Pickwick

[coondog]

Anyone fish pickwick. I want to learn more about pickwick and Tn river fishing. What would be a good area to rent cabin or camp ? MS side

[ShilohRed]

I fished the Tn end of the lake today. Only one small blue and he came out of 12ft of water in the middle of the lake. The fish finder showed lots of fish and could not get them to bite.
Water as of now is high and muddy. They have 11 flood gates open now. Shoud start cutting them off by the end of the weekend.

Camping woud be Goat Island Cabins that i have no ideal/
Any reason to stay in Ms only? You can fish to the dam . Without buying Tn stamp.

Pete

[coondog]

After posting I learned that I could fish Tn waters in pickwick area without buying out of state license. So I guess that will broden the possibilitys were to camp.
I

[ShilohRed]

Theres one at Bruton Branch its on the east side of the lake. Pull the boat right up to the bank You can see Al and Ms state lines from there. But theres on water or power at the camp sites. but they do have bathrooms and showers.
Pickwick landing state park. They have campgrounds or cabins. And 2 boat ramps there . Also Inn and resturant.

Then Goat Island is in Yelow Creek. Only a short run out to the main lake. but hard to find a spot to camp there.

Thats about it around the dam on the lake. Then below the dam theres 4 campgrounds you can pull the boat up to the lake and put in if that will work.
Let me know and I will try to find out more info for you.
Pete

[coondog]

Thanks. I am in the infant stage researching the area. I will have to drive out there to look around and learn what questions to ask. I

[coondog]

I coon hunt year round but I hunt harder in the winter so I don't do a whole lot of winter fishing. Spring is when I start. When there is water in Sardis I fish in winter from bank on flats when wind is blowing and water rough. My wife has been fishing with me over the years but She never jugged or trotlined with me till last year, she loves it. Worse than than the kids now when it comes to wanting to go. So now she will probably be on the water alot with me. My favorite of course is cats, if fish some for crappie. Catfishing is still good at Sardis but it used to be great.

[ShilohRed]

Sardis will be coming back. Looks like the length limit will be 12" on crappie and 15 per day.
I hope to get to fish there for crappie some day.

Let me know when your coming this way. And if I can I will try to meet up with you.
PEte

I coon hunt year round but I hunt harder in the winter so I don't do a whole lot of winter fishing. Spring is when I start. When there is water in Sardis I fish in winter from bank on flats when wind is blowing and water rough. My wife has been fishing with me over the years but She never jugged or trotlined with me till last year, she loves it. Worse than than the kids now when it comes to wanting to go. So now she will probably be on the water alot with me. My favorite of course is cats, if fish some for crappie. Catfishing is still good at Sardis but it used to be great.

[coondog]

I grew up within 2 miles of the north side of Sardis. Missouri can sell game fish, they come down here and troll, take the fish back and sell them. They aren't the only trollers but combined with droping the lake it has hurt the fishing. this past year was worst I have seen for crappie. Arklabutla has the biggest crappie. They drain it every year but this year it is lower than I ve ever seen in some time. I still like it there it's home. I live now withen 20 miles.

[fish]

Coondog, you ever fish at Wyatt's Crossing? That use to be my favorite place to fish. When they held the water back at Sardis it looked like a big lake there and when the wind got up it could get rough, fast. There was some good fishing there on the Tallahatchie river. Jim Faulkner (Badkarma) lives not far from where you use to live. There use to be a real good place to eat about two miles after you crossed the Tallahatchie bridge there on hwy 7 and they had some good catfish.

[coondog]

Whyat and greasy creek are my favorites. I lived between wyat and greasy. My wife family from there also, my granparents bought their land from my wifes grandparents, we new each other when we were little. when the water is up I use depth finder at wyatt and fish the river channel in the summer, some deep bends there. One of my wife's uncles family owned 600 acres north of tallahatchie east of hwy7 , when the lake was built the corp took it from them for 50 cent acre.

