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Fishing Ross Barnett Reservoir: what the data says
33,000-acre reservoir near Ridgeland. 'the Rez'. a sprawling Pearl River reservoir above Jackson that is central Mississippi's premier bass and crappie lake, rimmed with cypress and grass. The lake tops out around 35 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 Ross Barnett Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Ross Barnett Reservoir
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 18 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Ross Barnett Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Pearl River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Ross Barnett Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. Pearl River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Ross Barnett Reservoir
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 9 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 18 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 | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 9 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Ross Barnett Reservoir
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 11 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in fall. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday |
Ross Barnett Reservoir also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 18 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8.421496310580498 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5.278534244080751 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Pearl River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Pelahatchie Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3.705037299932694 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3.5721944337854357 ft
Common questions
How deep is Ross Barnett Reservoir?
Ross Barnett Reservoir is about 35 ft (11 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.
What fish are in Ross Barnett Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish on Ross Barnett Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Ross Barnett Reservoir?
Shallow bay flat 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 Ross Barnett Reservoir?
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
Pearl River · Mayes Lake · Lake Dockery · Golden Memorial Park Lake · Simpson County Lake · Marathon Lake
See how Ross Barnett Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Mississippi · best white bass lakes in Mississippi · best crappie lakes in Mississippi · best bluegill lakes in Mississippi
Browse all Mississippi fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.