By PAUL DAVIS
Outdoors Editor
Crappie fishing still is red hot at Wappapello Lake, with most folks taking limits, or close to it.
"We've had lots of reports coming in of nice fish and good creels," said Missouri Department of Conservation Fisheries Management Biologist Dave Knuth. "These really large floods grow some nice fish. We saw the same thing in 2011."
The key still is to fish deep, right along the channel edge, and usually close to some kind of structure.
"I had 25 keepers, all tight-lining the edge of the channel about 12-14 feet deep," said Randy Hastings of a recent trip. And the guy who fished with him that day? He "floater fished and ended up with just six."
Jigs remain the top bait, though some are having success with minnows as well.
There's no telling how long this good fishing pattern will last, and I'm afraid with a lot of rain predicted over the next week, things could take a turn for the worse.
Alternate Fishing
Like I sometimes do this time of year, I spent a couple days fishing recently on Lake Taneycomo at Branson, Mo., and wasn't the least bit disappointed, even with temperatures in the upper teens in the mornings and it being one of those "working vacations."
Fishing with guide friends Duane Doty out of Lilley's Landing and Chuck Gries from Angler's Outfitters, I caught probably 100 trout in a day and a half on the water.
The vast majority were rainbow trout ranging from 10 to 18 inches long, but I did manage to catch maybe a half dozen nice brown trout.
One of those browns just happened to be the biggest I've ever landed, measuring 23.5 inches long and weighing in at 5.66 pounds. It was a long fight on ultralight gear and 4-pound line running through iced-up guides, but also a bit of redemption after losing a similar-sized brown at the Garrison Dam in North Dakota when I was stationed there three decades ago.
Fishing at Taneycomo is great year-round, but it really shines in the winter months. Techniques vary depending on how much water is being released from the Table Rock dam upstream, but you'd have to try really hard to not catch a lot of fish. Besides trout, the lake also has some big walleyes, white bass, bluegills and, in its far lower reaches, some monster largemouth bass.
There is some talk about the Department of Conservation reducing the annual stockings in the lake, and I'll have something on that soon.
Tourney Winners
The Ellington Nutrition Center benefit bass tournament on the Current River over the weekend saw 10 teams compete.
Dougherty and Sisco were the top anglers, finishing the day with 14.28 pounds. The day's big fish, weighing 3.80 pounds, certainly helped their case.
Second place went to Henderson and Henderson with 12.57 pounds, and third was earned by Eaton and Patterson with 10.91 pounds.
Fourth place went to Neal and Neal with 10.01 pounds, and the top five was rounded out by Nicholson and Nicholson with 6.09 pounds.
Crappie Tournament
The Wappapello Crappie Club has a tournament scheduled for Saturday, its last before the season-ending Classic on March 17.
Fishing is slated to begin at 7 a.m., and you can launch from any ramp. Fishing ends at 2 p.m., and the weigh-in will take place at Wappapello VFW.
The organization also will hold a banquet at 6 p.m. at the VFW, where they will elect officers for the 2018-19 season.
You can sign up for the tournament at Sundowner Marine or by calling Dave Maddux at 573-718-2756.
USA Bassin'
The USA Bassin' series will host a bass tournament Saturday on Wappapello Lake, with fishing from the Chaonia Landing ramp.
The launch time has been set for 7 a.m., with a weigh-in at 3 p.m.
Doug Warren is the tournament director, and he can be reached at 573-924-2215 or by email at rndwarren5861@icloud.com.
This will be the circuit's final winter tournament at Wappapello Lake this season, and its next two events, on March 10 and April 14, will be held on nearby Clearwater Lake.
Empty Skies
I rode around the region Sunday afternoon looking for geese to photograph, and honestly, there were hardly any to be found. That was a bit weird because they were pretty abundant Saturday.
Maybe the weekend weather front moved most of the geese out of the area, because it sure doesn't seem like we have many at the moment.
Of course, that can change quickly, and I know there's still a lot of snow geese in Arkansas, which will eventually make their way here.
I did see about 20 bald eagles and lots of evidence of where they had been feeding on snow geese.
Fur Buyer
Fur buyer Marc Romine will be making a stop in Poplar Bluff Friday morning.
He'll be at the Sale Barn from 8-10 a.m. or maybe a little longer.
Prices remain low and Romine prefers whole frozen animals, which he's selling mostly to taxidermists.
Last month, neither conservation agent was available to tag bobcats and river otters when Romine was in town, so if you have any still needing tags, it's probably best to give them a call (573-300-3693 for Mark Skelton or 573-300-3475 for Frank Campa).
Last Chance
Don't forget to get your tickets for Saturday evening's Bluff City Mallards/Ducks Unlimited banquet at the Black River Coliseum.
The doors will open at 5:30, with a steak dinner served around 7.
As always, games, raffles and silent and live auctions will be held, and there's some really nice items on the block.
Tickets run $40 for an individual or $65 for a couple, and youths age 17 and under can get a Greenwings ticket for $20.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and you can get them by calling Jeremy Wethington at 573-718-8167 or Grant Collins at 573-718-9737.
NWTF Convention
If you don't mind the four-hour drive, this weekend is when the National Wild Turkey Federation will host its annual convention and sport show in Nashville, Tenn. The convention actually already has started, but the exhibit hall opens tomorrow.
The show has everything related to turkey hunting you could ever imagine and is a lot of fun to attend. If you're a serious turkey hunter, your wallet will be lighter after you've gone through the convention floor.