Hi, everyone. Here's a question I posted on a Missouri conservation board, but I haven't received any answers yet. CP and all the other crappie experts here - I'd appreciate your opinions about this situation. Thanks! - Sam
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There's something I can't figure out.

Bull Shoals is still high, about 8' above the 653' I think is ideal. That's better than the 22' high level it reached a couple of months ago.

Here's the thing. The last three crappie trips I've had there, I can find only BLACK crappie. They're in brush piles in about 20 feet of water, and they're all legal keepers - but there aren't many of them.

Normally, in past years on Bull Shoals, I catch about 10 white crappie for every black. When I was there last week, I fished hard every way I knew and caught 4 black crappie, total, for the day. That's about normal, but WHERE are the 40 white crappie I should have caught with them?

The blacks are nice as they tend to run bigger - often more than half of the white crappie I catch there are under 10", and that doesn't happen with the black crappie.

But, I sure don't know where all those white crappie went. They don't seem to be deep, or on the trees, or on points, bluffs, channels, cove entrances, or structure. I know there are a LOT of white crappie in this area of the lake, but I can't find a one.

The only thing I can figure is that they're up in shallow water - hiding in the flooded land bushes where I can't reach them. It's hard to believe they'd be that shallow with the surface water temp at 84, but maybe the shade of the land bushes keeps them on the banks, buried in the brush. And maybe if the water level drops to normal I'll be able to find them again. What do you think?