Suggestions For Bream And Crappie?

[Chris Barclay]

Hello everyone,

I will be starting to frequent Busch CA to help supplement my family's diet and would like to se if any of you have suggestions for which lakes are best for decent sized bream and crappie? What methods work best?

Thanks!

[ozark trout fisher]

Hello everyone,

I will be starting to frequent Busch CA to help supplement my family's diet and would like to se if any of you have suggestions for which lakes are best for decent sized bream and crappie? What methods work best?

Thanks!

I've had good luck with Lake 36 for bream. I just fish off the man made gravel points they make, it works fine. I throw nightcrawlers and crickets. Besides bluegill, I've caught some nice bass, and catfish in the ten pound range. There are hybrid stripers too according to the MDC, but I haven't had any luck catching any without a boat. Just a tip, if you catch a bluegill about 3" long, cast it out on a stout rod, with a treble hook and I bet you'll catch a catfish with a lot more meat on it than twenty bluegill.

Good luck. Busch Wildlife is really a jewel. For being so close the fishing for bass, catfish, and bluegill is great, and the trout fishing is about the best anywhere during the wintertime.

[Chris Barclay]

I've had good luck with Lake 36 for bream. I just fish off the man made gravel points they make, it works fine. I throw nightcrawlers and crickets. Besides bluegill, I've caught some nice bass, and catfish in the ten pound range. There are hybrid stripers too according to the MDC, but I haven't had any luck catching any without a boat. Just a tip, if you catch a bluegill about 3" long, cast it out on a stout rod, with a treble hook and I bet you'll catch a catfish with a lot more meat on it than twenty bluegill.

Good luck. Busch Wildlife is really a jewel. For being so close the fishing for bass, catfish, and bluegill is great, and the trout fishing is about the best anywhere during the wintertime.

Thanks for the tips! You are right that it's a tremendous resource! I decided to go this morning and checking things out. I went to several lakes to scout them out and ended up spending most of my time on #36 and #11 and #9. I caught a pretty nice crappie on 36 (which surprised me as it's not labelled as a crappie lake per se) and about a 2lb bass on 11 as well as many little 'uns. I'll probably hit those again but I'd also like to go to 27 & 28 as well as it's looks promising.

Next time, I'm taking my 4 year old daughter to #12 to get her 'hooked' - she was jealous I didn't take her this morning.

Any more tips?

Chris

[ozark trout fisher]

Thanks for the tips! You are right that it's a tremendous resource! I decided to go this morning and checking things out. I went to several lakes to scout them out and ended up spending most of my time on #36 and #11 and #9. I caught a pretty nice crappie on 36 (which surprised me as it's not labelled as a crappie lake per se) and about a 2lb bass on 11 as well as many little 'uns. I'll probably hit those again but I'd also like to go to 27 & 28 as well as it's looks promising.

Next time, I'm taking my 4 year old daughter to #12 to get her 'hooked' - she was jealous I didn't take her this morning.

Any more tips?

Chris

Not a problem at all. Never been to lake 11, but it sounds like a pretty decent bass lake. I've never been to 27 before, and have only fished 28 during the winter trout season, but I have actually caught several decent bass there while going after the trout, so it might be a good place to try.

[Troutfishn]

9-12'' MONSTER redear are spawning in busch as are the crappie. I have located several beds of redear holding fish in lake 7-First jetty in parking lot 1. Lake 36-in the spadderdock patches near boat docks. I have seen and caught many of the spawning crappie at lake 5 but they are small (6'') Lake 33 also has many small (4-5'') crappie. Your best bet by FAR is lake 35, electrofishing and muskie nets show large numbers of crappie in the 9-12'' range and a fair amount up to 17''. The dam holds many as does the low water bridge down by the creek. I hear but have not seen in lake 34 on the far side of the lake in the first cove MANY 9-12'' crappie on the deep side of the weed line.

[Chris Barclay]

Any news recently on where to catch some decent bream?

9-12'' MONSTER redear are spawning in busch as are the crappie. I have located several beds of redear holding fish in lake 7-First jetty in parking lot 1. Lake 36-in the spadderdock patches near boat docks. I have seen and caught many of the spawning crappie at lake 5 but they are small (6'') Lake 33 also has many small (4-5'') crappie. Your best bet by FAR is lake 35, electrofishing and muskie nets show large numbers of crappie in the 9-12'' range and a fair amount up to 17''. The dam holds many as does the low water bridge down by the creek. I hear but have not seen in lake 34 on the far side of the lake in the first cove MANY 9-12'' crappie on the deep side of the weed line.

[Troutfishn]

for bream put your walking shoes and polarized sunglasses on. They have been spawning in shallow flats as well as rocky dams. Just look for the round cleared beds. I saw some on 34 and 5. I see large bream on 33 and 35 spawning around boat ramps commonly. Crappie are a little rough lately you will have to fish deep. The same as usual though 35 and 34 are good. If it is overcast or a rain front is moving through as it will tomorrow then I would fish crappie if it is hot and sunny look for spawning bream and drop a 1/80 oz rubber leg jig in their face.