Outdoor journalist Ken Perrotte shows off a bragging-sized Lake Washington slab.
But some say Lake Washington isn’t producing the numbers of crappie it once did.
Is Lake Washington Crappie Fishing on the Decline?
by Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor
Public Meeting Scheduled with Fisheries Biologists
“We’re losing lots of revenue. Since 2016 our reservations have dropped dramatically. When you come from hundreds of miles away and don’t catch fish, you’re not subject to wanting to come back.”
Those are the words of Mike Jones, owner/operator of Bait ‘N Things Outdoors in Chatham, Miss. Jones has been an ardent cheerleader for fishing and outdoor recreation in Northern Mississippi for decades.
Ask crappie fishing experts everywhere and virtually all will point to North Mississippi lakes as being the best in the county. And usually many would list Lake Washington among the top five. But according to Jones, Lake Washington should no longer be on that elite list.
“I contacted the (MDWFP) after seeing several years of declining crappie catches,” said Jones.
He says a public meeting with representatives of the MDFWP is scheduled for July 13, 6 pm (local time) at Leroy Percy State Park.
Jones said ten years ago it was routine for crappie anglers to head out on Lake Washington and reasonably expect to catch a two-man limit (30 crappie per person, 11-inch minimum).
“Right now, I’d say if you caught 10-15 good fish you would have had an average day,” said Jones.
Jones says he is looking to biologists to help determine what is going on. But two things he sees as an issue on Lake Washington is a lack of adequate law enforcement and an overpopulation of white and yellow bass. Jones say he’s even hoping to organize a “White Bass Derby,” to try and encourage anglers to come and help reduce the numbers.
“There are lots of opinions, pros and cons, across the board about what’s going on,” admitted Jones. “This meeting is a starting point to try and turn things around.”
ARKABUTLA DRAINED
Another one of the top crappie lakes in North Mississippi is looking at some “dry” years ahead, literally.
Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently discovered a potential problem at the base of the Arkabutla Dam. They feared the problem could lead to a severe foundation loss and perhaps even a breach if left untreated.
The lake has been lowered dramatically to make necessary repairs, leaving all boat launch ramps unusable. Officials have said while they are still unsure of an exact timetable, they do expect repairs could take at least two or three years.
Initially levels were lowered to the point that all boat ramps were unusable. However, officials said they are considering keeping lake levels high enough to keep some recreation areas open where people can still swim or if people can still access the boats ramps.
At this writing that is still unclear, but it seems quite apparent that fishing opportunities will be dramatically affected for some time.
