Conservation Corner: July 17, 2000

Lake Charlie Capps Named
by James L. Cummins

It was the mid-80's. I was working as a Fisheries Technician between semesters at Mississippi State University. And on a hot Thursday, we first opened Lake Bolivar County.

Recently, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks changed the name of this 512-acre, man-made lake from Lake Bolivar County to Lake Charlie Capps to honor the veteran state legislature from Cleveland, who is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The renaming of the lake coincided with National Fishing Week.

Lake Charlie Capps is located approximately two miles north of Mississippi 8, between Pace and Rosedale, in western Bolivar County, not to far from DaHomey National Wildlife Refuge.

With the renaming of Lake Bolivar County, there is a growing list of lands and facilities of Bolivar County that have been named for Representative Charles W. "Charlie" Capps, Jr. These include an armory and Delta State University's archives and museum facility.

Ron Garavelli, the Chief of Fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, was at the ceremony and praised Chairman Capps' interest in the lake.

"Probably more than anyone, Charlie Capps' dedication and his commitment to this lake has enabled our agency to bring it to where it is today – one of the best bass lakes in Mississippi," Garavelli said during the renaming ceremony at the edge of the lake.

Capps talked during the ceremony about how he had worked with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to improve the lake. "You wouldn't get a boat out there because it got hung up in the moss," Capps said. "I requested that the Department come up here and see what they could do about it, and they did.

"They drained the lake and restocked it, and now, as Garavelli says, it is one of the finest bass-fishing lakes in North Mississippi," stated Capps.

"We have many bank fisherman, including myself. Some families come out here and spend all day," Capps said. "And what I am interested in, and what the department is interested in, is making the bank fishing as good as the bass fishing." There are fishing opportunities at the lake for bass, bluegill and catfish.

Capps emphasized that it gives him pleasure to see the public taking advantage of prime fishing opportunities. "Did you see all these fisherman here?" he asked, gesturing about people who continued fishing during and after the renaming ceremony.

Representative Capps has greatly aided the Department in funding, to include a new Museum of Natural Science, a new administration building and more funding for land acquisition and managing the state's lakes and wildlife management areas.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.