52 Mississippi Sportsman^ | April 2015
about a drop of about a half a foot to a foot and it was hold-
ing fish. It was a few hundred yards long. I don’t know what
caused the trough, but that little bit of change made a huge
difference in the fishing. It was like a drop from 3 feet to 4
feet and the trout liked it.”
Thomas said the trough held fish through to the first week
of June, before the trout moved and the trough suddenly
disappeared.
“I guess it just filled in with the surf after a couple of
storms blew in, but it was fun while it lasted,” he said.
“Funny how it works. I’ve fished that area for over 10 years
and never found that
trough; then after it pro-
duced some great action
for two months, it was
gone.” ■A key to finding concentrations of speckled trout and
redfish in April is finding big schools of bay anchovy, like
this one that was spit up by a trout caught in the Biloxi
Marsh. BElow, RIGHT: A fun catch anytime, but always
on the banks of the marsh in April, is a slot redfish that
is legal to take home to the grill.Photos by Bobby ClevelandBaitfish bonanza
Bobby Cleveland has
covered sports in Mississippi
for over 38 years. A native of
Hattiesburg and graduate of
the University of Southern
Mississippi, Cleveland lives on
Ross Barnett Reservoir near
Jackson with his wife Pam.