on rebound

It looks like the good fishing our area lakes are known for is returning. Since 2001 the fish &045; or lack of fish &045; have been a problem in the Miss-Lou.

Low water levels and the largemouth bass virus (LMBV) are the major reasons for the tough bass and crappie fishing we faced over the past two years.

Lakes St. John, Bruin and Concordia have produced some nice bass and stripers recently, and I am sure the crappie are biting, too.

There are just not many cold-water crappie fishermen fishing these lakes. Head over to the Saline/Larto Complex south of Jonesville, and you’ll see where all the fishermen and women are.

It is not unusual to see 50 to 60 boats on Saturday morning fishing for crappie on Larto Lake.

There are plenty of bass fishermen out this winter. More and more people are becoming aware the bass in our lakes are much easier to fish, and they produce larger and more fish during the winter months than any other time of year.

Lake Bruin continues to live up to its reputation as the best cold-water bass lake in this area. You can catch bass from 2 feet to 25.

There are some fish holding on the cypress roots, around the pier pilings and offshore in deep-water, man-made cover.

Jigs, flipping tubes, Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and jigging spoons are the only lures you need on Lake Bruin for the next two months. Five bass limits weighing 20 plus pounds are common.

I fished Lake Concordia recently and landed a 6 1/2-pound and a 5-pound bass along with a couple of smaller fish.

This is a lake I have really been worried about. It was once common to catch 8- to 10-pound fish during the colder months.

The LMBV hit the lake in 2001, killing most of the bass over 4 pounds. The 15- to 19-inch protected-length limit was removed from the lake, and things were not looking good for Lake Concordia.

Bass fishermen avoided the lake, and the few tournaments held on Concordia this year produced very little to no fish. Hopefully, the lack of fishing pressure and the higher water levels will help the lake rebound.

I plan on fishing Concordia over the next few days, and I’ll let you know the results next week.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and my family and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at

fishingwitheddie@highstream.net

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