Help! I need crappie!

[dtrs5kprs]

32 minutes ago, Hammer time said:

The guys that know the spots and techniques of lower end crappie fishing catch predominantly huge black crappie. Know of a few guys that kill em every year in Indian, Spring and around Cow and Little cow creek. 

Its deep fishing 20-35fow and predominantly prespawn.

Thus the odd and occasional big one on a stick or grub. 

[Bill Babler]

At one point I think I remember Bill Anderson telling me there is not a great food source for crappie fry in Table Rock other than in the River systems.  Trouble is no food source for them and they are a food source for everything else.

[Champ188]

14 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

At one point I think I remember Bill Anderson telling me there is not a great food source for crappie fry in Table Rock other than in the River systems.  Trouble is no food source for them and they are a food source for everything else.

Makes a lot of sense.

[vernon]

I was always told that crappie and bass should never be stocked together in the same farm pond because they compete for the same food source and will eventually stunt and starve each other out.

Guess that shoots the crap out of that old wive's tale!

[Terrierman]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 8:30 AM, Champ188 said:

Pretty soft compression, I presume?

Good cut resistance too.

[Wesley]

I have been fishing crappies for 26 years at tr. Shortage of crappies because of fishing pressure. Before the internet and everyone started posting where they catch fish I could catch crappies all day up flat creek in April all 2 lbs or more. No more. Two years ago I counted 52 boats from point 15 up flat creek, used to be just a few. Think how many fish they catch in a day. Now when they are 1/16 over legal size they keep them. They should shut down crappie fishing all of April the whole month. Think how that would up the crappie population and size!! I see pics of people taking buckets of fish, definitely affects the quality of the fishing.

They never will do that but there is noting wrong with the lake, forage fish everywhere.

[Biglerma]

On 3/16/2017 at 10:33 AM, Wesley said:

I have been fishing crappies for 26 years at tr. Shortage of crappies because of fishing pressure. Before the internet and everyone started posting where they catch fish I could catch crappies all day up flat creek in April all 2 lbs or more. No more. Two years ago I counted 52 boats from point 15 up flat creek, used to be just a few. Think how many fish they catch in a day. Now when they are 1/16 over legal size they keep them. They should shut down crappie fishing all of April the whole month. Think how that would up the crappie population and size!! I see pics of people taking buckets of fish, definitely affects the quality of the fishing.

They never will do that but there is noting wrong with the lake, forage fish everywhere.

I wonder why Stockton, Truman and LOZ are so much better for crappie compared to TR then?  I know both of those lakes, especially LOZ have a ton of fishing pressure also.

[Buckethead]

My personal opinion about LOZ is the consistency of the water level makes it a great fishery. Fry are very seldom left high and dry due to lake level fluctuations. LOZ being owned by the power company, houses right on the waterline vs corps of engineers lakes with only floating docks and no structures close to the waterline. A  dry spring on Table Rock with no rain will leave fry high and dry. 

[MOPanfisher]

I hear the LOZ thing about stable water level a lot, and it does play in.  But Truman Lake which puts out crappie by the ton is about the opposite of stable.  Seems like a heavy dew will raise its level sometimes.  There is certainly more to the story, cover for fish and fresh hatched fry, food sources, especially for the fry etc.   High water years during the spawn produce excellent fishing 3 to 4 years later.

[Quillback]

The AGFC biologists will tell you that high water is key to fry survival on Beaver.  Fry have to have someplace to get away from the predators.