Photo by Matt Sutton

By Gerald J. Scott

Forecasting Missouri's crappie fishing hotspots six months in advance is about like predicting where Missouri's best weather will be a half-year hence. I say "about like," because predicting next week's weather across the Show Me State is totally impossible. Conversely, making an advance forecast of 2004's crappie fishing requires no more than a neck the length of your typical giraffe's.

My neck's not quite that long, so I consulted Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologists across the state and studied crappie fishing's recent history in each of the lakes mentioned in this report. As a result - the vagaries of local weather and water conditions aside - I feel reasonably confident that crappie anglers will find any or all of these waters worth their while in 2004.

The August A. Bush Memorial and Weldon Spring conservation areas both lie in the shadow of the St. Louis skyline. Therefore, it's not surprising that though the areas make only 574 acres of water available, they host 125,000 fishing trips per year. What is surprising is that there's good crappie fishing to be found here in terms both of numbers and of size.

Lakes 30, 33 and 35 are bursting with 7-inch crappie, and anglers are encouraged to harvest full 30-fish limits. Lakes 6, 8, 34 and 37 are better bets for larger crappie; spring and fall are the prime times here.

Mark Twain Reservoir, sited in Monroe and Ralls Counties, has long been a popular destination for St. Louis-area crappie anglers. Finding crappie meeting the lake's 9-inch minimum-length requirement was a little tougher last year than is usual - which, ironically, is good news for anglers this year, because last year's "shorts" will have grown to legal size by the time you read this.

Just as it is on any large body of water, a boat's an obvious asset on Mark Twain. Even so, there's plenty of opportunity during the spring spawning season for bank-bound anglers to get in their licks. Any cove or pocket within hiking distance of a road that features a gravel or rock bank should produce lots of action.

Labelle City Lake's 112 acres will offer great black-crappie fishing to Lewis County anglers in 2004. Crappie over 9 inches long abound here, and spring's the time to get in on the action.

Anglers used to doing their fishing from a boat will be happier if they make use of the lake's boat ramp. That's not to say, however, that boats are prerequisite to success here. To the contrary, Labelle City Lake is a wonderful place to bring the family for a day spent walking the banks for crappie sandwiched around a picnic.

Thomas Hill Lake, in Randolph and Macon counties, should be among the state's best bets for crappie in 2004. An exceptional crappie spawn in 2001, followed by above-average gizzard shad production in 2002, has set the stage for a populous complement of crappie over 10 inches long.

Thomas Hill has 4,900 acres of fishable water and a rugged shoreline. Despite the presence of a fishing jetty and some other sites for bank-fishing opportunity, visiting anglers would be well advised to take advantage of one of the lake's four boat ramps.

Che-Ru Lake, a 160-acre gem at Fountain Grove CA in Linn County, is noteworthy for one of the widest varieties of habitat types of any lake of its size. It also has a well-deserved reputation for fast crappie action during the spring spawning season.

Facilities at Che-Ru include two boat ramps and primitive camping and picnic areas. Even so, visiting anglers need to know that Fountain Grove is managed for waterfowl, not fishing. In fact, the lake is closed to fishing from Oct. 15 through Feb. 15.

Pony Express Lake, in DeKalb County, defines the term "user-friendly." Facilities include a boat dock, boat rentals, a boat dock, a fishing dock, two fishing jetties, primitive camping and a picnic area. Moreover, this lake's crappie, albeit small, are thick enough to stir with a spoon.

Brush and standing timber will be the focus of the most worthwhile fishing during most of the year. However, during May and June, just about any rocky shoreline will provide fish-on-every-cast action. Pony Express Lake is the place to introduce children of all ages to fishing.

Lake Jacomo is by far the best-known public fishery in the Kansas City metro, and it has been producing exceptional angling for a number of species, including crappie, for decades. Black crappie, including respectable numbers of fish in the 8- to 10-inch range, can be found in the north end of the lake. Similar numbers of white crappie, including a lot of fish in the 10-inch class, swim near the lake's south end.

