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Ross Barnett spillway through Jackson to Byram: spillway crappie and river cats. The river tops out around 15 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The outline encloses 1,130 acres, worked by 68.9 miles of shoreline. The 14.6 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Figure 23.4 mi of water from one end to the other, 2.8 mi at the beam. It sits in Rankin County. Mayes Lake sits 1 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it LeFleur's Bluff oxbows: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | LeFleur's Bluff oxbows (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | LeFleur's Bluff oxbows (4 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 5 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. Start at Barnett spillway tailrace. It's a creek channel holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | LeFleur's Bluff oxbows (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer keeps them at 4 to 15 ft, and they winter in 5 to 15 ft. Barnett spillway tailrace is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for spring blue catfish. Time it for early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dusk | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Rees Lake Dam tailrace (13 ft) |
When the water first warms, flathead catfish slide up into 4 to 15 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 4 to 15 ft, winter 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Tailout eddy (mile 31.0): an eddy pocket around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 31.0) (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 31.0) (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 31.0) (8 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 31.0) (8 ft) |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Barnett spillway tailrace: a creek channel around 10 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 31.0) (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) |
When the water first warms, longnose gar slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 1 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it LeFleur's Bluff oxbows: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and the evening. Keep a rope lure or a small white spinner rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday | LeFleur's Bluff oxbows (4 ft) | Rope lure (hookless nylon), Inline spinner (slow) |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | midday & dusk | LeFleur's Bluff oxbows (4 ft) | Rope lure, Small white spinner |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Barnett spillway tailrace (10 ft) | Rope lure, Small jerkbait (pause-heavy) |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 31.0) (8 ft) |
18 pieces of structure are mapped here — Rees Lake Dam tailrace, around 13 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Mississippi waters are set by the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — and special regulations can apply to Pearl River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Mississippi fishing regulations →
Pearl River is about 15 ft (5 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, blue catfish, flathead catfish, channel catfish, longnose gar on Pearl River.
LeFleur's Bluff oxbows is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Pearl River is regulated by the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks. Check the official Mississippi regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Mayes Lake 1 mi · Lake Dockery 11 mi · Ross Barnett Reservoir 14 mi · Simpson County Lake 34 mi · Golden Memorial Park Lake 46 mi · Marathon Lake 46 mi · Lake Mary Crawford 51 mi · Eagle Lake 54 mi, MS/LA · Mississippi River - Vicksburg 58 mi, MS/LA · Lake Claude Bennett 66 mi · Lake Bruin 68 mi, LA · Neshoba County Lake 71 mi
See how Pearl River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Mississippi · best crappie lakes in Mississippi · best channel catfish lakes in Mississippi · best flathead catfish lakes in Mississippi
Browse all Mississippi fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.