attach a small weight above the bait to hold the fish near the bottom in the current. Drift along with the current. Ideally, the bait should hover just off the bottom and move downstream at the same speed as the water flow.
For booking trips with Roger Stegall, call 662-423-3869 or visit www.Fishpickwick.com.
