When it comes to bass fishing in the Magnolia State, good things often come in small packages. Mississippi anglers frequently find some of the best bass fishing in small waters.

In fact, the largest bass ever caught in Mississippi came from 230-acre Natchez State Park Lake about 10 miles north of Natchez. On New Year's Eve 1992, Anthony Denny of Washington landed an 18.15-pound largemouth that engulfed a Rattling Rogue. Anglers can still find some lunker largemouths in Natchez State Park Lake, but other smaller waters now overshadow that record-breaking fishery.

"Natchez State Park Lake still produces some good bass, but it's past its peak," said Tom Holman, fisheries coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "Lake Columbia was the best lake in Mississippi for big bass before Hurricane Katrina hit. The storm knocked down some trees in the area and scattered debris, but (Columbia) can still produce some big bass. In 2004, an angler caught a 16-pound bass in that lake. It has some big monsters.

"For lakes that haven't been affected by Hurricane Katrina, Simpson County Lake and Lake Ross Barnett in Mize are the best for big bass," he continued. "Lake Mike Connor is also a good bass lake."

Hurricane Katrina smashed into the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. It ruined fishing in the coastal areas for a time and caused a fish kill in some coastal rivers and at Lake Bogue Homa, a 1,200-acre lake about six miles east of Laurel. Built in 1939, Bogue Homa produced some excellent bass catches in the past, including a 13-pound, 10-ounce potbelly landed by Cliff Hensarling in 1995.

"From Jackson north, we saw very little damage to the fisheries from Katrina," said Bubba Hubbard, assistant chief of fisheries for the MDWFP. "The hurricane greatly affected probably only the area around the Pascagoula River, the oxbow lakes off the river and a few coastal streams. We had some fish kills in the coastal rivers, because of oxygen depletion and saltwater intrusion from the storm surge."

One of 24 fishing lakes operated by the MDWFP, Lake Columbia dates back to 1957. Renovated and restocked in 1996, this 90-acre lake, 12 miles southeast of Columbia in the Marion County Wildlife Management Area, reopened to public fishing in April 2000.

Anglers may keep up to five bass per day with a slot limit of 14 to 18 inches. Bass in that size range must be released. Anglers may keep only one bass per day exceeding 18 inches in length.

The lake has produced many double-digit bucketmouths in the past. To tempt really big bass in the spring, many anglers use live golden shiners or sight-cast soft plastics to bedding bass in the fairly shallow lake.

Simpson County Lake, a 94-acre pond four miles north of Magee, can also produce excellent catches of big bass. Restocked and reopened in 1993 after a complete draining, the lake has produced bass in the 13- to 14-pound range. Many people expect the lake to top that plateau soon. An abundant panfish population keeps the big bass fat and happy.

"Simpson County Lake has been producing 10-pound-plus bass for the past several years, especially in the fall," Holman said. "It's fairly shallow with lots of cover at the upper end. The best way to fish that lake for big bass is to fish early in the morning with live golden shiners. The area around the fishing pier is very good.

"Also, many anglers troll down the middle of the lake," he added. "In 2004, one angler caught a 14-pounder. It's not unusual for anglers to catch double-digit bass if they know what they are doing."