Mississippi fishing reports
124 reports for Mississippi — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Mississippi River Running High at 684K cfs; Crappie Spawn Heating Up
USGS gauge 07289000 logged the Mississippi River at a hefty 684,000 cfs on May 4 — elevated spring-runoff conditions that push fish out of the main channel and into eddies, wing-dam pockets, and oxbow backwaters. That means presenting to the river itself demands slack-water precision right now. While river-specific intel is limited, statewide crappie fishing is legitimately red-hot: Wired 2 Fish and Outdoor Hub both covered a 4.10-pound white crappie pulled from Grenada Lake on April 24 under guide Trent Goss, with Goss describing the 35,000-acre reservoir as "on fire with big crappies" as fish stage pre-spawn. Heavyweight-limit catches were common throughout the morning. For bass, Wired 2 Fish highlights a swimbait-then-finesse follow-up combo for shallow-water bed fish — a technique that translates directly to the slower river backwaters and oxbow coves where bass are likely approaching spawn right now.
Mississippi Snook Record Falls Near Pascagoula — Gulf Species on the Move
Field & Stream reported on April 21 that kayak angler Matthew Mitchell set a new Mississippi state record for snook, landing the fish near Pascagoula Bay on a Z-Man soft-plastic mullet. Per Field & Stream, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources confirms snook are expanding their range into the Pascagoula Estuary, east of Biloxi Harbor — a development pointing to shifting Gulf habitat conditions along the Sound. NOAA buoy 42067 logged 6 m/s winds and an air temperature of 69°F early this morning; no water temperature reading was available. Full Moon conditions this weekend drive strong tidal exchange across the Sound's grass flats and marsh edges, opening prime windows for speckled trout and redfish. Coastal Angler Magazine flags May as a standout month for scamp and king mackerel along Gulf coastal waters. All signs point to an active, multi-species bite this week.
Crappie spawn fires at Grenada Lake as Mississippi runs 679K cfs
USGS gauge 07289000 clocked the Mississippi River at Vicksburg at 679,000 cfs on May 2 — elevated well above typical spring norms and pushing fish off main-channel banks into flooded timber, backwater sloughs, and oxbow lakes. No water temperature is available from the gauge today. The biggest freshwater story in Mississippi right now belongs to crappie: per Wired 2 Fish, guide Trent Goss was hammering heavyweight limits at Grenada Lake on April 24, capping a morning with a 4.10-pound white crappie caught by Illinois angler Barry Girten — and that was no fluke. Outdoor Hub confirms the catch and notes the 35,000-acre north-central Mississippi reservoir has been on fire as fish stage ahead of the spawn, with heavyweight-limit catches described as common. Full Moon conditions peaking this weekend typically supercharge crappie and catfish bites, especially after dark. On the main-stem Mississippi and Pearl Rivers, high off-color flows are pushing fish into slack-water ambush points for channel and blue catfish.
Mississippi Sound Hits 76°F With Spanish Mackerel Push Imminent
NOAA buoy 42067 logged 76°F water in the Mississippi Sound on April 29, running 2–4 degrees warmer than the typical late-April baseline for this stretch of the northern Gulf Coast. Light winds of 3 m/s (roughly 7 mph) and comfortable 75°F air temperatures set up a pleasant day on the water. No Mississippi-specific charter or tackle-shop reports appear in current angler-intel feeds this week, so conditions assessments here draw on seasonal patterns typical for this region at this temperature threshold. At 76°F, speckled trout and redfish are reliably active along inshore grass beds and shell-reef edges, and Spanish mackerel — which historically stage near the barrier islands once Sound temps clear 72–74°F — should be in play or arriving imminently. The waxing gibbous moon sharpens tidal movement over the next few nights, creating stronger current windows that favor ambush feeders. Get on the water early.