Crappie fishing in Robert DeLaney Lake should be good this year, as the new 9-inch and 15-in-creel regulations imposed in 2006 take effect. Before the regulation change, the lake supported good numbers of small crappie that will grow to legal size in 2007 and be available to crappie anglers.

As at Robert DeLaney Lake, crappie fishing in 2007 at Lake Wappapello will continue to be good to excellent as the new 9-inch length limit established in 2006 comes into force. The lake had good numbers of small black and white crappie in 2006; those will reach legal size this year.

SOUTHWEST REGION
Southwest Missouri probably has greater crappie fishing opportunities than any other region of Missouri. According to MDC fisheries management biologist Tim Banek, Stockton Lake supports good to excellent crappie fishing, with good growth, good annual recruitment, and 45 percent of the crappie in the lake exceeding 10 inches. Crappie fishing in 2007 should be similar to that in 2006. This fishery has had excellent crappie spawns in 2003 and 2004, strong shad year-classes for food, and good growth rates.

He suggested that once the spawn is over, anglers should fish the 55 different brushpiles built over the past two years. For brushpile location information complete with GPS coordinates, go to www.mdc.mo.gov/ southwest.

MDC fisheries management biologist Dale Cornelius noted that Pomme de Terre Lake has an even more stable crappie population than does Stockton Lake, so crappie fishing at Pomme in 2007 should be as good as if not better than it was in 2006. He added that 58 percent of the black crappie and 64 percent of the white crappie exceed the 9-inch minimum-length limit. Unlike populations at Stockton and some other lakes, Pomme de Terre crappie exhibit little of the annual variation caused by inconsistent spawning and growth.

Interestingly enough, he remarked, the white crappie population has come on like gangbusters the last year or two. He recommended that once you get through the spring spawn, check out the brushpiles (locations of which are, as noted, available on MDC's Web site).

Further south at Table Rock Lake, management biologist Matt Mauk stated that the 2004, 2005, and 2006 crappie year-classes have dominated crappie populations and will continue to dominate again in 2007. The lake has good to excellent numbers of 10- to 12-inch crappie, with a few larger slabs.

Crappie fishing was excellent during 2005 and 2006. Catch rates should decline in 2007, as recruitment has been limited in recent years. Most crappie caught during 2007 will be legal length of 10 inches.

The best crappie fishing will be in the James River Arm, Kings River Arm, and upper Long Creek Arm. Using minnows and small plastic jigs is very effective amid submerged trees. An interactive fish habitat map is available on the MDC Web site, www.mdc.mo.gov.

However, Mauk hasn't seen a new dominant year-class show up, so 2008 could be a down year for Table Rock Lake crappie. Anglers have come to expect boom-and-bust crappie fishing in the lake, he observed.

In addition to all of the large lakes, this region also has some good close-in crappie fishing in Fellows Lake just north of Springfield. The lake has good numbers of 7- to 9-inch crappie available for anglers year 'round, with spring fishing producing some 10- to 13-inch fish.