Sunnen Lake, Potosi Mo

[Bman]

My guess would be baby gills or bass.

Small crawfish! Some crawfish husks barely big enough to fit in their mouths.

[Bman]

Brings back some memories..Havent fished that lake 30 years or so, since I was 10 or 12, but we always caught some great blue gill there. Crickets were our bait of choice FWIW. Sounds like you had a great time.

I've been going down there for nearly 35 years now. If we make it to July 7 I will celebrate my 35th year at The Sunnen Products Co. Things are tough in our industry, but we are leaders in our field. Many competitors have gone belly up.

I started taking my son & daughter down there some 20 yrs ago. Now I'm introducing a new generation to the lake. Great cabins on the lake and free to employees.

I'm heading down there today to meet up with the grandkids.

Regards

[fishinwrench]

Small crawfish! Some crawfish husks barely big enough to fit in their mouths.

They must be Redear, especially if they were rooting on the bottom (for crawdads or snails). Some hybrid Redear I've seen don't have the RED "ear-mark"....it's more of a thin white half-circle.

I've never found a "school" of them though, just one here and one there. They don't seem to bite flys or mini-jigs as readily as Gills do, and I don't think I've ever caught one on a surface bug.

[Bman]

I got a reply from MDC Fisheries Management Biologist for Washington county.

"Bruce,

It is either a pure big bluegill or a hybrid sunfish. The only way to tell is by the mouth. The coloring looks exactly like a bluegill to me, but the mouth looks bigger than a bluegills normal mouth size. If the mouth is bigger than a bluegill it is probably a hybrid sunfish. The hatcheries cross a green sunfish with a bluegill. They can look exactly like a bluegill (with a bigger mouth), exactly like a green sunfish (with a smaller mouth) or a combination which is easier to identify. Either way they’re great to eat. Hope you had fun fishing for those big boys."

[BrianLich]

Has anyone fished Sunnen Lake recently or care to share some tips? I'll be hitting the water this Saturday and couldn't be more excited. First time visiting this particular lake.

[Jeff Tief]

Haven"t fished it in years but as a kid would fish with my grandpa and brother.He was always trying to catch some of those big bluegills while older brother and I would sooner or later end up in the creek below the dam.It was real pretty there albeit a lot of snakes and at times girls our age sunbathing.Often hard to concentrate on fishing with all the distractions:first wife"s Uncle caught a small rainbow in the stream about 40 years ago. Figured it escaped from the spring branch.

[BrianLich]

Thanks Jeff. I'm excited to give it a shot. I'll be taking a few friends who have never fished and I've always heard the big Sunnen bluegill are plentiful. Fingers crossed for a great day. Cheers.

[caddyjoe77]

Hi all

I will be visiting here this weekend I think for the first time. With the nice weather we have had I have been avoiding the bigger lakes if I can to avoid the boaters(the close buzzing, I am all for everyone having fun). Ive been going to Council Bluffs, seems just about every bass is in the slot limt.

Hows the bass fishing?

[Haris122]

Is Sunnen lake a public lake, and if so do you still have to pay a fee to use it or what's the deal. Was reading up on reviews for it, and seemed to come upon conflicting information.

[moguy1973]

It's a private lake owned YMCA. There is a fee to fish for the public not staying at the Lodge, $4 to fish from a boat (no wake), and $3 to fish from bank.

http://www.ymcaoftheozarks.org/activities/fishing