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Sardis Reservoir 2019REEL FACTS
Keith Meals, Arthur Dunn, Stanley Turner – Fisheries [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
General Information: Sardis Reservoir is one of four flood control reservoirs (FCRs) in north Mississippi. Built by the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) in 1939 on the Little Tallahatchie River, it is the oldest FCR with a summer pool of 32,100 ac. Water levels follow an annual rule curve, but deviate from it due to local precipitation and COE spillway gate operations. The reservoir is lowered in fall to winter pool (10,700 ac); flood pool is 58,500 ac. Sardis is the state’s most popular angling destination. Unique to Sardis is the 400 ac Lower Lake below the spillway.
Location/Contact: 12 miles northwest of Oxford, MS. COE office (662) 563-4531.
Fishery Management: Crappie, catfish, Largemouth Bass, and White Bass.
Purchase a Fishing License: https://www.ms.gov/mdwfp/hunting_fishing/
Amenities
• 12 concrete fee ramps.
• Bait shops in Oxford, Sardis, Holly Springs, Batesville, etc.
Creel and Size Limits
The following apply to the reservoir, but not the spillway or Lower Lake.
• Crappie: Must be over 12 inches. 15 crappie per day per angler; no more than 40 crappie per boat (3 or more anglers).
• Largemouth Bass: No length limit and 10 bass per day per angler.
• White and Yellow Bass: No limits.
• Bream: No length limit and 100 per day per angler.
• Catfish: No limits.
Regulations
• No more than 25 jugs and no more than 25 yo-yos may be fished per person with no more than 2 hooks per device. Jugs and yo-yos must be tagged with the license holder’s MDWFP number or the angler’s name and address. Gear must be attended (in sight) during daylight hours.
• Grabbling season May 1 –July 15; only wooden structures allowed.
• No more than 4 poles may be fished per person; no more than 2 hooks or lures per pole.
• Spillway and Lower Lake: Consult Outdoor Digest
Fishing Tips
General
• Best fishing is usually in the spring and fall.
• Fish near deeper water if the water is falling; fish shallower if it is rising.
Crappie• Target shoreline cover in
spring in creek arms and coves. In summer and fall, troll for suspended fish in creek mouths and the main reservoir.
Largemouth Bass• Target cover in coves in
spring, main reservoir points in summer, and tributaries in fall.
Bream• Fish crickets or redwoms
near cover.
Catfish• Fish worms or cut bait in
tributaries during runoff or over mudflats if no runoff.
Species# of fish collected
% of sample
Average Length
(inches)
MaximumLength
(inches)
AverageWeight
(pounds)
Catch Rate –Adult fish(fish/mile)
Gizzard Shad 969 48 8.8 10.7 0.3 10
Bluegill 362 18 5.6 8.5 0.2 26
Largemouth Bass 320 16 13.9 22.5 1.7 37
Black Crappie 235 12 10.4 12.6 0.4 3
Blue Catfish 50 2 22.1 39.4 4.8 6
White Bass 35 2 12.5 16.4 0.9 6
White Crappie 12 1 10.8 13.7 0.6 5
Spotted Bass 10 <1 9.3 12.1 0.2 1
Redear Sunfish 9 <1 5.8 5.9 0.1 1
Flathead Catfish 8 <1 19.0 25.8 4.4 <1
Above: Trend in fall electrofishing catch rates for adult Largemouth Bass and crappie. Abundance has improved recently due to higher water levels from 2013–2018 (except 2017). Bass abundance increased substantially with improved habitat, more forage fish, and better survival with 2018’s high water. Fewer White Crappie in 2018 may have been because of a warm fall (fish were holding deeper than electrofishing is efficient) and/or angler harvest. Depending on age, some or all fish from big year classes from 2013–2016 have grown to legal size.
Above: Fall 2018 electrofishing results. Abundant small fish measured in length groups are not included in average lengths and weights, only fish measured individually. Forage fish (Gizzard Shad, Bluegill) were numerous, but mostly small. Threadfin Shad and Gizzard X Threadfin Shad hybrids common in fall 2017, were not seen in fall 2018; both succumbed to low temperatures during the 2017-18 winter. Most Black Crappie were young-of-year (YOY). Strong Black Crappie year classes are typically produced during high water years like 2018. However, overall fish spawning success was relatively low for a high water year, possibly due to a very cool, extended spring.
05
10152025303540
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Fish
pe
r M
ile
Year
Fall Electrofishing Catch Rates
Largemouth Bass
White Crappie
Above: Length distributions, fall electrofishing, 2018. Most bass were from the big 2016 year class; the bass spawn was weak for a flood year, possibly due to a cool spring and/or cannibalism. Bass populations at the FCRs fluctuate mostly from environmental factors (mainly water levels) since angler harvest is low. Crappie were mostly this spring’s fish; crappie spawn at cooler temperatures than bass. Blue Catfish (“white humpbacks” or “white river cats”) were fairly common and good sized.
