Spring crappie fishing typically plentiful

Submitted photo/ Tina Hymer, of Strafford, displays a couple of crappie she caught on Stockton Lake last weekend. She caught her limit of crappie from 11 to 13 inches long.

Nevada Daily Mail

Crappie anglers know that in April the fishing and catching can be excellent, as the fish move into the bank for the annual spawning run which makes an ideal situation for catching a limit of these tasty fish.

Veteran crappie anglers say that if you can't catch fish in the spring, you just aren't a true crappie angler.

Submitted photo/ Kevin White, with crappie he caught on the Sac River at Caplinger Mills.

Carl Martin, Independence, has been pulling crappie from Stockton, Truman and Pomme de Terre just about as soon as the lakes started filling with water. He said, " I use small yellow or white jigs, but just about any minnow type lure will catch fish if you put it in the right place. Look for pea-gravel banks and cast close to shore. You might want to use a bobber to keep from getting hung up. When the water temperature hits 55 degrees or higher, it is perfect for catching crappie close to the bank. Should we get a cold spell, the fish might move out a little so try a little water."

Recently, while crappie fishing on Pomme de Terre, Martin hooked a muskie. He said, " The fight didn't last long because I was using four pound test line and that muskie gobbled up my jig and kept going.

Last weekend, Tina and Dennis Hymer, Strafford, were crappie fishing on Stockton and catching fish in 10 feet of water using small jigs. Most of the fish measured 11 to 13 inches. They also hooked white and black bass and walleye while fishing for crappie. They said, "It won't be long before the crappie will be moving close to the bank and the fishermen will be after them."

Earlier this year, when the weather conditions were bad for fishing, Hymer took the opportunity to make an improvement in his fishing. He said, "When the fishing conditions are bad, it is a good time to build and place crappie beds in the lake.

"Cold weather is a good time to place cedar trees and other brush in place. Its also a good time to avoid other anglers so they won't see where you place the beds. It doesn't take long for the crappie to find and use the beds. There have been times when after just a few days, I have caught crappie in new beds."

Crappie fishermen can catch fish all year long, but the next several weeks will be the prime-time for catching limits of big crappie.

Martin, a Kansas City Royal baseball fan, said, "For the past several years, I have caught crappie while fishing on Stockton, while listening to the ball game during the opening week of the season. The fishing starts to pick up about the same time as the baseball season starts."

During the up-and-down weather in March, Paul Simms, Springfield, was still able to catch crappie at Stockton.

Simms said, "Some days the fish were near the bottom, and the next day they might be in 10 feet of water. The fishing was like the weather. Now that April is here, the fishing can be more predictable as the fish move closer to the bank to spawn."

Last April, Mike Gregory, Joplin, started catching limits of crappie on April 7. He said, "I was fishing at Stockton and found lots of fish, and had the lake nearly all to myself. The next day, the word had gotten out that the fishing was very good and there were eight other boats near where I had caught the crappie. The word gets out fast when the crappie start hitting."

Some catches of big crappie have been reported recently including a three-pound eight-ounce lunker caught in the Lake of the Ozarks by Chad Deaver, while he was fishing for bass.

Crappie anglers agree that when it comes to good table fare, you can't beat a mess of crappie.

Gregory said, "There are many species of Missouri fish that might fight harder and are fun to catch, but you can't beat crappie on the dinner table. Now is the time to start to go after them."