Elvis Presley Lake, Tupelo, Mississippi
On The Fly Freshwater
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Sponsored By
___________________________________________________________________________________________
July 2024
By Polly Dean
Photos by Jimmy Jacobs
Elvis Presley Lake is a 322-acre Mississippi State Fishing Lake that recently underwent a closure and renovation. We fished the lake near Tupelo about a week after its reopening in late May of 2024. We initially visited the lake on a weekend to scout out the access from shore and with the use of our kayaks. The large number of cars with boat trailers in the parking lots was a sign that this is a popular location for anglers.
We then returned with our kayaks and fishing gear on a weekday and found we had much less competition from other boaters and anglers. With the size of the lake and its many coves, I don’t think it would be a problem to head to Elvis Presley Lake at any time the opportunity presents itself. A special permit, along with a Mississippi fishing license, is required. Special permits can be acquired at the gate upon entrance.
It was a sunny, warm day with little cloud cover. We launched our kayaks from the boat ramp and found the shore adjacent to the launch site to be shaded, with areas of vegetation and downed timber that made good spots to target. We also saw another angler fishing from shore at the end of the nearby pedestrian bridge land a medium-sized bass. That was an encouraging start for us.
We targeted the shoreline, especially shaded areas and downed timber, starting with popping bugs. On The Fly South Editor Jimmy Jacobs used a white one, and I went with a blue popping bug. That was because blue was a color of lure suggested for bass by the lake’s most recent fishing report.
Both of us found success in boating a number of bluegill throughout the day. They varied in size from 4-inches to 9-inches or so. The bank was fairly steep in places, suggesting that these were areas of deeper water that may hold larger bluegill or even a bass. Along the dam where the water was deeper, Jimmy even opted for a pink Wooly Bugger for enticing a bass. That was another color that the reports suggested for the largemouths. He had a couple tugs where he failed to bring the culprit to the kayak, but was optimistic none-the-less.
All-in-all the lake had good structure that was very fishy. We had plenty of promising areas to target with a fly and we were rewarded with enough action to keep us casting and fishing most of the afternoon. I finally found success in landing a largemouth bass just alongside a remnant piling that had once been a part of a pier support.
Amenities of Elvis Presley Lake include two fishing piers, two public boat ramps with courtesy piers, restrooms and showers, rental pavilion, picnic areas with grills, and campground with 16 sites with water and electrical hookups, and primitive campsites are available.
Anglers can find updated tips for targeting the various species on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Park website.
For this summer, low light conditions are generally recommended for targeting bass in creek channels and on main lake points. Blue and pink are lure colors often suggested. Crappie fishing is also noted for being good at this reservoir. Around the fishing piers are good places to find crappie, either casting from a boat or the shore. Also targeting brush along the western bank can bring success.
Boaters can target the fish attractors placed throughout the lake. Those locations are marked on the depth map provided on the MDWFP page mentioned earlier.
Bream fishing can be pretty good on this lake as well. We found them in the usual areas, such as shaded shoreline and back in shallow coves. We had success with popping bugs with the bream.
Elvis Presley Lake was ravished in 2014 by a tornado that swept through the area. Several of the facilities sustained structural damage including the fishing piers. Eventually, the entire facility was closed in 2021 for roughly two years, while the MDWFP inspected the dam and drainage system, renovated the facilities and restocked. the lake with largemouth bass, white and black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, shad and catfish.
As a postscript, there is a connection making the naming of the lake fitting, besides Tupelo being the birthplace of the King of Rock & Roll. It seems that Elvis was a bit of an outdoorsman, as evidenced by some home movie footage shot back in July of 1956. In that reel he can be seen fishing during an offshore charter out of Biloxi, Mississippi. Later in the movie the King can be seen with a group shooting clay pigeons.
The lake now bearing his name is a fitting tribute to the Tupelo native son.
