Photo by Terry Madewell.

Brushing off the thick layer of frost that covered the frozen boat seat, I began to second-guess my decision to accept my uncle's invitation to join him for a morning of crappie fishing. It was early February and the weather was brutally cold. During this time of year, the water temperatures are as cold as they get here in the Magnolia State.

"It sure is cold this morning. Don't you think it would be better if we came back in say, April, when it's nice and warm?" I suggested, hoping to change my uncle's mind about venturing out onto the big oxbow known by the locals around Natchez as "Old River."

But my pleading was to no avail.

"Nope! The best time to crappie fish is whenever you can!" my uncle shot back. "Besides, crappie eat every day. And this bucket of minnows should be the perfect meal ticket."

Half-heartedly, I guided the small johnboat away from the landing and into deeper water as my uncle intently searched the screen of the depthfinder for big schools of shad. Having located a sizable school of baitfish, he instructed me to shut down the trolling motor and quietly drop anchor at the edge of the school.

As I finished securing the anchor line to the boat, my uncle prepared our 10-foot telescoping crappie poles for a morning of fishing. He quickly strung the monofilament line through the eyes of each pole, tied on a No. 6 long-shank hook to the end of the line, and added a small split weight about six inches above the hook.

Before I could get a minnow on my hook, my uncle had already dropped his bait to the edge of the school of shad 15 feet below. By the time my minnow got to the strike zone, my uncle's had been swallowed, and he was pulling in a 2-pound slab crappie.

"We're going to have some fine eatin' tonight!" he crowed. "Nothing better than some stuffed 'sac-a-lait' to warm you up!"

"You know that's right!" I responded, having completely forgotten about the bitter cold.

Over the next hour, we caught a couple of dozen slab crappie, all identical to that first skillet-sized monster. We turned back another 15 or 20 smaller papermouths. That day, I gained a new appreciation for one of the most enjoyable sports available to Mississippi anglers -- cold weather crappie fishing.

For thousands of Mississippi fishermen, there is no bigger joy than to find themselves sitting on top of a school of slabs. Not only is the action unsurpassed, but the rewards are two-fold in the immediate thrill of the catch and the later feast of delectable fish. To top it all off, nobody in the Magnolia State has to drive very far to find such a hotspot.

"Mississippi anglers are very fortunate," said Ron Garavelli, chief of fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "If you like to do a little perch jerkin', you can find plenty of places. It doesn't matter if you prefer big lakes, small lakes, oxbows or reservoirs -- you won't have to drive far to find one."

As Magnolia State crappie fishing goes, there are excellent lakes in every geographical region of the state. Overall, the fishery is in good shape statewide, which makes it even more difficult to select the best places to try the action in Mississippi. However, limiting the selection to lakes that are better for cool weather crappie does narrow down the choices. These are the top February crappie lakes in Mississippi based upon professional opinions and history.

LAKE CHOTARD
According to seasoned crappie fisherman Paul Johnson of Brandon, Chotard is his favorite body of water when it comes to February crappie fishing holes. This old oxbow is connected to the Mississippi River and is located inside the levee, about 20 miles north of Vicksburg.