58 Mississippi Sportsman^ | April 2015
Slab state
Barnett Reservoir >
Sardis Lake
At 31,000 acres of water surface, Sardis is another
large body of water. It sits nine miles east of the
I-55 from Sardis. Coming from the north, take
Mississippi Highway 315. From the south, take
Mississippi Highway 35 east from Batesville.
Batesville has all the accommodations and support
services needed for a fishing trip to Sardis Lake,
which is an hour south of Memphis.
Sardis has a well-established history for producing
good crappie slabs. It is a lake that is often reported
to yield consistent limits of slabs. That may be why
many anglers choose it over some other lakes in
Mississippi.
I have heard, too, that
waterfowl hunters in the fall
also favor Sardis because of
the fine Sardis Waterfowl
area on the northeast end
of the reservoir. It’s a safe
bet that in the winter, duck
hunters find time to drop a
hook in some tree cover in a
bit deeper water in the hopes
of adding some slabs to the
basket for a combo trip.
Like Grenada, Sardis also
has a dozen boat ramps stra-
tegically located all around
the lake for easy access to the
water, and it has John W. Kyle
State Park on its banks.
Kyle has camping spots,
cabins, lodge, boat rental,
laundry facilities and more.
Contact the park at 662-487-
1345.
Different from Grenada,
crankbaits are the preferred
lure for most anglers. Trolling
small-bodied, deep-diving
crankbaits near the mouths
of the major creeks draining
into the lake is a leading pat-
tern.
Popular creeks include
Hurricane, Toby Tubby, Clear,
Greasy, and Blackwater.
Crappie seem to like the flow
of fresh water coming into
the main body of the lake.
Always keep that in mind
when crappie fishing on a
reservoir.Finding a cove
with standing
timber, stumps, a
creek channel and
vegetation —
that’s gold.509 Lumberton Rd., Columbia, MS
Local 601-736-6351
Toll Free 877-736-6351
http://www. wattsbrostractor.comWATTS BROTHERS
IMPLEMENT & SUPPLY CO.
April SAvingS
SAle event
2605
pAckAge
$17,980
Massey
Ferguson 2605
- 38 horsepower tractor
- 5 foot cutter
- 5 ft disc
- Spreader
- 18 ft trailer