Conservation Corner: May 13, 2002

New Book A Guide To State Fish, Waters
by James L. Cummins

If you're a fisherman, one of the best catches you'll make all year is a new book "Fishing Mississippi," just released by University Press of Mississippi.

No matter how much you know about fishing, you'll learn something new in this guidebook to state species and waters by veteran outdoors writer and my friend, Tony Kinton of Carthage.

In the first half of the book, Kinton profiles the major species of fish found in the Magnolia State: bluegill and various sunfish, walleye, sauger, warmouth and crappie, spotted, largemouth, striped, white and hybrid bass and blue, channel and flathead catfish.

He describes each fish's habits and habitats, and the tactics it takes to catch them in a variety of conditions. Kinton also throws in some personal anecdotes and interviews with experts.

The second half of the book outlines fishing destinations around the state, with brief logistical profiles of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, oxbows, even the Gulf Coast. There are also plenty of useful maps of lakes showing locations of brush piles, stumps, channels, boat ramps and other features.

The 188-page book ($19.95 softcover, $46 hardback) is illustrated with black and white photos of anglers, plus a full-color chart of game fish species. It's got a foreword by fishing pro Bill Dance.

Here are some excerpts of Kinston's discussion of two species of fish:

Largemouth bass: "The fish affords an inexhaustible topic for discussion, and has spawned an incredible following of experts, pros, defenders, researchers, lovers, and awe-struck observers, not to mention a lucrative and influential accumulation of consociated business pursuits. This has become the fish of dreams, and its economic impact certainly reaches into the millions of dollars annually in Mississippi alone."

Channel catfish: "Also good are spots where the river is pushing into or pulling out of a slough or lake. There will usually be a cut that in low water separates the slough or lake from the main stream, and there, at the confluence of the slough and/or lake and river channel, channel catfish will gather. A trotline or casting gear rigged to drift near the bottom will work wonders."

University Press is sponsoring big-fish contests at bait stores and marinas around the state. Winners for biggest bass, panfish and catfish get a copy of "Fishing Mississippi," while winner of biggest fish of any species also gets a copy of "Inland Fishes of Mississippi" by Dr. Steve Ross.

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.