Big Black River Fishing Guides
A winding sandbar river cutting across west central Mississippi from the hill country to the Mississippi below Vicksburg, with sandbars, log jams and outsized catfish.
Guides on the Big Black River
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Big Black River
The Big Black runs about three hundred miles from near Houston in the hill country of northeast Mississippi southwest across the state to the Mississippi River below Vicksburg. It is a classic Deep South river: narrow, deep, tea-colored, full of sandbars and log jams, with steep clay banks and hardwoods leaning over the water. It has no reservoirs on it, which makes it one of the longer free-flowing rivers in the region and gives it a natural rise-and-fall rhythm.
Catfish are the main event. Flathead catfish live in the log jams and the deep outside bends and grow very large, blue catfish have expanded up from the Mississippi into the lower reaches, and channel catfish are everywhere and easy to find. Largemouth and spotted bass hold on the laydowns and the sandbar drops, crappie stack around the deeper timber in spring and winter, bluegill are abundant in the sloughs, and gar cruise the flats. Most fishing here is done from small boats, and the sandbars make good camps for overnight float trips.
The Bovina gauge reads the lower river near Vicksburg. This is a flashy river with a big drainage: heavy rain anywhere in the basin puts it up several feet within a day, colors it brown and floods the sandbars, and that rise is the classic flathead condition on the bank cover. As it drops the sandbars reappear, the water clears to tea and fish concentrate in the bends and the log jams. Backwater from a high Mississippi River can also raise the lower reaches independently of local rain.
Vicksburg, Edwards, Bovina and Canton give access along the corridor. Log jams and shifting bars mean careful navigation and a shallow-draft boat.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Big Black River.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Bovina: lower river access near the gauge east of Vicksburg.
Edwards and Bogue Chitto Creek: middle-river landings.
Canton and Way: upper-middle access off the Natchez Trace corridor.
Pickens and Durant: upper river access in the hill country.
Grand Gulf and the Mississippi confluence: the bottom end.
County road bridges: informal launches along much of the corridor.
Sandbars throughout the river serve as camps on overnight floats.
Seasons
Spring: high muddy water and the strongest flathead and crappie fishing.
Summer: falling clear water, sandbars exposed, catfish at night and bass on the laydowns.
Fall: low clear water, excellent bass fishing and comfortable camping on the bars.
Winter: cold and clear, big blue catfish in the deep bends and crappie in the timber.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What is the current flow on the Big Black River?
As of Oct 19, 3:15 am, the USGS gauge BIG BLACK RIVER NR BOVINA, MS reads 229 cfs, the 46th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Big Black River?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Spotted Bass, White Crappie on the Big Black River in Mississippi.
Where can you access the Big Black River?
Bovina: lower river access near the gauge east of Vicksburg. Edwards and Bogue Chitto Creek: middle-river landings. Canton and Way: upper-middle access off the Natchez Trace corridor. Pickens and Durant: upper river access in the hill country. Grand Gulf and the Mississippi confluence: the bottom end. County road bridges: informal launches along much of the corridor. Sandbars throughout the river serve as camps on overnight floats.
When is the best time to fish the Big Black River?
Spring: high muddy water and the strongest flathead and crappie fishing. Summer: falling clear water, sandbars exposed, catfish at night and bass on the laydowns. Fall: low clear water, excellent bass fishing and comfortable camping on the bars. Winter: cold and clear, big blue catfish in the deep bends and crappie in the timber.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Big Black River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Mississippi agency site: https://www.mdwfp.com/enforcement-education/general-fishing-rules-regulations