Arkabutla
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Date
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17-Mar-24
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Water Condition
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Water Temperature
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Conditions
: ?Arkabutla: The lake is being maintained at a low level for dam assessment and repair. Any water level rise is followed by a fast drawdown. Some folks are bank or kayak fishing for fish concentrated in creek and river pools. Catfish have been biting in the creeks and river. It's a little early for the white bass spawning run, but worth a try in the creeks and river. Use baits and lures appropriate for your target fish (ex. soft plastics for bass, jigs for crappie, natural baits for catfish). Reported by: MDWFP |
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About: -
Arkabutla
Lake is an impoundment of the Coldwater River and lies just east of I-55
near Hernando. It is the shallowest of the big lakes (Sardis, Enid and
Grenada)and the least affected by spring rises and fall drawdowns. Its many
creek channels and coves and the backwaters off the Coldwater offer excellent
bass cover. The bass fishing is excellent, and it rarely gets pressured.
Crappie spawning in Arkabutla is normally from the first of April through mid-May, but it may vary a week or more depending on weather, moon phase, etc. Crappie spawned nearly a month later than normal the last couple of springs because a cold winter made main lake temperatures where crappie overwinter very cold. Main lake temperatures are warmer this winter and a more normal spawning time is expected unless we get an unusually cool spring. Not all crappie spawn at the same time; larger females usually spawn first and get the best spots. Black Crappie usually spawn earlier than White Crappie (males of both species get dark during the spawn; do not use color to tell the species apart). Location: Tate & Desoto Counties, 7.5 miles West of Coldwater, off Coldwater-Arkabutla
Road.
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- Blue Catfish
- Largemouth Bass
- Crappie
- Shad
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Misc Info: -
2018 - The daily creel limit for crappie is 15 per person. Crappie must be over 12 inches long. Anglers may use no more than 4 poles per person and no more than 2 hooks or lures per pole. There is a 40 crappie per boat limit for boats with 3 or more anglers. The 12 inch length limit does not apply to the reservoir spillway, but the spillway has a 15 crappie creel limit. Limits on Black Bass (Largemouth and Spotted Bass) are statewide limits: no size limit, 10 fish per person daily. MDWFP fall 2017 electrofishing found most Gizzard Shad were 3 4 inches long (2017 spawn). Threadfin Shad were seen for the first time; most were 1 - 2 inches. Blue Catfish ("white river cats or "white humpbacks") were the most abundant catfish; they ranged from 12 - 36 inches with big peaks at 19 and 30 inches. White Bass were less numerous than in past years; most were young-of-year (YOY) less than 10 inches, or older fish over 14 inches. Largemouth Bass were 3 - 19 inches with good proportions less than 12 inches and from 15 - 19 inches. Crappie were 2 - 14 inches with lots of "short fish". Considering spring water levels, there was a good crappie spawn (mostly 3 inch YOY); keepers were mainly 13 inches.
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