Please help if possible....

[Kemetek1]

I am in the St Louis area and don't own a boat. I am a catfisherman looking to learn the art of catching crappie. Can anyone offer how to info as well as where I can catch these babies from the bank.

[Charley41]

This time of year if you know someone with a boat dock we catch them here on Lake of Ozark. I also have caught them around Dams or bridge plilings when i didn't have a boat. Crappie loves wood and concrete stuctures. I would use minnows with a # 1 hook and very small lead shot sinker to located then try jigs......Not from St louis so don't know where you could go..Just my two cents

[south point]

bank fishing this time of year in the stl. area is a tall order. good, public, crappie fishing in general is pretty hard to find in the area. if you know of any smaller ponds you might find some crappies in deeper water by slip-floating small minnows or swimming small jigs very slowly. but from the bank, finding them will be a crap shoot. I don't even know where to tell ya to try as far as specific lakes. maybe the lake in fenton (don't know the name and haven't fished there in years) or george winter area? I know of a guy who catches a lot on nice crappies out of the meremec. some ok lakes at busch wildlife, too, but they all get fished hard in the warm months. from the bank, our rivers would probably be a waste of time. even from a boat ya only usually get one fish here and one there, unless they are spawning. I don't know if there are any marinas above mel price that would let ya fish, but sometimes marinas will sink brush under their docks and then let people fish for a small daily fee. and this can be a great way to catch crappies all year, especially in the winter.
another thought, in winter, I sometimes catch nice crappies and hybreds in my throw net while looking for shad in warm water discharges. I have never targeted crappies there, but they are there for a reason. keep in mind that crappies tend to like the slower current, so fish the slower current seams and back waters.
I never fished those new oxbow lakes on 370, but there's bound to be some crappies in there somewhere.

[G.Gordon]

Get a kayak. Great way to get out to the fish for under $500.

Other than that, I've never had much luck crappie fishing in bigger bodies from the bank. A few freak times and lucky breaks. Most of my bank crappie success has been from smaller bodies of water like ponds or small conservation lakes and again.... lucky to fish the right place at the right time. Most of my bank fishing for crappie was done during spawn.

[Miller]

Get a kayak. Great way to get out to the fish for under $500.

Other than that, I've never had much luck crappie fishing in bigger bodies from the bank. A few freak times and lucky breaks. Most of my bank crappie success has been from smaller bodies of water like ponds or small conservation lakes and again.... lucky to fish the right place at the right time. Most of my bank fishing for crappie was done during spawn.

I second this.

Plus I will add that now is a great time to catch fish under docks. They stack on docks, bridges, etc in cold weather.

[Kemetek1]

bank fishing this time of year in the stl. area is a tall order. good, public, crappie fishing in general is pretty hard to find in the area. if you know of any smaller ponds you might find some crappies in deeper water by slip-floating small minnows or swimming small jigs very slowly. but from the bank, finding them will be a crap shoot. I don't even know where to tell ya to try as far as specific lakes. maybe the lake in fenton (don't know the name and haven't fished there in years) or george winter area? I know of a guy who catches a lot on nice crappies out of the meremec. some ok lakes at busch wildlife, too, but they all get fished hard in the warm months. from the bank, our rivers would probably be a waste of time. even from a boat ya only usually get one fish here and one there, unless they are spawning. I don't know if there are any marinas above mel price that would let ya fish, but sometimes marinas will sink brush under their docks and then let people fish for a small daily fee. and this can be a great way to catch crappies all year, especially in the winter.
another thought, in winter, I sometimes catch nice crappies and hybreds in my throw net while looking for shad in warm water discharges. I have never targeted crappies there, but they are there for a reason. keep in mind that crappies tend to like the slower current, so fish the slower current seams and back waters.
I never fished those new oxbow lakes on 370, but there's bound to be some crappies in there somewhere.

What oxbow lakes are you talking about and where bout's on 370? Is this my buddy G?

[Kemetek1]

I second this.

Plus I will add that now is a great time to catch fish under docks. They stack on docks, bridges, etc in cold weather.

Would this apply on rivers?

[nemofisher]

the kayak is a great idea, and ilots of places have them including dicks, bass pro, cabelas, or even Walmart. I'm sort of a chicken with this cold weather, but it is possible. You might also check the Conservation Department web site. I think you can look under fishing, select a specie, and it will tell you several lakes [URL="http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/fish/prospects/bestbets.php#f0100042"]. I'm sort of a chicken with this cold weather, but it is possible.

[south point]

What oxbow lakes are you talking about and where bout's on 370? Is this my buddy G?

I am talking about the 2-3 small lakes along 370, west of cabella's. If memory serves me correctly there was a past thread on here where someone knew the names for them. every time the river floods lakes like that get a fresh fish stocking and crappies should be in there, too. but if I were you, I would go above alton dam and see if there any marinas there that will let ya fish off their docks. and yes, you threw my grampa's pole in! Lmao!.

[MontanaBoy]

Horseshoe Lake on the other side of the river in Illinois has some bank fishing. If your willing to walk about 2 miles to get to the bank on the Bend Road side of the Lake. (South-West) I have been there many times over the past four years. It is hit and miss. this year has been very poor. Last year was a pretty good year. I talked with some of the guys that fish that lake at least 5 days a week in the spring & fall and this year has been very poor for them as well. I'm not sure what the deal is with the fishing. I hope it comes back. In the spring when the crappie are spawning (April / May) on that lake you can catch fish from the bank all over the East side of the Lake.