TRUMAN LAKE
Built by the Corps for electricity generation and flood control, Truman Lake lies on the Osage just upstream of LOZ. The largest difference between the lakes is the managing agency: The Corps has the power to mandate site use for all lands around the lake, thus reducing encroachment of residences and resorts and making the lake much more enjoyable to fish. The lake is rich, and abounds in drowned timber, shallow flats and long arms that support some wonderful crappie fishing.

Last year, Truman yielded up lots of undersized crappie -- 9-inchers that should grow into the legal range this year. This lake also consistently produces strong crappie year-classes. This information strongly indicates that early crappie fishing should be outstanding, with a brisk surge of legal fish late in the summer as small fish reach the keeper threshold.

For more information about fishing Truman Lake, write: Corps of Engineers, Route 2, Box 29A, Warsaw, MO 65355, or call the MDC at (660) 530-5500.

STOCKTON LAKE
Stockton Lake, about 15 miles northwest of Springfield, is one of my favorites. Another clear-water lake situated on the edge of the Ozarks, it's smaller than the other lakes I've discussed and feels less fishing pressure, and anglers here find it comparatively easy to locate crappie concentrations.

During the past couple of years, crappie recruitment has been spotty; further, crappie in the 2003 year-class should have reached legal size late last year. Regardless, spring crappie fishing should be good to outstanding, with a solid complement of legal fish available to anglers.

For more information about fishing at Stockton, write: MDC, Box 180, Jefferson City MO 65102; or, call (417) 895-6880. Or call Thompson Fishing Guides, (417) 424-2277.

OSAGE AND MISSOURI RIVERS
These are sleepers, as it seems that anglers don't commonly think of fishing for crappie in any of Missouri's many streams. Big mistake: Crappie can be found in most, with decent-sized populations in many larger streams.

The Osage not only has its own resident spawning crappie population, but also receives fish from the Lake of the Ozarks to add to the population. The two most popular fishing areas are just downstream from the dam, and at the Osage's confluence with the Missouri. You can access the Osage River just downstream from Bagnell Dam and from several public accesses all the way down to the Missouri River.

Also: Biologists report that spring crappie fishing along the middle section of the Missouri River can be outstanding at mouths of tributaries such as the Osage.

For more information about fishing the Missouri River, call (573) 884-6861; call (573) 346-2210 for information on fishing conditions on the Osage River.

SMALL PONDS AND WATERSHED LAKES
If you're interested in catching the new state-record crappie, fish in a farm pond or a Natural Resources Conservation Service watershed lake in north Missouri. I fish for crappie at several farm ponds and watershed lakes in northeast Missouri each spring, and, depending on the year, several times during the year.

"Why?" you ask. Because farm pond crappie action is fabulous. My fishing partner and I consistently catch 10- to 15-inch crappie whenever we fish the ponds, which also have the potential to yield up an 18- or 19-inch specimen. The lakes and ponds are small, allowing us to locate crappie easily, regardless of their whereabouts in the pond or lake. And the ponds and lakes are all very lightly fished.