Crappie Kingdom 20 Jun 2016

Crappie Kingdom

FISHING: FUN FOR ALL

I am constantly asked, “Where can I go and catch crappie? The question is a legitimate question but the answer is easier said than done. One has to remember the lake is a large body of water and the exact pinpoint of where one can catch crappie is not an easy task. I can tell people in a general vicinity but not exactly where structure may lie. If I could give them an exact location, the art of catching the fish is sometimes not as easy as it is perceived. In other words, you don’t just go out and start catching crappie year round. A mere foot or six inches off the mark can make a big difference in getting a bite or not. I can give people general information such as how deep the fish are suspended and where they are located such as around standing timber. This information is helpful but can be misconstrued and direct the fisherman to be way off the location they were told. Although the lake is my primary location to fish, it is not necessarily the only place to fish. My favorite places to fish are “farm ponds” or “watershed lakes (3 to 5 acres of water)” in North Missouri. There are a host of “farm ponds” that have a healthy supply of crappie as well as bass, bluegill, and catfish. The nice thing about these bodies of water is they need to be fished to maintain a healthy population of fish and particularly the crappie are high on the list for management. If the crappie population in small bodies of water remain uncontrolled, the population becomes overcrowded and growth stunted. Crappie fishing becomes fun for everyone and are relatively easy to catch.

Nothing is more relaxing than to flop a flat bottom john boat in the water of one of these ponds and drift around catching fish. This method is the epitome of simplicity and low cost fishing. I get extremely excited when I travel to North Missouri to visit my Brother knowing full well a trip to one or more of our local favorite watersheds is going to occur. It is sweet to know the fish are cornered and can’t go far to hide. The old phrase “you can run but you can’t hide” certainly applies here.

The method of fishing these ponds can vary but consistently calls for casting and retrieving or using a bobber with live or artificial bait underneath. If youngsters are along for the trip, the cork and minnow is the ticket. Bass, bluegill, catfish and crappie will eat the minnow. It’s the universal bait. Worms work well for catfish, bass, and bluegills but not so well for the crappie. If available, crickets and catalpa worms will suffice for bait as well. The idea for the youngsters is to get them on fish and let them catch fish. Some Conservationists claim that kids don’t need to catch fish to have fun. In one sense that may be true, but I can attest to the hundreds of kids I have been involved with fishing, catching fish “hooks them on fishing”. There is no substitute for the thrill of the catch. The fish doesn’t have to be big but rather just be a fish. The opportunity to teach the young ones good conservation as well as basics of fishing and fishing safety certainly presents itself in this setting.

If you are by yourself or with others that prefer to use artificial baits, the cast retrieve method works quite well. Not to my surprise, the same jigs I use in the big lakes work in the small impoundments as well. My favorite combination is a 1/16 oz. jig head with a curly 1 ½ inch or 2 inch curly tail grub attached. Cast it out next to shoreline or parallel to shoreline and begin the slow methodical retrieve. The excitement is that you never know which kind of fish you will catch. Bluegill or bass are just as apt to bite as crappies. I like blue, purple, chartreuse, black and chartreuse, and combination tri colored jig bodies attached also. Your preferred brand or trade name lure body will work and makes very little difference.

The entire family can enjoy this type of outing and everyone can catch fish. If you want to catch enough for a fish fry, you can do that and have a variety of flavors. If you want to catch and release, you can do that as well. Just remember, the crappie population has to be kept in check in these small impoundments and removing surplus crappie will not hurt the quality of the fisheries. Try this sometime. I’m sure you will have a blast.

LOCAL FISHING TIP OF THE MONTH: Summer pattern is beginning. Fish shallow beds or cover. Look for suspended fish above the brush or around deep standing timber. Fish may relate to close cover so be prepared to go deep into the cover.