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1 angler watching on this water. Exact spots stay private, always.
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 chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Shoreline on the chart totals 129.5 miles, broken up by 60 islands. The 5.9 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. About 69% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 15.8 mi of water from one end to the other, 8 mi at the beam. The water lies in Rankin County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Mayes Lake, 14 mi southwest of here.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (16 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
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. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 30 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow flat (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (16 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for white bass tight to the bank in 2 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 11 to 35 ft. Winter channel catfish concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 30 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) |
When the water first warms, blue catfish slide up into 5 to 25 ft. Summer is a 9 to 35 ft game here, winter an 11 to 35 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 30 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Break off the point (16 ft) | |
| Summer | 9 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: flathead catfish in 5 to 20 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 11 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 30 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Rock reef (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) |
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.
Structure-wise the chart holds 21 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 30 ft.
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 Ross Barnett Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Mississippi fishing regulations →
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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, bluegill on Ross Barnett Reservoir. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
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. 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 Ross Barnett Reservoir 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 14 mi · Pearl River 14 mi · Lake Dockery 25 mi · Golden Memorial Park Lake 34 mi · Simpson County Lake 40 mi · Marathon Lake 41 mi · Neshoba County Lake 59 mi · Eagle Lake 61 mi, MS/LA · Lake Claude Bennett 61 mi · Lake Mary Crawford 63 mi · Mississippi River - Vicksburg 66 mi, MS/LA · Okatibbee Reservoir 70 mi
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 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.