Bank-fishing is popular here, and a significant amount of the shoreline is accessible from pull-overs and parking lots. Private boats are allowed on the lake, subject to a city permit.

Holden City Lake in Johnson County is 380 acres of pure enjoyment for several reasons. For 2004's crappie anglers, No. 1 among those reasons is that the lake should yield more crappie over 9 inches than it has in several years. What's more, the increase in large crappie doesn't indicate any reduction in the numbers of crappie this lake is known for. Put those two conditions together, and you've got a lake with good-sized crappie and a 30-fish daily limit with no minimum-length standard.

There is some bank-fishing opportunity at Holden City Lake. Even so, visiting anglers might well want to make use of the boat ramp.

Butler City Lake, in Bates County, is an example of what often happens when well-meaning but misguided amateurs take it upon themselves to stock crappie in a small body of water - because this 71-acre lake now has way too many crappie. Anglers are encouraged to help out by harvesting full 30-fish limits.

Facilities include a boat ramp, a boat dock and a fishing dock. This is another good place to fish if you'd rather spend the day catching fish than trying to triumph over angling's greatest challenge.

The Lake of the Ozarks may well be the single best crappie lake of any size in Missouri during 2004: Crappie densities are the highest they've been in more than a decade, and the lake produced good numbers of true slabs in 2003. The repercussions of the strong spawn in 2001 should keep the good times rolling through this year.

Although natural structures such as pea-gravel banks, points and bluffs yield up a lot of crappie here, most anglers concentrate their efforts on the most obvious structure: docks. And that's not a bad strategy. But anglers should be aware that, while the water is public, the docks are private property. Stepping onto a dock or tying your boat to it is trespassing (and many dock owners are totally incapable of taking a joke).

Stockton Lake is, unfortunately, one of the places not to be in 2004 if catching a limit every time out is your goal. Crappie recruitment has been poor at Stockton for several years, and the trend shows no sign of reversing itself. On the other hand, what crappie Stockton does have grow extremely well, so any angler willing to trade a half dozen slabs for 15 9-inchers might want to accept this lake's challenge.

If you go, remember that crappie don't have to compete for habitat here, so learn what "ideal" crappie habitat is, and concentrate all of your efforts in locations that meet the definition as completely as possible. If you think this sounds a lot like "run-and-gun" bass fishing, you're right.

Wappapello Lake is a great place to fish for crappie any time of the year, but the action's at its best from late winter through April. This is one of the few reservoirs with a 30-fish daily creel limit and no minimum-size requirement. Nine-inch crappie are plentiful, and there are fair numbers of fish in the 10- to 12-inch class. A 15-incher isn't out of the question.

Wappapello's peak crappie action occurs during the lake's winter draw down. The best fishing takes place in the deeper water of the river channel, so it's seldom necessary to venture onto the shallow flats. If you decide to do that anyway, use extreme caution, as "safe" water depths of 3 feet may hide stumps 2 feet, 6 inches tall.

Duck Creek Pool No. 1, sited within the Duck Creek CA in Bollinger County will separate the crappie-fishing men from the perch-jerking boys. When the lake's managers say that the pool has "excessive amounts of aquatic vegetation," they aren't exaggerating: Just getting a jig into the water poses enough of a challenge to dissuade many anglers. But then, 10-inch crappie are barely run-of-the-mill fish here. It's likely the new state record crappie is swimming somewhere in Pool No. 1 right now.

Facilities include boat ramps, boat rentals, primitive camping and six fishing jetties. Fish are caught from the jetties, to be sure, but a boat is a real asset here, owing to the need to present lures vertically.

The best crappie forecast news of all is that I've barely scratched the surface of Missouri's crappie fishing potential. If I didn't mention you're favorite lake, just smile. A formal "thank you" isn't required