Page 96 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2026

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
TALL
“Reefs”
Massive Trees Create Cover for Big Largemouth Bass
Bald cypress trees grow along the banks of many Mississippi rivers, particularly in the southern part of the state like the Pearl and Pascagoula. The tall, majestic trees can provide good bass action summer or winter.
“A cypress tree offers a lot of cover for baitfish and all kinds of other creatures,” says Paul Elias, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from Laurel. “They offer bass a lot more cover than just a dead tree trunk in the water and they last forever. It’s a natural place for bass to congregate.”
In the summer, the trees provide cooling shade. In the winter, trunks absorb solar heat and radiate that warmth into the water. On a frosty day, a temperature change of just one or two degrees can make a big difference to a cold-blooded fish.
story by John N. Felsher water column.
Cypress trees can grow in standing water up to about seven feet deep. As living organisms, they continue to grow and change, providing cover for a multitude
of animals above and below the waterline. Essentially a giant living reef, a cypress tree offers fish cover throughout the entire
Hard “knees” surround many trees. These act like snorkels, allowing the trees to “breathe” in the water or muck. Unique to cypress trees, root shoots split directly from the trunk to create a “root ball. These root balls spread out underwater, forming superb bass cover. During low water, the bottom of some trees look like an octopus with so many shoots coming off them.
Algae and other small organisms grow on the trees, feeding insects, crustaceans and various other invertebrates. Small fish find refuge among submerged nooks and crannies. Little creatures attract larger predators like bass.
In addition, amphibians, lizards, snakes and other small animals dwell above the water, but occasionally enter where lunker largemouth lurk. Also, doughnut-shaped grass rings frequently grow around cypress trees standing in deeper water. That adds more potential fish-holding cover.
On a long, wooded shoreline, not
every tree produces good bass action. Some only hold bass at times. Anglers need to determine patterns through experimentation and observation. Isolated trees frequently attract the most and biggest bass. A lone tree or a small cluster
Spinnerbaits work great for largemouth bass around cypress trees.
96 | January 2026
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