Missouri anglers flock to Caplinger Mills

Kevin White with some of the crappie he caught last week at Caplinger Mills in the high water.

When Jack Clark, Clinton, heard how good the fishing was at Caplinger Mills, he took his son and headed for the bridge over the Sac River at Caplinger, only to see lots of other anglers had beaten him there.

"We counted 42 people fishing on the bridge and a lot of them were pulling out crappie or white bass," Clark said. "I had fished there before, but this time it was different.

"After watching people catching fish, we were able to get a line in the water and in just a few minutes, I had the first crappie of the day. After an hour of fishing, we had enough fish for dinner and took a break.

Kevin White fishes below the bridge at Caplinger Mills, while other anglers fish from the bridge.

"We stayed a little longer, just watching other fishermen fighting the fast current and pulling out fish from one end of the bridge to the other."

Ron Masters, owner of the Riverside Bait and Canoe store near the bridge, said his minnow sales was going strong.

I have been selling minnows at a record pace since the fishing picked up several weeks ago," Masters said. "When the word got out that the fishing was going strong, business really picked up."

Harold Green, Bolivar, has been fishing off the bridge nearly every day for the past two weeks and has a special spot where he fishes.

"It's a lot like opening day at Bennett Springs, where the anglers have their special spots along the stream, waiting to make the first cast after the siren sounds," Green said. "It's disappointing to find someone in your spot when you hit the bridge, but there are other places I can catch fish.

"Several years ago, I found the fish coming up the river on their spawning run and after catching a limit of 30 crappie, I come back each year to get in on the action. This year, it was later than usual when the fish moved up to the dam.

"Most of the past years, I start catching fish in April. Over the years, I have caught crappie, perch, white bass, walleye and even gars. Its one of my favorite places to fish in the spring."

Carl and Betty Davis, Willard, have fished at Caplinger Mills in the past, but both said the fishing was very good this year -- unlike last year, when the couple only caught a total of four crappie while fishing off the bridge.

"We like to make a trip to Caplinger, even when we don't catch a lot of fish," Betty said. "The roar of the river at the dam and watching other fishermen pulling up fish from the bridge makes the trip worthwhile."

It's hard to say how long the fishing will hold up, but anglers like Fred Martin, Springfield, will be nearby as long as it does.

"If the fishing at Caplinger slows down, I move over to Stockton Lake for some bass and walleye fishing," Martin said. "When the water flow slows and gets warmer, I take my canoe and float the stream, stopping at some of the deep holes where I usually catch a few fish.

"That's another reason I make several trips to Caplinger each spring."