Lake Information
LOCATION: This lake is located 19 miles northwest of Oxford, and extends through Lafayette / Panola / Marshall counties.
SIZE: 98,520 acres
DEPTH: Depth Varies from 6 to 76 feet
AQUATIC VEGETATION: Alligatorweed, Waterhyacinth, & Hydrilla
MAJOR SPORTFISH: White Crappie, Black Crappie, & Magnolia Crappie, Hybrid Striped Bass, Bream, & Catfish
FISH FORAGE: Threadfin Shad, & Gizzard Shad
VISIBLE COVER: Cypress Trees, Stump Fields, Rip-Rap
BOTTOM FEATURES: Sunken Christmas Trees, Drop-Offs, Channels
LAKE CRAPPIE RULES
& REGULATIONS
LENGTH LIMIT: 12 Inches
CREEL LIMIT: 15 Crappie Fish
POLE/HOOK LIMIT: 4 Poles, 2 hooks per pole per person
OTHER: The aggregate daily boat creel limit for all species of crappies (white crappie, black crappie and their hybrids) for boats with 3 or more licensed or exempt anglers shall be 40 legal crappie per boat.
Interactive Lake Map
Cranking on Sardis Lake
By Tim Huffman
Sardis is a great crankbait lake. A newcomer can start at the dam and work up the lake paying special attention to the main channel, creek mouths and points.
Bandit crankbaits in 200- and 300-series have dominated trolling for decades in Mississippi. Other baits do well, too. Top colors include pink, orange and firetiger.
Garmin LiveScope changed the way many fisherman fish. Other brands have jumped on board, but Garmin was the pioneer, so LiveScoping has stuck as the current, trendy technique name.
LiveScope fishing means finding fish with electronics before dropping a hook in the water. The clarity and precision of the electronics allows a fisherman to see the fish, determine it’s size, see the depth and know its distance from the boat. If the fish moves, it can be followed. If there are several fish, it’s no problem to pick the largest in the group. With the number if fish in Sardis and a good number of big slabs, the scope is deadly at targeting them.
The presentation is often with a long, 13-foot pole that allows a fisherman to pitch out to about 20 feet from the boat and reach fish at any depth. A ½- or ¾-ounce sinker above a small jig is the way to get down quickly to the fish and the sinker also allows the scope to follow the position of the bait. Small plastic jigs 1/16- to 1/8-ounce are often used, along with 1/32-ounce hair jigs.
LiveScoping is a year-round method with the toughest part for the fisherman being finding the fish. Tournament weights have risen with this method proving its effectiveness.
Tim Huffman has written about crappie fishing for over three decades.
Jeanne Huffman and a local fisherman enjoyed successful day on the lake. Sardis produces a lot of fish just under and just over the 12-inch mark, but there are plenty of two-pounders, too.
