Today: Thursday 28 March 2024
  • Ranger Alluminum
    Crappie Kingdom 15 Jan 2016

    Crappie Kingdom

    WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
     
    Man it is rough right now for just about everything. I can honestly say, I’ve never fished this high of water at this time of the year. Not only is the water high right now but it is murky and full of debris. The combination of the three elements makes it tough all over. Crappie fishing for the most part is really tough on just about all the lakes in South Missouri. Reports from Truman, Lake Ozark, Stockton, and Table Rock are all about the same. Tough and slow is the word. The good thing is that conditions will improve and a person has got to get out there and keep looking and trying to find fish that want to bite. A trip after catfish on any one of the lakes or stripers on North Fork might be in order. Bass fishing is touch and go with some deep fish being caught. 
    I don’t want to sound redundant but I have been three times in the last week or so and have not had much luck with catching keeper crappie. I have caught some short fish but few and far between. So my question is “What do I do”?   My next trip will be one that takes me to some typical summer structure that will now be a typical late fall or winter area. When 10-20 feet of new water is added on top of what was already there, those beds change and I have a hunch they might be holding some baitfish. I plan to wait a bit to allow the murky water to clear up some and the debris that is floating in the mainstream areas to filter out. Not only is the debris a pest but it can also be dangerous. I’ve seen some widow makers floating in the main lake areas so use caution if you are boating anywhere. All courtesy docks on Stockton and Pomme are pulled out of the water so launching could be a challenge as well. Launching off parking lots can be kind of tricky if you’ve not tried that before. 
    Dock fishing might be one of the first types of fishing to come around however, I’ve tried that too with minimal success. Shooting docks was working fairly well before the monsoons but even that has slowed down. But, you have to keep trying. Another factor contributing to difficulty is the water temperature before this last cold spell was relatively warm for this time of the year. It was in the mid 40’s for the most part and that is too warm for this time of the year. The shad is scattered and not really bunched up the way they should be. It will come, just a matter of time.

    Aside from checking the lake conditions once a week and/or getting on the water to explore yourself, there are other things that can be rewarding and pay dividends. These conditions lend themselves to going over equipment, relining reels, general boat maintenance, boat cleaning, rod cleaning, and pouring jigs and jig bodies. I have about 3000 jig hooks that need to be poured even though I have a couple thousand already poured. Who knows, someone might need a bag of jigs when I’m out and about. There are a number of Eagles, Osprey, Waterfowl, and shore animals that are available for viewing when you are on the water. We are very lucky to see Nature’s bounty while others are stuck in the rat race of the everyday life. We take for granted the fact that when fishing is good, folks just assume it’s that way all the time. Poor conditions as we are experiencing now are humbling to say the least and brings us back to reality. One has to take the good with the bad and savor the best when it occurs. That’s why it’s called fishing rather than catching. Just because you go to fish and end up with nothing doesn’t mean you are a bad fisherman but rather indicates you weren’t in the right place at the right time. The fish are there and will bite, we just have to find them and capitalize on the situation. I believe I will find fish in the near future that are willing to bite and firmly believe others will too. I can say that at least I will be there in search and feel gratified that I have the opportunity to experience one more day at the “office” on the water. Good fishing and good catching.

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