This coming weekend we’ll be headed to Franklin County to direct the 3rd Annual Okhissa Lake Big Bass tournament.

The event is hosted by the Homochitto Heritage Club and directed by Eddie’s Marine of Vidalia. The entry fee is $100 per person. The awards are based on the angler with the single largest bass. Every two hours starting with the daylight to 8:00 a.m. weigh period we’ll pay four places with 1st place of $500, 2nd $400, 3rd $300 and 4th $200.

The overall big bass award is 1st place $5000 down to 10th place which is $150. This pay put is based on a full field. I really look for a good turnout this year.

It’s our third year to direct this event and the phones are ringing and my email box is full of questions about the Okhissa tournament. Entry forms are available at the Sports Center in Natchez, Eddie’s Marine in Vidalia and numerous other locations in Adams and Franklin counties.

Closer to home, conditions are looking good on the Old River bend lakes. The Mississippi River level is falling. If this fall continues we will see a very favorable level for fishing the Old Rivers, the live oxbow lakes, by this coming weekend. The stage at Natchez today is 38.9 feet.

The forecast calls for a fall over the next few days that could bring the level down to about 36.3 feet by Wednesday.

At 35 feet and falling the big Old River bream will be stacked in the flooded green willows. Anywhere below 30 feet and the big slab white perch will be easy to locate.

From about 28 feet and below the bass fishing will cast off. We could very well see a level of 35 feet by the end of this coming week. That will put some much needed relief on the landlocked lakes.

Visiting anglers will still be on the landlocked lakes simple because they don’t have a clue what lays just across the levee from Lake Concordia which is Old River Vidalia known locally as Minorca and officially named Marengo Bend.

Just north of Marengo Bend is another not so well known live oxbow, Yucatan. Yucatan fishes just like Marengo and it too is loaded with big bream, bass, slab white perch, white bass and catfish.

Seventeen miles south of Vidalia there is yet another live oxbow lake that rises and falls with the Mississippi River. Deer Park is the best of the three live oxbows. Its remote location keeps boat traffic down to mostly local anglers. A good launch ramp is much needed at Deer Park.

The ramps down there are alright during the higher river stages but once the river bottoms out be careful at the launch ramps at Deer Park.

On Marengo Bend near Vidalia you can launch at just about any level below 42 feet at JJ’s Landing located just across the levee and just a bit south of Lake Concordia.