Are you looking for a unique fishing experience this spring? Burnt out on forward-facing sonar and yearning for a simpler experience? Haven’t quite gotten your fill of standing in the flooded timber in your duck waders? Wade fishing in the flooded corps land surrounding Grenada Lake provides anglers with a chance to enjoy some fishing that’s low on tech and high on fun. To learn more about this unique early-season fishery, we sat down with legendary Mississippi crappie guide John Harrison. John has been guiding for over 50 years, and his enthusiasm for Grenada Lake Crappie fishing and catching big slabs in the cypress knees has not waned.
Grenada Lake Overview
Grenada Lake, located in northern Mississippi, is a well-known destination for anglers, especially those seeking crappie. This reservoir, created by the damming of the Yalobusha River, is the largest of the North Mississippi lakes and covers approximately 35,000 acres. The lake was originally built to aid in flood control, but it has since become a popular spot for various recreational activities, including fishing, boating, and camping. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages Grenada Lake, ensuring both the maintenance of the dam for flood control and the preservation of the lake’s natural beauty and recreational value.
The Corps also owns most of the land immediately adjacent to the lake, providing great access to anglers.
Says John, “I’d say 90-95% of the shoreline is public. Folks can either park and walk in, or ride their four-wheeler down to the water. Or, if you want to come in by water, you can take a little jon boat. It has to be small, 15ft tops to get through the timber to where it’s good wading. I’d say it’s easier to come in from the dry ground.”
One of the standout features of Grenada Lake is its reputation for producing large “slab” crappie. This has made the lake a favorite destination for competitive and recreational anglers alike. The lake’s abundance of crappie is attributed to its rich habitat, which includes flooded timber areas and submerged vegetation, providing ideal conditions for crappie to thrive.
Wading in a flooded Mississippi lake may conjure images of alligators; cottonmouths; and bottomless, boot-sucking mud. But according to John, those fears are unfounded.
“A lot of people think, “Well, I can’t do that,”” he says. “”I can’t get out there in that mud and slog around through it.” But it’s not like that here. The ground is solid. Water doesn’t stand there all of the time, so it’s firm and anywhere you go, you can just walk and walk.”
Grenada Lake Water Level And How It Affects Fishing
While Grenada Lake produces big crappie year-round, February is when John starts watching the water levels in anticipation of good wading conditions.
“We plan our trips hoping for high water to arrive in February. That’s the best time for high water to get here, because that’s also when the water starts to warm. Once that water hits 57-58 degrees, those ole male crappie start heading to the bank. It doesn’t matter how high the water gets, they’re going all the way to the bank. So we look for the water to warm, and for the lake level to hit about 217ft. That’s enough to put the water up in the bushes and make for good conditions to wade.”
How To Wade Fish For Crappie
Fishing has become increasingly complicated and gear-intensive over the years. Specialized “crappie boats” nowadays may have thousands of dollars of spider rig rod holders, forward-facing sonar, and other high-tech accessories installed. But wade fishing the flooded timber is a refreshingly simple and low tech method of filling up a stringer.
“Normally, you’re fishing pretty tight,” says John. I like to use a 10ft B&M ultralight pole, because I’ll fish for several hours and it helps to have a light pole. I use a little bit heavier line when wading than what I otherwise would, because you’ll be pulling fish out of some pretty thick stuff sometimes. I like about a 10lb test line. That way, even if you nick your line or something, you’ve got enough strength to lift that fish up out of trouble. And you won’t have but about eighteen inches to two feet of line out, because you’re fishing knee to waist deep.”
“As far as jigs go; I just stick a few in my pocket and go. I use a lot of crappie magnet products, and it doesn’t matter what color they are as long as they’re lime, chartreuse, or chartreuse and lime!” he jokes. “I usually put them on a 1/16 oz jig head. You don’t need much weight at all because again, you’re fishing really shallow.”
“When you’re wading,” he continues, ”the easiest way to keep fish is to put them on one of those old, cheap, chain stringers. That way you can just keep it clipped to your waders and clip a fish on quickly when you catch him. But I’ll tell you one thing, on Grenada you can’t keep a crappie under twelve inches. You’ll want some sort of measuring device to make sure that’s a legal fish. Either a ruler, or tape measure, or I like to put a mark on my rod so that I can quickly see if he makes the cut before I decide to put him on the stringer. But you cannot take him into possession if he’s not twelve inches.”
Grenada Lake Crappie Timber Fishing Tips
Once you’ve donned your waders and armed yourself with the appropriate tackle, it’s just a matter of finding the fish. John offers a few pointers for folks new to fishing the area.
“Crappie will relate to the cypress knees,” he reveals. “Not so much the tree itself, but the knees around it. So if you see a big tree, start fishing fifteen or eighteen feet out from the trunk all around it. If you catch one, then you know you’re onto something. Just stand right there and keep fishing in that area. There will usually be several more around it.”
“You also have to realize that your warmest water will be closest to the bank,” he continues. “And that’s what they’re looking for early in the year. It may just be a couple of degrees warmer, but they’re going to move into that warm water. You may be fishing waist deep and not catch one, but move to knee deep and find them. We’ve gone fishing before and caught them about six inches deep in some grass where six hours prior, it was dry dirt. Sometimes you can actually see them moving in the grass, or you’ll see a wake like a redfish.”
Grenada Lake Cabins And Campgrounds
Thanks to all of the public access around it, Grenada Lake is an awesome destination for anglers looking for something new. The Corps also maintains several nice campgrounds, and it’s not difficult to find cabins and motels for travelers looking for the “glamping” experience.
“North Graysport Campground is a really nice Corp campground,” says John. “There’s another one that they call the North Abutment, and then you have another one behind the levee at Grenada. And there are a lot of Airbnb places around the lake as well if you don’t want to camp. It’s usually not hard to find a place to stay, unless you’ve got an Ole Miss or Mississippi State game that weekend. And in town you’ve got a lot of nice places to eat. If you stay at Grenada you’ve got Jake and Rip’s nearby, you’ve got Carmella’s Ristorante, and you’ve got Magnolia Smokehouse Grill. All good places to eat.”
Grenada Lake Crappie Guides
John is undoubtedly the premier guide when it comes to wade fishing, but his available slots book up fast.
“I have three or four guides that work for me, but we fill up fast,” he says. “Usually by the end of January, I’m booked for the spring. We’ve been doing this for a long time. Folks that fish with me in March and April, usually they go ahead and book next year’s trip right after this year so that they make sure they get the window they want.”
If you’re looking to make a trip and John isn’t available, consider using Guidesly, the first mobile platform designed specifically for anglers. Guidesly connects users with experienced fishing guides, simplifying the process of finding and booking guided trips. The platform addresses common issues in booking fishing trips such as finding guides, sifting through reviews, managing transactions, and ensuring a seamless mobile experience. With Guidesly, you can view real-time availabilities of guides, read genuine reviews, and enjoy personalized fishing experiences tailored to your preferences, including body of water, fish type, and price options.
Guidesly’s location search services can help you find guides local to specific areas, such as Grenada Lake. It also offers easy payment options with fixed prices and no hidden charges. This means you can book your Grenada Lake crappie fishing trip with confidence and ease, ensuring a safe, enjoyable, and personalized fishing experience
Final Thoughts
In John’s own words, “If you’ve never wade-fished for crappie in the springtime when the water starts to warm up, you ought to add it to your bucket list.” Grenada Lake provides a perfect opportunity for a unique experience chasing America’s finest-eating gamefish, and it’s the perfect way for sportsmen to transition out of hunting mode and into the fishing mindset for 2024.
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