Admit it, for the last four months; you’ve been growing your own worm farm in your apartment. You’ve been practicing your casts with the graphite fishing rod your girlfriend gave you on your birthday. You’ve been walking around campus in those new waders your mom bought you for Christmas, trying to break them in for the big day. Four months of dedication and hard work are about to pay off, for that big day has arrived. Fishing season has begun at the Noxubee Refuge.
Since Nov. 1, the Refuge has been closed for fishing in order to reduce disturbances to migrating waterfowl. Now, the birds are on the move again, and the fish are biting; however, there are a few regulations.
The Refuge’s two lakes, Lake Loakfoma and Bluff Lake, are open to fishing with a slot limit between 12 inches and 16 inches on bass. Any bass caught within that span in length must be released.
“Our slot limit is meant to preserve the main breeding fish,” Andrea Dunstan, a public use specialist with the Refuge, said. “Fish smaller than 12 inches usually get released anyway. We’re trying to increase the population in the two lakes.”
Ross Branch, a reservoir at the Refuge, is on a catch and release basis for all bass under 14 inches. Anglers can take up to 10 bass, 30 crappies and/or 100 bream per day.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the best time to fish for bass and crappie is between March 1 and May 1, with the best bream fishing starting immediately afterward. The Refuge’s fish population is naturally occurring, with no aid from hatcheries.
Fishing requires only an inexpensive state-registered fishing license and a love for anything with gills, but as much as the Refuge loves its fish, it is equally concerned for the human predators.
“We have a no-wake policy for all boats,” Dunstan said. “If you’re making a wake, you’re going too fast. There are a lot of stumps in the water, and we don’t want anyone killing themselves out there.”
For more information on Refuge regulations, contact Dunstan at 323-5548.