ABOUT:
Eagle Lake is a 4,700-acre oxbow lake formed by the Mississippi River and cut off by the mainline levee system. It's one of the largest oxbows in Mississippi and a popular destination for bream and crappie fishing. The lake also neighbors the 18,000-acre Phil Bryant Wildlife Management Area that's managed by the MDWFP.
Eagle Lake is a 4,700-acre oxbow lake formed by the Mississippi River and cut off by the mainline levee system. It's one of the largest oxbows in Mississippi and a popular destination for bream and crappie fishing. The lake also neighbors the 18,000-acre Phil Bryant Wildlife Management Area that's managed by the MDWFP.
HISTORY:
Eagle Lake was created in 1866 when the river changed its course and created a natural cutoff called a "Terrapin Neck" at Eagle Bend. The former bend silted up at either end, creating the lake. After being cut off from the Mississippi river, the lake's level rose and fell with flooding of the Yazoo River and Steele Bayou until the 1970s when the Corp of Engineers installed the Muddy Bayou Control Structure.
Eagle Lake was created in 1866 when the river changed its course and created a natural cutoff called a "Terrapin Neck" at Eagle Bend. The former bend silted up at either end, creating the lake. After being cut off from the Mississippi river, the lake's level rose and fell with flooding of the Yazoo River and Steele Bayou until the 1970s when the Corp of Engineers installed the Muddy Bayou Control Structure.
FUN FACTS:
* In the late 1800's, before the lake was formed, a steamboat hauling cargo sank in Eagle Bend. The boat can still be seen to this day when the water levels are low in the fall and early spring. Duck Dynasty cast member, Jase Robertson, highlighted the boat on S1:E4 of Duck Family Treasure.
* In August of 1975, Eagle Lake hosted a speedboat race called the Vicksburg Southern Championship that had more than 100 participants from eight states.
* Eagle Lake really does have eagles! There are nesting sites at Steele Bayou dam and on the west side of Hwy 465 as you approach the lake.
* In the late 1800's, before the lake was formed, a steamboat hauling cargo sank in Eagle Bend. The boat can still be seen to this day when the water levels are low in the fall and early spring. Duck Dynasty cast member, Jase Robertson, highlighted the boat on S1:E4 of Duck Family Treasure.
* In August of 1975, Eagle Lake hosted a speedboat race called the Vicksburg Southern Championship that had more than 100 participants from eight states.
* Eagle Lake really does have eagles! There are nesting sites at Steele Bayou dam and on the west side of Hwy 465 as you approach the lake.