Winter fishing at Missouri hot-spots yield bass and crappie

Phil Schmidt, Overland Park, Kansas, with a big bass he caught last week on Stockton Lake. (Photo by Ken White/Daily Mail)

The high and dingy water in area lakes has slowed winter fishing down, but some anglers have found fishing good especially for bass and crappie. One Kansas fisherman who has been pulling out crappie and bass from Missouri waters is Phil Schmidt Overland Park, Kan., who spent several days last week catching both species.

Schmidt said he first started fishing when he was 4-years old and now spends at least 200 days a year trying to catch bass, crappie, trout and catfish. This year-around angler said, "My main catch is walleye. Stockton Lake has some good walleye, but I have fun catching with all kinds of fish.

"My largest trout weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces, biggest walleye was a six pounder, an 8 pound bass, several crappie in the 15-inch range and a 35 pound flathead catfish. Of course, the ones that get away and you don't see them are always the largest fish. There is a saying that 'The big one gets away.'"

Another Kansas angler who likes fishing Missouri lakes in the winter is Dave Jackson, Pittsburg. Recently, Jackson hit Table Rock and caught four bass in one hot spot while fishing near Kimberling City. He said, "I hadn't been on the water more than 10 minutes when I hooked a 4-pound largemouth."

Using a yellow twin spin lure, Jackson caught-and-released two bass before moving to another spot where he continued catching bass.The Kansas bass-angler first started winter fishing at Table Rock several years ago after a friend told him about how good it can be.

Jackson said, "My fishing friend from Springfield told me that I would be surprised how good winter bass fishing on Table Rock could be. He took me along one cold December weekend to prove his point. We finished the first day by catching and releasing 16 bass from 12-inches to five pounders.

"Ever since that trip, I became a winter bass fisherman on Table Rock which I think is the best bass lake in the country. Usually you have the lake much to yourself and even when the lake is high and dingy like this winter, you can still catch fish. I never put away my fishing gear in the winter and my boat is always ready to hit the water. It may be cold, but you don't notice it while the fish are hitting."

A pair of winter bass anglers from Iowa have been fishermen on Table Rock for more than 20 years. Harold Groves and Tom Smith from Des Moines, have worked the Kansas City Sportshow for many years. They always plan a trip in January each year either before or after the KC show. Smith said, Years ago we found out about the winter bass fishing at Table Rock so we gave it a try. On our first winter fishing adventure at the lake, we both caught our largest bass of the year. Harold hooked an 8-pounder and I caught a 7-pound lunker.

"We haven't missed a winter fishing at the lake ever since. You could say that we are hooked on winter bass fishing on Table Rock. There have been days when weather kept us on shore, but for the most part we managed to get in some good fishing. Sometimes we may not catch a lot of fish, but the ones we do catch are usually big ones."

Dan Boyer, a guide on Table Rock said, "The fishing today is unusual for this time of the year. The high and dingy water has slowed down the catching, but it will pick up again before too long. Table Rock is a very good bass lake."

Not all anglers wait until the good spring fishing and even the challenge of the high and dingy water, there are still anglers out there catching fish.

It's another way to beat cabin fever.