Crappie Report

[Bill Babler]

With the bass fishing being somewhat of a challange, I have heard very good reports of crappie fishing on the Rock. Very Big crappie are being caught in the James and King's River.

These fish are shallow from 1 to 6 ft. on either bluffs or very steep chunk boulder size rock.

White 1/8th oz. jigs have been the best producers.

Crappie on Lake of the Ozarks are just on fire. If you have a day or two to get away it seems right now is better than the Spring Spawn.

Bill Beck, Rick Lisek, and Steve Dickey went to Lake O yesterday and caught and released 300 crappie. I was up there last week bass fishing and the guy I was fishing with, asked if I wanted to catch crappie. I said I really didn't care to but he said watch this. He swam a small 1/16 oz tube down 4 docks in a row and caught one every cast. Everyone he caught was 11 plus inches, just toads.

Said he has lived at the Lake for 50 years and has never seen this type of action, on keeper crappie. Spring or Fall.

Sounds like a road trip.

[dscott]

With the bass fishing being somewhat of a challange, I have heard very good reports of crappie fishing on the Rock. Very Big crappie are being caught in the James and King's River.

These fish are shallow from 1 to 6 ft. on either bluffs or very steep chunk boulder size rock.

White 1/8th oz. jigs have been the best producers.

Crappie on Lake of the Ozarks are just on fire. If you have a day or two to get away it seems right now is better than the Spring Spawn.

Bill Beck, Rick Lisek, and Steve Dickey went to Lake O yesterday and caught and released 300 crappie. I was up there last week bass fishing and the guy I was fishing with, asked if I wanted to catch crappie. I said I really didn't care to but he said watch this. He swam a small 1/16 oz tube down 4 docks in a row and caught one every cast. Everyone he caught was 11 plus inches, just toads.

Said he has lived at the Lake for 50 years and has never seen this type of action, on keeper crappie. Spring or Fall.

Sounds like a road trip.

If one was to make a trip up there and was a newbie to the area, where would you start?

[Bill Babler]

You might get on the Lake O board, and ask that question, for some of the locals. I know my friends that went up last week, just launched at PB2 and threw the trolling motor down and fished the steeper banks, and any brush they found.

I fished the 3 Mile mark with a buddy for bass and he said the dock bite was outsanding swimming a jig under the floats or in the stalls of covered docks. 1 to 6 ft. deep on your jig.

Seems right now, it does not matter, the lake is loaded with them and they are munching.

Had another friend that fished some docks up in Rainey Creek up the River 2 weeks ago, and he said they were just loaded about 8ft. deep on the shady side of most every dock he fished.

Real nice crappie in the 12 inch class.

Good Luck

[Champ188]

Serious crappie fishermen catch a lot of them around the docks in Racetrack Hollow. Donna and I caught some big ones in there a couple of years ago. I was swimming a white bass jig and she was throwing a LC 2.5 crank bait. Of course, look for docks with floodlights pointed toward the water, rod holders mounted on the docks or any other sign that people fish off the dock. Chance are they're fishing for crappie and that there are brush piles around the dock.

[motoman]

dscott,

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Like Bill said, peek over into the Lake Ozark forum, a lot of good crappie posts in there.

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But, I've been down a few times the past few weeks, with a few other guys. A great place to put in is PB2 and head up the Glaize.

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Any bluff wall, laydown/twig sticking of the water, or pile of driftwood washed into a bluff-cut; fire into it.

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White or Chartreuse jigs, start with 1/8 ounce weedless. let it sink down a 6 to 8 count, let it 'hop' over any debris, and get ready for the 'tick' coming over some limbs/brush. If the 1/8 ounce yields few results, drop to 1/16th ounce, or even lighter.

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A few guys we were fishing with were having trouble catching them, they'd feel the 'tick' and try to set the hook with their arm, vs. their wrist. It seemed like the fish would not give you that kinda time. The hookset is just a flick of the wrist/twitch of the rod tip, gotta be quick. But FAR more keepers than shorts.

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Good Luck!

[dscott]

we made it up there on sat. Man what a beautiful day, put in at state park and found most of them at the docks before you go under the bridge. Had our limit in about 2 hrs. wasn't any monsters, but averaged 10". didn't find racetrack hollow?? Might take a few trips to find out where the big ones hide.

Thanks for all the tips.

Dave

[motoman]

we made it up there on sat. Man what a beautiful day, put in at state park and found most of them at the docks before you go under the bridge. Had our limit in about 2 hrs. wasn't any monsters, but averaged 10". didn't find racetrack hollow?? Might take a few trips to find out where the big ones hide.

Thanks for all the tips.

Dave

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Glad you made it out and got a limit in just a couple hours. Most days fishing, I'd like to get a limit of ANYTHING in 2 hours!

[Champ188]

Dave,

Racetrack Hollow is at mile marker 28 along the main channel, left side of the lake going upstream from Glaize. It's just a couple of miles downstream from Linn Creek. Glad you guys had a good trip.

[chipperjones]

Bill is correct- they are on fire. Caught a limit in 1 hour fishing around one dock. They were in 5-10 feet of water.

[Champ188]

Nice bunch of meat, chipper.