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Fishing Pearl River: what the data says
Ross Barnett spillway through Jackson to Byram: spillway crappie and river cats. The river tops out around 15 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Pearl River
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. LeFleur's Bluff oxbows is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Pearl River
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. 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 fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Blue Catfish fishing at Pearl River
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Barnett spillway tailrace, a creek channel in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for blue catfish in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Pearl River
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Tailout eddy (mile 31.0): a eddy pocket around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Channel Catfish fishing at Pearl River
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. Barnett spillway tailrace is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for summer channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Longnose Gar fishing at Pearl River
Start shallow in spring: longnose gar sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 1 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. LeFleur's Bluff oxbows is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for summer longnose gar. Plan around midday and the evening in the warm months. A rope lure or a small white spinner covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday | Rope lure (hookless nylon), Inline spinner (slow) |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | midday & dusk | Rope lure, Small white spinner |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Rope lure, Small jerkbait (pause-heavy) |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Rees Lake Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Jackson Sewage Lagoon Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Basf Catalysts, LLC Pond Number 4 Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Jackson Sewage Lagoon Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Spillway tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 7.7): creek channel, around 11 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 18.0): creek channel, around 11 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 33.5): creek channel, around 11 ft
- Barnett spillway tailrace: creek channel, around 10 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 31.0): eddy pocket, around 8 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 24.5): eddy pocket, around 8 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 22.3): eddy pocket, around 8 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 11.8): eddy pocket, around 8 ft
Common questions
How deep is Pearl River?
Pearl River is about 15 ft 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.
What fish are in Pearl River?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, longnose gar on Pearl River.
Where is the best fishing spot 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Pearl River?
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.
Nearby waters
Mayes Lake · Lake Dockery · Simpson County Lake · Lake Mary Crawford · Golden Memorial Park Lake · Marathon Lake
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
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