Under the rising sun, a peaceful Mississippi morning is disturbed by the clacking of blades and the sputtering of water: Churning over the shallows and through the shadows, a buzzbait runs across the surface of the lake. The repetitive sound is hypnotic -- until . . .

Sploosh!

Water suddenly erupts from below the lure, splashing several feet in the air and shattering any semblance of peace. A giant bass has smashed an angler's buzzbait, and the hookset rocks the boat; the battle's on. The fisherman calls in his excitement to let his partner know that he's engaged with an irate bass.

"Get the net! It's a big one!" he hollers.

As the fish makes run after run to reach cover, the water continues to boil. But the 7-foot medium-heavy rod and 20-pound braided line are too much for the bass, and it's eventually pulled alongside the boat and into the net. Pictures are taken, high-fives shared.

Just another among thousands of magic moments shared by anglers each year in the Magnolia State -- and a memory to last a lifetime.

A wallhanger? It could be, if that's your dream. Or, if you prefer numbers to trophies, perhaps just one of several bites on the same day.

Whether it's quantity or quality that floats your boat, you can find it for sure in the bass-rich Magnolia State. The purpose of this story is to help you plan another great year of bassin' in Mississippi.

These top spots have a lot to offer, and so merit inclusion on anyone's annual fishing agenda. Presented in geographical order, they've been chosen to include all areas of the state and to provide a mix of various types of waters. Rest assured: Dozens of lakes could have been listed -- so many to choose from, so little space. But these will certainly do.

BAY SPRINGS LAKE
No discussion of bass fishing in Mississippi would be complete without some mention of the Tenn-Tom Waterway, but rarely do you hear this 6,700-acre impoundment mentioned.

Bay Springs Lake is unique to Mississippi -- and that's part of its attraction. It's only one of two smallmouth fisheries in the state, and the only one entirely within its borders; it also contains top-quality largemouths. Yet its biggest attraction may be its trophy Kentucky spotted bass. It's without doubt Mississippi's best destination for spots.

Combined, all three of the bass represent the prime promise of Bay Springs: an opportunity to catch a boatload of fish on any given day.

Fishing patterns vary, but the lake's design promotes main-lake points and secondary points in its bigger coves. "That's where the majority of the spots and the bigger largemouths are taken most of the year," said Larry Pugh, the newly-appointed assistant chief of fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, who spent the previous decade in the northeast corner of the state. "It is one of the few lakes in the state where you can talk about fishing main-lake points and be talking 35, 40 or even 50 feet. And that's how deep some of the bigger spots are caught in the summer."