Cliff Covington.

Great catfishing can be had the entire length of the Big River. However, caution is advised since the Mississippi River is always potentially dangerous, especially during the spring when it is rising. (Cont.)

Other Choices: No longer a secret, Grenada Lake is likely the top trophy crappie lake in the country. The hot lures for slabs at Grenada are pink or black-and-chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows.

But if largemouth bass are what you want, Okhissa Lake in Franklin County continues as the hands-down winner this month.

APRIL
White Bass
Bayou Pierre
Whether you call them sand bass, rock bass, bar fish or silver bass, white bass provide the hottest springtime fishing action available in Mississippi. There’s no better time and place to pursue these vicious little fighters than during their annual spring spawning run on Bayou Pierre near Port Gibson.

Following the mass exodus of schooling fish as they make their way up the bayou to spawn is the most productive technique. Your best bets for finding these giant schools of fish is along the sandbars, run-outs, and where the murky backwater meets the clear current from upstream. Although white bass attack most any lure, small rattling crankbaits in shad or crawfish colors work best.

Other Choices: April is a great month to wade-fish for speckled trout on the barrier islands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

But don’t forget that redear sunfish are moving onto their beds in farm ponds across the Magnolia State. Crickets or worms fished in the beds yield fantastic catches of shellcrackers.

MAY
Bluegill
sState Lakes
Bluegills are without a doubt the most popular sport fish in the Magnolia State and definitely one of the most abundant. All of the state lakes operated by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks are great choices for bedding bluegills. Fishing is best a few days on either side of the full moon.

While crickets are the bait of choice, tiny jigs or flies like the Bream Killer can be deadly when fishing active bream beds.

Some of the better state-run bream lakes are Lake Mary Crawford in Lawrence County, Lake Perry in Perry County and Lake Mike Connor in Covington County. A complete list and description of all the state managed lakes can be found by logging onto www.mdwfp.com and linking to State Lakes.

Other Choices: In case you haven’t taken the hint, Okhissa Lake is a great largemouth bass lake any month.

Despite the heavy fishing pressure, Sardis Lake is a good choice for crappie this month.

JUNE
Hybrid Bass
Eagle Lake
Although trolling is often a last resort for many fishermen, I have found it to be very productive for big hybrid bass on Eagle Lake. Located just north of Vicksburg, this horseshoe-shaped oxbow is hybrid striper heaven. Starting in late spring, big hybrids school up in deeper water, and trolling deep-diving crankbaits is my best method of catching them.

While silver-and-blue, silver-and-black, white-and-yellow, and fire tiger hues of diving Rapala Shad Raps or Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps are the preferred color schemes, the key is getting the lure down to the fish in the deep holes.

A great source of information on Eagle Lake fishing is Hadad’s Outdoor World in Vicksburg. Call them at (601) 636-5102.

Other Choices: Shark fishing heats up this month outside the barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico. Drift-fishing behind the shrimp boats using an 8-pound bonita for bait is very productive.

Hand-grabbing flathead catfish on the upper Big Black River is reaching its peak this month for the not so faint of heart.