![]() However, they all generally fall within a few categories: topwater, shallow water, and deep or open-water fishing. There are countless methods we anglers use to catch bass, and if you ask five anglers what the best methods are, you’ll likely get five different answers. Busch Memorial & Weldon Spring Conservation Areas You can use the table of contents to jump directly to the areas you’d like to fish. Some of the big-time and lesser-known lakes on the list are close to home for most Missourians. Try those if you would rather fish without the roar of logo-covered bass boats. We’ll also let you know about some lakes that are a bit off the radar for the bass tourney crowd. This article is not just about high-profile lakes. High-stakes competitions bring added pressure, so before we get to those waters, we’ll discuss the best ways to catch bass, even on highly pressured waterways. Quite a few of the lakes we’ll tell you about have proven time and again to be among the best bass fishing spots in the country, including some impoundments that regularly bring in professional bass fishing tournaments. Landowners can favor one species or the other, depending upon their objectives.You can catch largemouth bass across the Show Me State, but when you’re looking for lunker lakes that other people will want you to show them, you won’t do any better than fishing at the following Missouri bass fishing lakes. On the high, reduce the stocking density of bluegill (500 per acre) and channel catfish (100 per acre) fingerlings to minimize competition for food. Stock between 50 and 200 per acre, depending on your preference. Stock 2-inch crappie fingerlings in June (provided the existing bass are not larger).Wait a couple years for the bass/bluegill community to become partly developed, then stock adult crappie as above,.Note: It is illegal to stock public waters.Handle fish carefully and transport in the largest possible container of cool pond or lake water to prevent respiratory distress.Stock 30 adults (mixed males and females) immediately prior to the spawning season in April or May.Beds placed at depths of 5 to 10 feet attract fish the rest of the year.Crappie beds placed near shore attract fish during the April-May spawning season.Sink cedar or old Christmas trees to create “crappie beds" to attract fish to provide fast angling action.If crappie numbers seem low, landowners may impose a voluntary minimum length limit of 9 or 10 inches.A few adults will always elude the angler’s hook and survive until spawning season. Crappie may be harvested in any number and at any length without fear of eliminating the population. ![]() Bass will eat them instead of young crappie. Don't stock other prey fish, like gizzard shad.Stocking fathead minnows into a new pond may give crappie a single-season boost in growth, but fatheads usually disappear after a year or two of predation by bass or crappie.When they become large enough to eat fish, crappie will eat young bluegill as well.Crappie will eat some of the same species of plankton and aquatic insects that bluegill and young bass eat.A voluntary length limit or slot limit will encourage small, hungry, and slow-growing bass that will keep crappie from overpopulating. Without largemouth bass, crappie may struggle to get larger than 5 or 6 inches long.After three years, the surviving crappie will be 8 to 9 inches long.A good population of largemouth bass is key to keeping crappie numbers in check. Largemouth bass are predators to crappie.Grass carp can wipe out all your aquatic plants. Rooted underwater plants around the shoreline provide food and shelter for young bass, which become crappie predators.Excessive algae caused by fertilizers from surrounding fields.Clay soils with small suspendable particles in the pond basin.Good clarity means you can see a light object in 24 inches of water. You won't get many crappie over 5 or 6 inches. If water clarity is low, predator fish won't be able to see young crappie to eat them. If any of these conditions are lacking, crappie can take over the pond. Successful crappie management in ponds requires clear water, rooted aquatic plants, and sufficient numbers of adult largemouth bass to control the numbers of young crappie. Black crappie are a bit plumper than white crappie at any given length, but neither species has been shown to be superior to the other in a suitable Missouri pond environment. ![]() Either black or white crappie can live in suitable Missouri ponds, although black crappie may be less likely to overpopulate if a pond unexpectedly becomes muddy.
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