Mofishing Crappie - by Brad Wiegmann

Crappie fishing in Missouri has never been any better. Fisheries management and water quality play a major part of the healthy crappie populations. It's also big business for the State of Missouri bringing in thousands of dollars a year in fishing tackle sales and Out of State licenses.



"Missouri is blessed with numerous lakes and ponds with healthy populations of crappie. That's the result of great water quality across Missouri," Pauley continued, "Fishing is a $2 billion dollar a year industry in Missouri and crappie fishing plays a major part of that revenue."

Popular lakes with healthy populations of crappie in Missouri include Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks. In fact, both of those lakes were listed on Fishhound's "50 Best Crappie Lakes". Another lake worth mentioning in Missouri just for numbers more than size is lake Mark Twain.


On a recent fishing trip out with Scott Pauley, Outdoor Marketing Specialist and Missouri fishing guide, we targeted catching crappie on a small reservoir. Our destination was Rocky Fork Lake, one of the over 900 lakes managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, adjacent to Finger Lakes State Park and just north of Columbia, Missouri.



Rocky Fork Lake is similar to other small reservoirs across Missouri. It has vegetation around the edges including shoreline grass and cattails along with numerous brush piles put in by the Missouri Department of Conservation. There is also a small dock with an opening for fishing along one shoreline.


"One of the best thing about Missouri Department of Conservation ponds or lakes there is no fee for launching or parking. Anglers can look up these areas online at Missouri Department of Conservation to find one near them," said Pauley.


Pauley approaches crappie fishing two ways. "To catch crappie nothing beats a live minnow. It's hard to beat putting on a slip bobber, split shot with an Aberdeen hook rigged up with live bait. Plus it's a lot of fun watching the bobber go under," said Pauley.



He also likes to fish with jigs especially when fishing for big crappie. Pauley believes that the bigger crappie like eating a jig before chasing down a minnow.


"Crappie like other predator fish in Missouri like to eat shad. So, I like to match the hatch and use the same size and color they are eating. The Bobby Garland Slab Buster is my go to lure in black and chartreuse or shad patterns in clear water and fish it on a 1/16- or 3/32-ounce jig head," said Pauley.


His secret go to lure for catching slab crappie is a Smithwick Rogue. "I know everyone thinks of a Rogue as a bass bait, but in the spring I flat out catch them on it around boat docks and brush piles when I'm bass fishing," said Pauley.



On Rocky Fork Lake, Pauley went straight to the visible brush piles to cast the Bobby Garland Slab Buster around while we used Bobby Garland Baby Shad Swim'R in shad patterns with 1/24- or 1/16-ounce Mo' Glo Glow-in-the-dark jig heads. "On this lake, I'm going to concentrate on lay downs and brush piles. On other lakes, I love fishing brush piles because they are like magnets pulling crappie in them," said Pauley. When Pauley can't see them he uses his electronics to locate the brush piles and see marks that indicate crappie in them before fishing.
We casted our Bobby Garland Baby Shad Swim'R (www.bobbygarlandcrappie.com) around the visible brush piles located around the lake. Almost all of the brush piles were located in shallow water. A simple cast and steady retrieve technique was used without a bobber.


Due to heavy rains before our trip, the water was stained. Perfect water clarity for crappie fishing. Every cast, we would slowly retrieve the lure through the multiple branches below the water just out of sight.


Our best crappie came off a lay down right next to the boat ramp area. It ended up measuring in at over 12-inches. Missouri has an extremely liberal daily limit on crappie of 30 with no length limit except on specific regulated bodies of water with special regulations.


"I also need to mention fishing on Truman Lake up by Clinton, Missouri. It's one of the better crappie lakes in Missouri. Unlike most big reservoirs, Truman Lake is shallow, dirty with lots of flats and standing timber," said Pauley.


Two things Pauley noted about fishing Truman for crappie. "Crappie fishing gets better the hotter it gets out. Also power generation will put crappie in the standing timber on the shady side since it's not deep enough to have defined thermoclines," said Pauley.


Missourians are blessed with ponds, lakes, impoundments and rivers with healthy populations of crappie. Anglers fishing Missouri for slab crappie can concentrate on Truman Lake or Lake of the Ozarks.
Additional information on fishing in Missouri can be found at www.mdc.mo.gov or you can contact Pauley at [email protected].

.