July was a good month for fishing. That’s an unusual statement.

Normally it is too hot and water levels too low to catch fish but this year we were blessed with a higher than normal Mississippi River level.

The white perch fishermen and ladies enjoyed some of the best fishing we have had on the Old Rivers in several years.

Normally the river level is so low by the end of July the Old Rivers at Vidalia, Deer Park and Yucatan are landlocked.

When the river bend lakes land lock water quality and clarity drops off and the fish are not as active.

This was not a problem this year and it looks like August is going to be a good month for fishing as well. The river stage at Natchez today is 26.2 feet.

The forecast predicts no change so we will be looking at a level of 26.2 for the next few days. That’s great news for the fishermen and ladies.

The Old Rivers land lock around 14 feet on the Natchez gauge so the level is well above that. At 26 feet some of the white perch will be holding just out from the flooded green willows.

A few of the dead willow snags along the old shoreline should be showing and that’s where you will find the fish. There is another pattern that is producing limits of perch. Try drift fishing just out from the dead snags with multiple poles rigged with minnows and tube jigs.

Use your sonar to locate the huge schools of shad suspended over deep water and slowly drift through the shad and you will find the white perch.

The bream are holding on the few green willows that still have water around them. Try crickets and red worms fished right off the bottom in 4 to 6 feet of water for the big Old River bream.

The white bass were holding near the mouth of the Old Rivers leading out to the Mississippi River. I say, “were,” because at a standstill the current may not be there. Current stacks the white bass up in these areas.

The lack of current spreads the fish out. Try tail spinners, spoons and bright colored Bandit crankbaits for the white bass. The landlocked lakes like Concordia, St. John and Lake Bruin are in good shape going into the hottest month of the year.

Water levels are very close to normal and we’re catching some nice bass early and late on surface lures. During the middle of the day try crankbaits like a Bandit 200 series in a shad pattern around the cypress trees and piers.

August brings us one month closer to the cooler month of September.

The fish activity may be good right now, but greater things will happen in the fishing world in September.

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