Crappie guide Brad Chappell shows of a Barnett Reservoir slab. Overall, he says “The Rez” might produce smaller crappie than the trophies found in Grenada and Sardis to the north, but it makes up for it in numbers. (Photo: Richard Simms)
Ridgeland, MS – Barnett Reservoir Host CrappieNOW Media Camp
by Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor
RIDGELAND, Mississippi – The CrappieNOW crew, fishing guides, manufacturers and tourism officials gathered not long ago at Barnett Reservoir in Ridgeland, Mississippi for the 2024 Media Camp. It was an opportunity for fellowship AND a concentrated dose of “media content gathering.”
Barnett Reservoir, better known by locals as “The Rez,” is just about an hour south of the more well-known crappie fishing hotspots – Sardis, Enid and Grenada lakes.
Kelly Durrett, the Director of Sales & Events for the Ridgeland Tourism Commission said, “We are kind of an underrated lake and surprisingly a well-kept secret, even though we are in the Jackson metropolitan area, the State Capitol of Mississippi.”
I understood exactly what she meant when I headed out on The Rez one afternoon with well-known podcaster and local guide, Brad Chappell.
Distant shorelines were just barely visible and it felt like we were dead center of the 33,000-acre lake when Chappell backed his boat down and fired up his electronics. As he headed from the 30-foot main channel up onto a 14-foot ledge toward one of his 3,000 waypoints, a large brushpile came into view on his Garmin Livescope. The brushpile lit up like a Christmas tree and Chappell said, “There’s 150 or 200 crappie in that tree.”
It only took one cast to prove he was right.
Some of those ledges received some additional structure as the CrappieNOW crew added two John Godwin Signature Mossback Fish Habitat structures.
Barnett may not produce as many trophy crappie as its neighbors to the north, but The Rez makes up for it in numbers. For nearly two hours Chappell and I caught one crappie after another – virtually non-stop. Most were 8-10 inches long but several crappie were in the one-and-a-half-pound class.
Unlike Sardis, Enid and Grenada lakes, Barnett Lake is included in the statewide crappie regulations, meaning there is no size limit and each angler is allowed to keep 30 per day. Obviously, it doesn’t always happen, but Chappell says most of his clients go home with a limit of 30 crappie apiece.
For visitors the Madison Landing Boat Launch is just minutes away from excellent hotels and is an impressive launch site. It is a massive, multi-boat launch ramp with plenty of parking, excellent courtesy docks and even offshore barriers to break incoming waves.
Duttrell says besides fishing, “Ridgeland is a really cool city with a hip vibe. We have miles of paved hiking and biking trails and 150 restaurants. These aren’t chain restaurants. These are restaurants with chefs and credentials, a lot a James Beard Award winners. We have 17 hotels and the best shopping in Mississippi.”
If you’re looking for a crappie-fishing destination, you would be wise to check out the opportunities offered on Barnett Reservoir and in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
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Capt. Richard Simms is the Editor of CrappieNOW magazine as well as owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters. Formerly he was a game warden for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency before becoming a photographer and PR guy for TWRA. That lead to a 30-year career as a broadcast journalist and freelance outdoor writer. Follow Capt. Simms other writings on his “Richard’s Ramblings” Facebook page.
