I just remembered that I have another Ugly Stick - a little rod I built myself on a Shakespeare blank many years ago. I recently replaced the guides and windings and patched its Tennessee handle. It’s 5 feet long, very limber, and going strong with a 500 size Shimano Sahara on it.

My Ugly Stick 6’ 6” ultralight floated when I flipped my boat. I had a very light reel on it.

Lots of folks here in South Mississippi call them white perch, except for those who moved here from Louisiana. To them, of course, they are sacalait.

Great catch! I’ll be trying for some like those tomorrow, but in a small oxbow lake off the Pearl River in South Mississippi.

I don’t fish salt water, but lots around here do. I live about 40 miles north of the coast.

Welcome. You’re in a beautiful part of our state. My wife and I just got back from J P Coleman and Tishomingo State Parks. Besides largemouths you also have smallmouths, walleyes, and saugers. We don’t have those down here near the coast.

Someone mentioned the lack of an anti-reverse switch on a reel. All my reels at one time had them and I thought they were important. Then I bought a Shimano Stradic that didn’t have one. I didn’t miss it and, in fact, now never use it on the reels that do.

Success! We got to J. P. Coleman State Park Campground late on Thursday afternoon and set up the camper. Straight to the water I went and, on my second cast, I caught a nice smallmouth on an underspin jig. In three days of fishing, off and on, I didn't catch another one! I did catch a couple of largemouths and a sauger, which was a first for me. But my goal was to catch a smallmouth bass in Mississippi and I did it!

I have several ultra light rigs. Recently I built a 6’ rod on a CRB blank. It works great with a Shimano Sahara 500 reel and 3 lb test line.

Thanks! I’ll try it there.

A modest goal of mine is to catch a smallmouth bass of any size - it doesn’t matter - in Mississippi. My wife and I will spend a few days in the next few weeks camping at J. P. Coleman State Park on Pickwick Lake to pursue that goal. I would appreciate specific suggestions and/or advice that might help. I have extensive experience catching largemouth and spotted bass on tackle from ultralight spinning gear to fly rods. I do not use baitcasting gear. I will be bank fishing only. Thanks in advance!

Thanks. I had another lighter rod in the boat with an even smaller reel loaded with 2 lb test line. I doubt there would have been a favorable outcome if I had been using that rig!

It certainly was. The lake has a good population of two-pound crappie and for a second I thought I’d hooked one of those, but soon knew it was something else, probably a channel catfish (they will hit artificial baits.). The several strong runs the bowfin made confirmed the quality of the little Shimano’s drag.

It was released.

While fishing for crappie in a (private) oxbow lake off the Pearl River in South Mississippi a few days ago I hooked and landed a 9 lb 15 oz bowfin. What a struggle for about 15 minutes! It hit a small inline spinner in front of a 1/16 oz jig and a chartreuse Bobby Garland plastic. The rod was a 6 ft 6 in Ugly Stik ultralight with a Sahara 1000 reel and 4 lb Vicious line. My net was too small and it was a challenge to get my hand in a gill to land it. These fish are considered rough fish, but I don’t see how any game fish could have battled any harder.