Horseshoe Lake Fishing near Collins, Mississippi

• Overview

  Set in Covington County, Mississippi, this is Horseshoe Lake. This is pine and hardwood country. Surface area runs to about 2 acres — small enough to read in one session. Collins is the closest town at 11 miles. Ellisville is 11 miles away, with Taylorsville at 12 miles. Others within reach: 4 miles out stands Hoover Lake, Bush Lake after 12 miles, 15 miles out stands Legion Lake Bogue Homo after 22 miles and 22 miles out stands Masonite Lake. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Horseshoe Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish reported in the area, according to open records, include spotted bass, dusky darter and blacktail redhorse. The list reflects reported sightings and surveys rather than what is stocked. On Horseshoe Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 81°F and January about 47°F. Cold never closes this one. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Horseshoe Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern. Falling water concentrates fish into the deeper parts.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Public data marks it as a cut-off river bend. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Hoover Lake sits 4 miles off and takes the overflow. For Horseshoe Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.