Your Mark Twain Lake Vacation Spot!

Mark Twain Lake’s

Hot April Crappie Action

Fishing heavy cover slowly and thoroughly can lead to stringers

of slabs at this north Missouri lake.

By Billie R. Cooper

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“Bill, I have found someone you have got to fish with,” the voice at the other end of the phone line stated with more than the usual excitement.  “This guy can put you onto slab crappie on Mark Twain.”

At the time, talk about crappie at Mark Twain normally would have fallen on deaf ears because of negative reports I had heard.  However, “the voice” at the other end of the line was that of Allen Borgmeyer from Loose Creek.  Allen has a knack for smelling out the best fishing spots around. 

Allen hooked me up with Jim McMurdo out of South Fork Resort, at the Junction of highways 154 and 107 near the South Fork Recreation Area on Mark Twain Lake. My wife, Charlene, and I spent a day on Mark Twain with McMurdo that dispelled all of my doubts about the quality of the crappie fishery at Mark Twain Lake. 

Missouri’s youngest major impoundment.  The 18,600-acre lake, which backs up water from the Salt River in Monroe and Ralls counties, quickly became a crappie hotspot in the Show Me State. 

According to Ross Dames, the Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologist at Mark Twain, “Crappie fishing peaked at Mark Twain in 1992.”  However, the fishing had been so good for several years that anyone could catch crappie easily.  When fishing slowed a little, some folks abandoned mark Twain lake.  Those in the know continued to catch nice stringers of crappie. 

Stoutsville Recreation Area and heading for the northernmost reaches of Mark Twain Lake up the North Fork arm. 

McMurdo has several years of guiding experience under his belt and proved to be an encyclopedia of fishing information about Mark Twain.  His eagerness to tell the next story almost matched his eagerness to see us catch fish that April day. 

“Normally, crappie fishing is great on Mark Twain from the first of April to the middle of June,” McMurdo explained.  “The northern reaches of the lake warm up first because of the southern swing of the sun.  Too, as spring progresses, southern warming wind’s gradually become more consistent, piling warmer water and all the abundant aquatic life that goes with it into the pockets and arms on the northern shores.  Shallow water enhances the whole process.” 

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tactic as he quietly eased his boat up to a  logjam on one of the North Fork’s muddy banks.  “Stealth is important when you’re approaching shallow-water crappies”, he said.  “Fishermen often spook fish by banging into the cover or thumping around in their boat.” 

The water was dingy, almost light chocolate.  “Cool temperatures have kept the spawn at bay.” McMurdo said.  “It should start anytime, though.  Temperatures hovered around 60 degrees all night.  The water temperature was 58 degrees yesterday.  The crappie bite gets good when water temps reach the high 50s.  A few warm days and nights in the 70s will push the spawn into high gear. 

“Charlene, slip your bobber to about 18 inches and drop your minnow over that log at the front of the boat,” McMurdo instructed.  I had not completed tying on my chartreuse and dark green jig before Charlene’s bobber disappeared into the murky water.  She swung the sleek, long slab toward the boat, only to have the silvery fish come off, strike the gunwale and fall back into the water rather than on the floor of the boat.  “My hook came untied!” Charlene said, “Who tied that one?” 

Charlene quickly landed three more crappie,  There is no length limit for crappie on Mark Twain, but Charlene tossed back an 8-incher.  Her 10- and 11-inchers were the first to go into the livewell. 

McMurdo quickly responded with a chunky 12-incher.  ‘We’ve been catching mostly males, but here is a female full of eggs.  They are definitely staging for the spawn,” he said. 

McMurdo is the epitome of patience.  He methodically covered every nook and cranny in the 50 foot-long logjam we were fishing.  He worked his minnow-tipped jig ever so slowly, dabbling and feeling his way down through the maze of roots and debris that was home to some of the largest crappie I had seen in some time. 

Patience is very important if you are going to be a successful crappie fisherman,” McMurdo said.  He was the perfect example.  I marveled at his concentration.  Perched on the edge of the boat, he reached to every likely looking spot with his 7-foot rod. 

feet that leads quickly to deeper water.  Mark Twain has lots of areas like that. 

I could see lots of habitat up the North Fork arm, but McMurdo had a point to make.  During the five hours we fished with McMurdo, he only moved the boat four times up and down the length of the 50-foot logjam. 

“So often when you pull a crappie or two out of a shallow-water spot, it will spook other fish for a few minutes,” he said.  “However, those crappie are where they are for a reason.  They are shallow in thick cover because they are getting ready to spawn.  They want and need to be there, so they will return after being spooked.” 

Our trio boated 75-plus crappie from that one logjam.  Approximately half were 10 inches or better, with 15 hitting the 12- to 14-inch range.  Crappie were still hitting when we quit at 2 p.m. 

McMurdo had made his point.  There were still lots of nice crappie in Mark Twain. 

“When the spawn starts hot and heavy, the fish don’t spook as easily, and you may catch a limit in one spot without moving,” he said. 

McMurdo pointed out that in order to catch crappie prior to the spawn, fishermen would need to cover a lot of water. 

“Begin fishing the coves around available cover,” he said.  “Start looking for the males in 18 inches of water.  The females will normally be out in 5 to 6 feet of water,” he said. 

Pre-spawn crappie fishing at Mark Twain will be slower than fishing during the spawn.  However, McMurdo quickly pointed out that a person can still catch plenty of crappie by catching a few in one spot, then moving to another spot.  “Fishing generally gets hot around the first of April,” he said. 

Watch for water temperatures to reach the high 50s.  That generally starts the males biting.  When water temps hit the mid-60’s, the big females begin to hit the banks, and the action gets hot and heavy. 

McMurdo recommends using tube jigs, minnows or a jig tipped with a minnow. 

“One rig works well one day and another the next,” he said.  “Having two lengths of rods gives fishermen the most versatility.  A 5 1/2- foot rod is good for fishing over the side of the boat, while a 10-footer helps to reach the tough spots.” 

One of the top areas for slabs in the spring is the North Fork

on the upper lake.  Another area that produces nice stringers is Lick Creek.  Also, check out Indian and Little Indian creeks, on the lower half of the lake, Pigeon Roost Creek, near the middle of the lake. 

Crappie fishermen can expect better fishing conditions at mark Twain in 1998, according to Ross Dames, the MDC fisheries biologist at Mark Twain. 

“There was an excellent spawn of white crappie in 1996 and black crappie in 1995 and 1997,” Dames said.  “A tremendous shad spawn came off in 1997 as well.  Crappie should have experienced a good growth rate in 1997, creating better fishing conditions for 1998. 

To plan a crappie fishing trip to Mark Twain, call South Fork Resort at (573) 565-3500.  For information about the 14 public recreation areas at Mark Twain, call the Mark Twain Lake project office at (573) 735-4097.