Rend Lake and Crappie

[rzh]

Has anyone fished Rend Lake for Crappie? What's the lake like? Is it any good?

[Ranger375]

REnd is a good lake for both crappie and bass. Right now it is at high water stage. Is about 5 feet above normal winter pool and will probably remain up for some time. I have not seen any current reports from the lake. There is lots of standing timber in the north end that usually holds crappie along the river channel.

When are you planning to fish Rend Lake?

[crappieken]

rzh - Rend Lake is a Flatland reservoir - It is 18,900 acres with a maximum depth of 32 feet. Nearly 46% is 10 feet deep or less. The entire shoreline is 162 miles. The bottom is nearly 95% clay. Vegetation is almost non-existent. It does not usually stratify (there is no thermocline). Old gravel and paved roads, as well as rubble from building foundations and bridge abutments, also remain on the bottom. Water is fertile and brown in color. It is a wide, shallow reservoir so wind can become a problem. While weeds and rock are very limited, riprap, flooded trees, and stumps provide abundant habitat. Many treelines run from shallow water to depths of more than 8 feet. Gizzard shad provide the bulk of the forage. White and black crappie are both available, but the white is much more abundant. The creel limit for crappie on Rend is 25 fish with only 10 fish being 10 inches or longer. The Corps of Engineers has a number you can call for fishing conditions. The number is 618-724-4089. I haven't fished Rend in 10 years since my daughter and family moved from that area, but I always did well around the beaver lodges and their feedbeds.

[rzh]

Ranger375 & crappieken - Sorry for the delay in responding back. I pass by Rend every time my family and I drive back and forth to Louisiana, and we thought that it looked like a good lake to fish for crappie. So I thought I might ask the experts here!
I hope to go sometime in late spring or during the summer kinda like a vacation (school age kids you know!).
Thanks for the info.
Take care, rzh