Winter Crappie

[Phil Lilley]

At what point could we start finding crappie on Table Rock this winter? I've alwasy been told if you know what you're doing you can catch them all winter along the bluffs. Is it better after the lake turns over?

[SKMO]

I was told this week by a prominent SK crappie fisher-person that the "critical" water temp was 55 degrees. According to him it gets good and better as the water temp falls below that.

Today the temp at SK is 59 or so but will surely be dropping.

There have been some bona-fide nice catches of very large crappie (up to 16") on and off until now but nothing consistant. Most people fishing deep trees in the mouth of coves with minnows. Spoke w/a Crappie guy last evening at the SK Ramp who had been in the upper Kings last afternoon and he did nothing.

Turmover as I understand it will not start until water temp 47-49, then only minimal mixing, most turnover occurs closer to upper 30's.