On July 18, there will be a benefit bass tournament for Kyle’s House and the Sunshine Children’s Center of Natchez.

This event will be on lakes Concordia and St. John from 5:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contestants can fish as a team or singles.

Forty percent of all fees collected will be donated and 60 percent will be paid back to the winners.

The fee is $100 per boat and entry forms are now available.

Kyle’s House is a daycare for children, newborn to 12-year-olds. The house serves all kids, especially those with special needs.

Kyle’s House was established in June of 2008 to provide support services to families, particularly those with special needs children.

It is named in memory of Kyle Hutchins, the son of Chris and Skeeter Hutchins of Natchez,.

The Sunshine Children’s Center for Abused and Neglected Children was established in 1999. The mission of the Center is “to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect through center and support programs, education and outreach.”

It is the only facility of its kind in the region and one of only four diagnostic and evaluation centers in the state of Mississippi.

We will be casting for a great cause on July 18. Contestants can fish either lake.

The tournament weigh-in will take place at Spokane Landing from 2 until 3:15 p.m.

The early morning bass bite is good on both lakes but once the sun comes up to catch fish you will have to target the thickest cypress trees that offer the most shade.

The piers built low to the water will test your casting skills but these piers offer the most shade and the bass will be holding as far back under the pier platforms as they can get.

Your participation in this wonderful event will be greatly appreciated by many.

The Mississippi River teased us the entire month of June.

The river would start to drop to a favorable level for fishing the Old Rivers, the live oxbow lakes, and then a rise would come down river and mess things up quite a bit.

It looks like July will be the month for the Old River bream, white perch and bass. The stage at Natchez today is around 38.9 feet.

Even through you can catch the bream right now the best level for bream is around 35 feet. The white perch bite excels at 28 feet.

The largemouth bass fishing is best at the lower levels but with a little hard work you can locate and catch some nice bass at any level.

The long distance forecast shows at least a seven foot drop in the river level over the next week or so.

So get ready for some good fishing at the Old Rivers near Deer Park, Vidalia and Yucatan.

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