To say the fishing has improved this past week would be a huge understatement. Good reports on the white perch, bream and white bass are coming from the Old Rivers at Deer Park, Lake Mary, Yucatan and Vidalia.

The Mississippi River level recently dropped to a favorable stage for fishing these live oxbow lakes. Live oxbow lakes are formed when the river changes course leaving behind many great fisheries.

Deer Park which located about 17 miles south of Vidalia, has a history of producing more and larger fish than most Old Rivers.

The location of Marango Bend (Old River Vidalia) receives more pressure because of easy access to people living in the Natchez/Vidalia area. Yucatan is located just east of Newellton, La. This live river bend lake is very much like Deer Park with a remote location that makes it a better fishery as well.

Regardless of which lake you choose, be prepared for long lines at the boat ramps, for good reason. The Mississippi River dropped several feet this week and the game fish turned on.

The stage at Natchez today is around 30.9 feet. The best thing that could happen at this time is for the fall to slow down and that’s exactly what’s in the forecast.

If the river falls out too fast there will be very little cover left to fish around and the clarity of the water will not be good.

The fall will turn into a slight rise tomorrow. There is a lot of rain falling up north and that water has to come down the river.

The stage on Monday will be 31.3 feet and on Tuesday 31.9 feet. A rise of more than two or three feet will slow the fish activity but if the forecast holds up the good bite should continue right on through next week.

If the predictions hold up, the rise will stop on Tuesday and we will see a slight, real slow fall coming downriver. That is perfect conditions for fishing the Old Rivers. The most productive depth for the white perch was 10 to 12 feet. The fish were holding right off the bottom.

That depth will change as the water level rises and falls. To consistently catch fish on the Old Rivers you really have to stay on the water. The fish move as the water level changes and the huge schools of baitfish move.

Most of the white perch and white bass are feeding on shad about one to two inches long. You would think matching the hatch would be the best way to choose lure color but most are catching the perch on some really wild colored tube jigs.

My theory about fishing lure colors that look like nothing that swims is the fish can see it. If you drop a shad colored lure in the middle of thousands of shad it blends in.

Drop a pink and chartreuse tube jig among the shad and it stands out big time making it an easy target for the big slab white perch. The best selling tube jig colors this week were any combination of pink and chartreuse but everyone has their own colors and they will swear that their colors will out fish any other.

Confidence in your lure color is a good thing. Knowing you have a productive color lure in the water will make you fish it harder and longer and in the end, catch more fish.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@bellsouth.net.