Overview
Enid Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood-control reservoir on the Yocona River in north Mississippi, about midway between Memphis and Jackson near I-55. Completed in the early 1950s as part of the Yazoo Headwater Project with Sardis, Arkabutla, and Grenada, it is operated by the Vicksburg District for flood risk management, water supply, and recreation. Construction began in 1947 and the lake entered operation in the early 1950s as one of four Yazoo Headwater flood-control lakes.
Summer conservation pool covers about 16,130 acres; the lake is drawn down to a much smaller winter pool and can expand toward roughly 28,000 acres at flood pool. Average depth near the dam is about 20 feet, with standing timber, creek channels, and the Wildcat Brake sub-impoundment creating classic Delta-edge reservoir habitat. Wildcat Brake, a several-hundred-acre sub-impoundment in the upper lake, adds protected cover when the main pool is low.
Enid is famous as the home of the world-record white crappie and remains a major crappie and bass destination, with fisheries managed by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Corps parks, campgrounds, and boat ramps provide extensive public access. Corps Habitat Day projects and MDWFP stocking/reporting programs help sustain fishing through large seasonal drawdowns.
Water levels follow a seasonal rule curve, with summer full pool near 250 feet NGVD29, winter pool near 230 feet, and flood pool to about 268 feet. Because drawdowns and flood rises routinely change shoreline and cover, monitoring current lake levels is essential for fishing, boating, and ramp access. Rule-curve deviations during wet or dry years are common, so anglers watch Corps plots as closely as the calendar.
Current Conditions
Enid Lake is currently 2.4 feet below full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.25 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.35 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Enid Lake is a 16,130-acre reservoir on the Yocona River managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Vicksburg District).