[fish]

Coondog, even with a depth finder it is hard to stay in the river channel, that is one crooked river. I ran aground there so many times it is unreal but the fishing is worth it. It always amazed me when the water was high how some of them ole boys in the big fancy boats would be blasting across the water not knowing that there were tree stumps and things just below the surface of the water.

[ShilohRed]

Jim my GPS shows that river channel and how to run it. HEHE.
PEte

Coondog, even with a depth finder it is hard to stay in the river channel, that is one crooked river. I ran aground there so many times it is unreal but the fishing is worth it. It always amazed me when the water was high how some of them ole boys in the big fancy boats would be blasting across the water not knowing that there were tree stumps and things just below the surface of the water.

[coondog]

Being from there I have seen the channel when the wtr is low and high. I can fish the channel quite well with a depth finder and some areas without a depth finder. I have seen them blow by there, if they new much about those hidden stumps they wouldn't. I bet there has been some that when they let off the gas and set er down they found a stump.

[ShilohRed]

I bet theres a lot of them that has found the stumps..
I have a buddy that is trying to get me to make a trip down there this spring and fish. I think if we do go. I will let him take his boat. LOL
PEte

[fish]

Pete, it sure would have been super to have a GPS like your's down there. As many times as I had been down that river I still couldn't find it when the water was high. It was so crooked that you would be in the river bed one second and the next you were out and couldn't find it again by just turning around. I still loved to fish there though. Beware of the game wardens there. I came out one time and there were 7 of them fellers standing there. I had just moved to Mississippi and still had Tennessee drivers license but I had Mississippi resident fishing license because I lived there. Man I thought they were going to take me to jail.

[ShilohRed]

Jim a crook like you. Man they should have thrown you in. And locked the door. HEHE
Pete

Pete, it sure would have been super to have a GPS like your's down there. As many times as I had been down that river I still couldn't find it when the water was high. It was so crooked that you would be in the river bed one second and the next you were out and couldn't find it again by just turning around. I still loved to fish there though. Beware of the game wardens there. I came out one time and there were 7 of them fellers standing there. I had just moved to Mississippi and still had Tennessee drivers license but I had Mississippi resident fishing license because I lived there. Man I thought they were going to take me to jail.

[fish]

Pete, I thought they were going to. My buddy that was with me even knew one of the GW that was talking to me and I still thought I was a goner that time. hehehe I had lived in Mississippi just a few days and hadn't gotten my Mississippi truck tags yet. He finally let me go but he told me if he caught me back down there with a Tennessee tag and Mississippi resident fishing license that he would lock me up and fine me $2,000.00. I told him he wouldn't catch me there like that again.

[jtrew]

I've never fished the upper end of Pickwick, but I've been told by several people that Bear Creek is a big cat hotspot. I've crossed it quite a few times on Hwy 72 very near the Mississippi-Alabama line, but I can't remember just which side of the line I was on when I crossed over.

[ShilohRed]

Jerry you were in Al.
Theres plenty of great places on the lake. Bear creek is a good ways from the dam. It around 20 miles by water.
PEte

I've never fished the upper end of Pickwick, but I've been told by several people that Bear Creek is a big cat hotspot. I've crossed it quite a few times on Hwy 72 very near the Mississippi-Alabama line, but I can't remember just which side of the line I was on when I crossed over.

[fish]

Jerry, if you are going toward Tuscumbia, Alabama on 72 hwy, when you cross over Bear Creek, look to your left. I have seen 80 plus pound cats come out of there.

[memphis-cat]

Are the gates still open at pickwick???? I went about a month ago and it was crazy...

[ShilohRed]

Are the gates still open at pickwick???? I went about a month ago and it was crazy...

Yes the flood gates are shut off. And the river is getting to normal.
Here is a link to the water release at Pickwick.
Pete

http://lakeinfo.tva.gov/htbin/lakeinfo?site=PKH&DataType=All&submit=View+info