Head south and you'll run into the August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring conservation areas. Combined, these two neighboring outdoor havens offer at least 574 acres of water. These are urban waters, so you can expect to encounter other anglers here throughout the year. As a result, the MDC has imposed some very specific rules and regulations to help the crappie population continue to thrive despite heavier-than-normal fishing pressure.

The lakes of the Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring CAs are numbered and can be deciphered by downloading a map from the Internet ahead of time or by picking up a map once you arrive in the area. Lakes 37, 35, 34, 8 and 6 are known as top crappie-producers. A few true slabs in the 13- to 15-inch range can be taken from Lake 33. In 2007, anglers were urged to keep crappie of all sizes up to the daily creel limit of 30 fish from lakes 30, 33 and 35. Sampling in 2006 showed an abundance of fish in the 7-inch range in those three lakes.

The best fishing in the Busch and Weldon Spring CAs can be tapped during April and May, so start planning your trip now. With the conservation areas in a metropolitan region, finding a place to stay or eat is the least of your worries. That's not always the case when you drop in on some of the more rural areas for a couple days of relaxed fishing.

SOUTHEAST REGION
Anyone familiar with southeast Missouri and its fishing will quickly recognize two names: Clearwater Lake and Wappapello Lake. Both offer ideal crappie habitat created by spring-fed waters and clean Ozark streams.

Said Paul Cieslewicz, who serves as the MDC's fisheries management biologist for Clearwater Lake, "Clearwater has some dandy crappie." Since Clearwater is one of the larger prime crappie waters in the state, net surveys don't always yield the most accurate results. However, a combination of sampling and angler surveys last year showed that about 64 percent of crappie taken were 9 inches or larger, and more than half measured a minimum of 10 inches.

According to Cieslewicz, crappie in Clearwater Lake are "cyclic," and the cycle for 2008 is looking very promising.

As for sheer volume, Wappapello Lake far outreaches any other impoundment in the southeast region of the state, including Clearwater Lake. If you like fishing larger water, spend a few days at Wappapello, located northeast of Poplar Bluff in Butler and Wayne counties.

A new rule was imposed at Wappapello Lake in 2006 that requires all crappie measuring less than 9 inches be released "immediately." Only a small portion of black crappie pulled from the waters of Wappapello will be greater than that 9-inch limit, but white crappie are an altogether different story. The average white crappie caught in 2008 should range from 6 to 10 inches, and a decent number of fish will measure up to 12 inches. Don't be surprised if you reel in that jig or minnow to find a "bragger" in the 14-inch range attached to the business end of your line. They're there, and the fight is worth the gas and time needed to get in position.