http://www.MS-Sportsman.com April 2015 | Mississippi Sportsman 19
late March and April. They will be on the beds on the
full and new moons this month, and might still be in
the area on the May 4 full moon when the bluegill
arrive on the beds.- Trace State Park: Go to the two lakes at this
State Park near Pontotoc for the bass fishing — but
carry a bream pole on the trip. One of the most-
popular small public waters in the state for bass fans,
this lake has some wonderful shallow coves that fill
with redear in April. The dimpled bottom of one of
the coves is a sure sign to put down the bass gear
and pick up a jig pole or fly
rod and start putting a cricket
or fly to work. I once caught
a stringer of 25 redear in one
pocket that weighed 24 1/
pounds. Incredible. - Tippah County Lake:
Ounce for ounce, this state
lake might just be the best
redear water in the South. It
might be difficult to match
the state-record redear of
3.33 pounds caught at this
lake near Ripley in 1991, but
it’s one of the places in Mis-
sissippi where it is possible.
Redear between 1 and 1 1/
pounds are common in April.
There are a lot of bedding
areas, but start on the upper
end. - Tie, between all the
other Mississippi Depart-
ment of Wildlife, Fisheries
and Parks state lakes: OK,
so I am taking the easy way
out to avoid picking another
specific lake. But the fisheries
biologists at the state wildlife
agency will support me on
this decision. Every one of the
state lakes and state park lakes
they manage has redear —
lots of them. The best news is
that one of the all-time best
redear lakes will reopen to
fishing in May. The 300-acre
Lamar Bruce Lake near Tupelo
at Saltillo was drained but
completely restocked and
should be productive from
the start. ■
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CCA Events
Three of Mississippi’s seven chapters of the Coastal Conservation
Association will hold fund-raising events in the coming weeks. These
banquets and related functions are the organization’s biggest source
of revenue to fund its efforts to protect the rights of sport fishermen.
The Biloxi Bay Chapter will hold its annual banquet and $7,500 draw-
down at 6:30 p.m. on April 18. A ticket for two is $100, and includes
meals, drinks, CCA membership and an entry in the drawdown.
The Pine Belt Chapter in Hattiesburg will hold its annual banquet
April 23 at 6 p.m. at the Venue downtown. Tickets are $55 for single,
and $85 for couples and include dinner and an annual membership.
The Central Mississippi Chapter of Jackson will hold its annual ban-
quet May 1 at the Sparkman Auditorium of the Agriculture and For-
estry Museum Complex in Jackson. Single tickets are $55 and couples
tickets are $85.
For information on these events and other CCA Mississippi news,
visit the organization’s new website at http://www.cca.ms.