Below: Growth rates for crappie, fall 2018. Most White Crappie were from a big 2016 year class. This big year class grew slower than normal as they competed with each other for food plus had to suffer through the 2017 drought. No crappie older than 2014 (Age 4+) fish were seen in fall 2018; that does not mean they were gone, just rare.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Pe
rce
nt
Total Length (inches)
Largemouth Bass
0
5
10
15
20
25
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Nu
mb
er
Total Length (inches)
White and Black Crappie
White
Black
0
5
10
15
20
10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Pe
rce
nt
Total Length (inches)
Blue Catfish
Year Class
Age# White Crappie
aged
Average Length
(inches)
# Black Crappie
aged
Average Length
(inches)
2018 0 5 3.7 19 3.1
2017 1+ 6 7.4 4 7.8
2016 2+ 10 11.2 6 10.7
2015 3+ 5 12.6 6 11.5
2014 4+ 4 13.7 1 12.6
02468
10121416
Inch
es
Year Class/Age
Crappie, Length at Age
White
Black
Fish Harvest and Fishing Effort: Most anglers fished for crappie in 2017 (right, top). Crappie and catfish were 87% of annual harvest (right, middle), by weight. Bass anglers made up 11% of anglers, but bass comprised only 3% of harvest; most bass fishing is catch-and-release. White Bass anglers made up 3% of anglers, but harvested 9% of the total harvest. White Bass anglers were harvest-oriented, and White Bass were kept by other anglers.
Harvest and effort varied monthly (below, left) with a spring peak when many crappie over 3 lb from the big 2009 year class were seen (right, bottom). Fishing effort fell off after spring due to low water levels and high release rates of sublegal crappie. Anglers fished about 301,000 hr and kept about 269,000 lb of fish in 2017.
Harvest fell 30% and effort fell 25% from 2009 to 2017 (bottom, left). Harvest and effort were unsustainably high in 2013 due to peak abundance of the huge 2009 crappie year class. Studies on the FCRs have shown fishing effort declines with either extremely low or extremely high water levels.
58%
11%
18%
3%1%
9%
Targeted Species
Crappie
Black Bass
Catfish
White Bass
Bream
Anything
51%
3%
36%
9%
1%
Harvest: % Wt, Avg Wt
Crappie, 1.3
Black Bass, 1.6
Catfish, 2.1
White Bass, 1.1
Bream, 0.3
250,000
350,000
450,000
550,000
650,000
750,000
850,000
2009 2013 2017
Ho
urs
, Po
un
ds
Years
Harvest and Fishing Effort Trends
Harvest
Effort
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
JFD M A M J J A S O N
Ho
urs
, Po
un
ds
Month (2017)
Harvest and Fishing Effort
Harvest Effort
Lake Characteristics: Sardis normally fluctuates 24 ft during the year following a “rule curve” based on seasonal rainfall patterns. For water levels (rule curve vs actual water level), see http://www.mvk-wc.usace.army.mil/docs/bullet.txt for a table or http://www.mvk-wc.usace.army.mil/plots/sardplot.png for a graph or http://www.mvk-wc.usace.army.mil/resrep.htm for both. Due to its greater depth and storage volume, Sardis was the first FCR built. Still, water level fluctuations can make it challenging to find and pattern fish.
Fall drawdowns and droughts let moist soil vegetation colonize mudflats (below left) and provide fish habitat when water levels rise again. Flooding brings in nutrients and expands fish habitat. Aquatic vegetation is scarce due to fluctuating lake levels, but shoreline trees and shrubs are abundant at higher water levels. The fluctuation zone (winter to summer pool, below right) has very little cover other than dead timber, some live trees and shrubs, and colonized vegetation.
Area Parties Percent Miles/party $/personSurrounding counties
Lafayette 83 17 11.9 $13.60Marshall 43 9 24.5 21.08Panola 58 12 8.7 17.02
MS counties Lee 12 3 63.6 30.25Pontotoc 21 4 47.5 23.30Tate 28 6 24.5 18.39Union 34 7 44.8 22.47Other MS (18 counties) 35 7 63.8 32.39
Memphis area (inc. Desoto, MS) 109 22 59.2 36.20Other out of state (12 states) 66 14 250.6 75.84Total/avg 489 100 64.9 $31.98
Fishery: About 38% of Sardis anglers in 2017 were from surrounding counties (below), with the others coming from all over the state and country (below). Residents were 74% of fishing parties. The average fishing party was 1.9 anglers that drove 65 miles, one way, and spent $31.98 per person on out-of-pocket expenses (fuel, food, ice, bait, etc.). Expenses usually rose with distance traveled. Based on annual fishing effort, trip length, and cost per person, Sardis anglers spent over $2.1 million in 2017, not counting tackle, boats, licenses, etc..
Lake Characteristics: Sardis’ rule curve and rainfall sometimes result in low water during spring spawning season and/or limited vegetation colonization. However, the Sardis Reservoir COE sponsors a Habitat Day in winter when the water is low. Materials are placed in the fluctuation zone with the assistance of volunteers (right, top) to provide fish habitat when the water comes back up. Although beneficial, these artificial structures do not begin to replace the quantity or quality of habitat created by naturally colonized vegetation during low water periods and flooded during high water events.
Some patches of American Lotus (right, bottom) that have colonized in Hurricane Creek in recent years have become a favorite target of bass anglers. These patches disappeared in 2018’s high water, but the areas will be monitored to see if they rebound.
Spillway: The Sardis Reservoir spillway and Lower Lake are also popular fishing destinations, mostly for catfish and crappie. Crappie in the spillway are dependent on reservoir releases and are caught mostly in winter and early spring; catfish are more common in summer. A concrete ramp into the Lower Lake provides boat anglers access. A handicapped accessible pier (below, left) was opened in 2017 near the end of the spillway channel rip-rap.
The Little Tallahatchie River below the reservoir allows access into the spillway by many wide-ranging fishes, such as Asian carps (below, right; Silver Carp, top. Bighead Carp, bottom) from the Mississippi River. Regulations prohibit anglers from keeping alive bait fish captured in the spillway to prevent the spread of these nuisance, non-native fishes to other waters. Uncommon species in the spillway may include Paddlefish, American Eels, Striped Bass, and Hybrid Striped Bass.
