Many great crappie waters are spread around North America, but none so famous as this north Mississippi reservoir, which consistently produces big numbers of fish surpassing two pounds. But every angler fishing Grenada knows that mixed in with all those limits of big fish will be monsters surpassing three. A fish like that has a mouth big enough to swallow a baseball, is several inches across the back, and truly is bigger than a dinner plate.
The fishing can be good all year long, but the busiest period is during prespawn and spawn, which usually spans from mid-March to early April. This also coincides with the typical rise in water level from winter draw down to summer pool, creating plenty of shallow habitat that attracts fish and anglers.
Many fishing patterns prevail once the water pushes high enough to inundate the brush on shorelines and on islands. Some anglers in bigger boats spider rig the 3- to 7-foot basins in backwaters—holding areas for fish waiting to push shallow to spawn. Meanwhile, spawning fish move into water no more than a foot deep. Wading anglers go after these fish, dropping jigs on short lines from the tips of 10-foot rods as they move from one stick up to another.
If the fish are there, people will come, and they do to Grenada, where parking lots in popular areas like the Greysport landing fill by shortly after sunrise. Collin's Baitshop (662/226-3581) is a good place to get information and a bucket of minnows. The Hampton Inn is a nice place to stay and charge your boat batteries after a day of fishing. It's a short walk to Rip & Jakes, which has decent barbeque, steaks, and burgers. Many great guides work the area, but two of the best are Brandon Fulgham (662/417-9117) and John Harrison (662/983-5999).
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