NOCTURNAL FUN
The nightlife on Wappapello can be filled with some good bass fishing action for both numbers of fish and bigger fish. Fending off the mosquitoes is probably the biggest drawback to fishing this lake at night.

"You can catch those fish right up next to the bank as long as it is close to deep water," advised Carnahan. He suggests trying black buzzbaits or spinnerbaits and working tequila sunrise plastic worms Texas-rigged with a 1/4-ounce weight along channel bends and rocky points.

Fansler recommends fishing the lower end of the lake at night. Slowly work worms along points and rocky banks or in the middle of the lake, where stumps line the old river channel and the bottom drops from 4 or 5 feet into 30 feet of water.

Wappapello is the most popular bass tournament site in southeast Missouri, as the lake attracts club derbies and circuit events with anglers from Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and the metropolitan areas south of St. Louis.

"In the last couple of years the winning weights in tournaments have gotten better," said Fansler. "If you don't have 12 to 15 pounds (with a five-fish limit) then you are usually out of the money. In some tournaments it has taken as high as 20 pounds or better to win in August."

For updates on the largemouth bass fishing at Wappapello, call Sundowner Marina, (573) 222-8622, Fansler, (573) 222-7909, or Carnahan, (573) 322-5417. For the current lake level, call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Office, (573) 222-8562.