tidal river vs river fishing vs lake fishing

[Pnut]

For those of you who fish these which do you find the harder one to fish. I find lakes, rivers and tidal rivers from easiest to hardest however I'm not that good of a crappie fisherman anyway. I sure like learning though.

[Ketchn]

would seem to be about right to me , the fluctuations of a tidal river would take some time to fully understand , then the river is for sure different and more of a challenge than a lake

[Rojo]

We live where all we have is tidal rivers. Last years saltwater intrusion has our usual producing waters blown up a bit. Not sure how long it will take for normality to reestablish but the 5+ inches of rain we have forecast for Wednesday will for sure blow up every fishable waterway we have for the foreseeable future. Pnut lives as close as I do to the Pearl but the Pearl is 16ft flood going to 21-22ft after this rain. It will be Flash Flood currents in the Pearl for a while longer (just 10 knot currents in it now) why I'm running irrigation lines & fixing my camper right now.

[BobC]

Yes, I agree with Ketchn that that sounds about right. Rivers and streams are fun to fish but can take some figuring out.
Bob

[silverroach]

I spent all day Saturday on Pascagoula River water which was slightly high for the area I was fishing. But interesting enough last year the water was exactly the same level and I filled the boat. This year the crappie doesn’t seem to be spawning yet as much. Water temperature are about five degrees cooler than they were this time of year last year. Fish are as always during the spawn very unpredictable. I couldn’t find a bait that they really wanted. LiveScope give the answers. They would come look but back off, others would simply swim away. I used about every method known to crappie fishing. Only three keepers above 11 inches, few shorts. I finally got the ones I got pushing jigs. Be glad when they get spawned out. So yes rivers, tidewaters, can be much more challenging than lakes.


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[UnLikeU]

Fishing constantly on a River System where you repeatedly can fill the boat with the species you are seeking will hands down make you a Fisherman that has more skills normally than Lake Fishing. Some Big Lakes fish small & some Small Lakes fish Big depends on the fishery. River fishing can be dangerous to navigate. I Salute those people who run them fearlessly. River fish Bites though are YA BETTA HOLD UR RODS THOUGH CAUSE WE DON'T PLAY. Pearl & Mississippi River Crappie will snatch a Rod out of you not paying attention hands.

[Rojo]

Fishing constantly on a River System where you repeatedly can fill the boat with the species you are seeking will hands down make you a Fisherman that has more skills normally than Lake Fishing. Some Big Lakes fish small & some Small Lakes fish Big depends on the fishery. River fishing can be dangerous to navigate. I Salute those people who run them fearlessly. River fish Bites though are YA BETTA HOLD UR RODS THOUGH CAUSE WE DON'T PLAY. Pearl & Mississippi River Crappie will snatch a Rod out of you not paying attention hands.

I often gravitate to the mouth of the Pearl where it feeds Ross Barnett for a higher catch rate of Crappie, also where river fishing rules start back to apply. From the S-Curves to Horseshoe lake seems consistently longer fish not necessarily heavier fish. Last few years the way the wind has blown up the Rez I'm back in the Pearl mouth to 5-6 curves above to find shelter for peaceful fishing. Definitely fishing the rivers offers more moving obstructions to hit with your Lower Unit on any given day. I re-Side Scan the rivers every year where the changes to obstructions happen every year to stay on top of hazards to boat, life, & limb are ever present.

[UnLikeU]

@Rojo SMART & SPOKEN LIKE A WISE FISHERMAN. Safety 1st. Well done. Man you all make me miss the Ole Rez. Fishing the way I do now with the Boats & Technology I have vs what I use to have back then in the 70's, 80's, 90's makes me wonder what kind of Havoc I could do in the Ole Pelahatchie Bay, & Oil Well Woods.

[Rojo]

The Spillway on The Rez is flowing 20.89KCFS, Ratliff's Ferry gauge is showing the Pearl 301.2 feet. Full Pool is still 297.50ft so the Pearl is still 3.7ft higher than full pool. Don't make the trip back from Texas till less than 4KCFS flow at the dam, unless you're a Spillway Angler.