Kimberling City Crappie?

[crappiefisherman]

Like they say, when in rome do as the romans do.If you know where and how ,you can catch crappie 365 days a year.And every day is differant, so dont ask what todays secret is because you have to figure it out every time you go.Some of the biggest crappie are on Table Rock, but I dont enjoy that lake as much as bull shoals because of all the boat traffic and wind after 10:30 in the morning.Lately Bull shoals has recieved more attention because of good fishing reports and tournament action.Its still the same lake but more pressure as people are wanting to beat the water because of lousey fishing last year, Take my word for it , all those fish didnt just show up and get so big over the winter.Also in a few days Bull shoals will be its normal cruddy muddy mess after the expected heavy rains and all the runoff from our local strip the hilltops off building techniques.......Have a wonderful day today and a better day tommorrow

[crappiefisherman]

Oh . and I had the pleasure of meeting Don at the local Bass Pro the other day and really enjoyed the conversation, He also has the same barber as I do...

[motoman]

Thanks for the input guys. If anyone has any advice, feel free to speak up. I'm not looking for anyone to just hand over secrets to me, but some direction is certainly helpful.

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Kinda like with bass fishing, if I'm having trouble catching 'em, part of the fun is figuring things out. I don't want people spoonfeeding me info, that takes some of the fun out of it.

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But regarding the crappie, looks like we won't be holding our breath. But, we will still probably give it a shot. Heck, a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut too.

[Sam]

Table Rock is not a crappie, destination.

Oh, yes it is! I kinda like it that one of the top guides on the lake doesn't know that some of us catch crappie there year-round, often getting our limits. The Kimberling City area is one of my top crappie destinations post-spawn, in May and June. Every major cove that has a lot of brush and some sandy spawning banks has crappie - and Cow Creek, Little Cow Creek, the brushy bank between the Cow Creeks, and the tangled brush on Point 7 are some of my favorite crappie holes around Kimberling. There are other spots around there that I don't know the names of, but the conditions are the same at all of them. Look for lots of brush that's near pea-gravel/sand and near deep water also, and you'll find crappie - but that deal's best a couple of months from now.

With that said, I'm the first to admit that I don't know 1/10th of what Bill does about bass fishing on Tablerock.

Motoman, Bill's exactly right in saying the Kimberling area will be a tough go for crappie at the time you'll be there. If your boat's big enough you could make the run by water to where you need to go - but it's a long run and most likely you'd want to trailer it and launch at Bridgeport, above Cape Fair, 'way up the James River arm. From Bridgeport, go upstream to where Flat Creek runs into James, then start fishing your way up James from there all the way up to Galena.

What you're looking for is flats on the river bends in 5-10 feet of water. Look for any brush or stumps on those flats, because those kind of anchor the crappie - they group around them and the biggest crappie will be in the best of the cover, forcing the smaller ones out to the edges of it. They'll be bunched up, pre-spawn, and when you find them there'll be a big bunch of them and an easy limit. If you find them on a spot one day, they probably won't be there the next - but they'll be within a couple hundred yards of it, still in a big bunch and in the same kind of place.

Take your boss up there, and there's a good chance you'll find a bunch and he'll get a crappie limit. And even if you can't find crappie, he'll have lots of fun catching white bass. Use swimming minnows on 1/8 or 1/16 jigheads, white or chartreuse, and a slow retrieve. Keep the rod tip high so you don't fish underneath the crappie - they won't go down for a lure. You'll be fishing among the spoonbillers up there, and that's always fun to watch, too.

[denjac]

Some people don't like to fish for bass, Bill Some people like to eat fish , Bill. And you, especially you, would be the last person to allow a fillet knife to enter the belly of a nice smalley... right?

Oh yea... are we still on for our Table Rock CRAPPIE trip tomorrow??

Kidding aside... we had a COLD winter and the water under the surface is still freezing cold. Don't get in a big hurry on the crappie.

Phil, we can leave Bill at home and head to long creek in the near future and catch some 12-18 inch slabs! Nothing better than crappie and eggs for breakfast.

[Sam]

Lately Bull shoals has recieved more attention because of good fishing reports and tournament action.Its still the same lake but more pressure as people are wanting to beat the water because of lousey fishing last year, Take my word for it , all those fish didnt just show up and get so big over the winter.Also in a few days Bull shoals will be its normal cruddy muddy mess after the expected heavy rains and all the runoff

crappiefisherman, now that's the truth. That's exactly what I was saying in another thread awhile back, and I kinda got abused by one and all for it. So, I ain't doing that again.

So, come one come all and fill up your stringer! They're jumping in the boat, and the fishery of the 1960's is back again! You betcha!

[motoman]

Phil, we can leave Bill at home and head to long creek in the near future and catch some 12-18 inch slabs! Nothing better than crappie and eggs for breakfast.

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MMMmmmm! Crappie and eggs for breakfast........now you're talking!

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Thanks for the great info Sam! Not to show my ignorance, but when you mention a swimming minnow, could you elaborate.

[Sam]

Swimmin' Minnows? Here ya go, on the far right-hand side of the page:

Swimmin' Minnow

I'm in Springfield a lot, so I use the Luck E Strike Swimmin' Minnows from Bass Pro. There's lots of knock-offs, though, and any brand should do the trick. I like to put these on 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jigheads that have a #1 or #1/0 hook. I dunno why so many crappie lures have small (#4 or #6) hooks. A crappie's mouth is almost as big as a bass' mouth when they distend it to take in a lure - small hooks just cause poor hooksets and lost fish by the boat.

[motoman]

I'll be dipped, look 'e' there. I'm really getting schooled on this crappie thing.

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Thanks again Sam!

[Phil Lilley]

Phil, we can leave Bill at home and head to long creek in the near future and catch some 12-18 inch slabs! Nothing better than crappie and eggs for breakfast.

When do we go!!!???