Matt Williams.

APRIL
Crappie In South And
Central Missouri Lakes
Crappie spawn in southern Missouri lakes beginning in April. The spawn begins in Table Rock, Stockton and Bull Shoals lakes, then expands north later in the month to Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, Stockton Lake and smaller community lakes and watershed lakes of central Missouri.

Crappie school at the mouths of coves, with males moving onto the banks to build nests as water temperatures warm; females school in open water, then move in waves to the nests to deposit eggs. Nest depth depends on water clarity -- the clearer the water, the deeper crappie will spawn. Locate males guarding nests, then turn and fish in the open water at the same depth for the large, schooling females waiting to spawn.

Other Options: Fish farm ponds, community lakes or watershed lakes in north and central Missouri for bass spawning in warm, shallow coves, crappie in open water and pre-spawn bluegills in shallow, warm coves. Fish Missouri’s Ozark streams for pre-spawn rock bass and smallmouth bass. For rock bass, fish minnows and jigs around woody debris and large boulders. For pre-spawn smallies, fish deep runs near the heads and tails of deep pools

MAY
Ozark Streams’ Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass spawning in south-flowing Ozark streams and rivers peaks in May as males build nests in shallow, quiet water usually near the heads or tails of pools. If you love to catch lots of large smallmouth bass, this is the time to float and fish Missouri’s traditional smallmouth bass streams such as Gasconade River from Riddle Bridge Access to Jerome, and the Big Piney River from U.S. Route 63 downstream to the Spring Creek eddy. Both streams have special smallmouth management sections. Other streams with great smallmouth fishing include Meramec River, Osage Fork of the Gasconade, Eleven Point River upstream from Greer Spring, Jacks Fork River, and the Niangua River upstream from Bennett Spring.

Smallmouth bass anglers must release all bass they catch until the harvest season opens.

Other Options: Bluegill fishing in ponds, community lakes, conservation lakes, and watershed lakes moves from “great” in April to “outstanding” in May, as large male bluegills build nests in the shallows. All you need are small flies, worms, crickets or artificial lures. Sauger and walleye fishing heats up in the five Lock and Dam tailwaters along the Mississippi River in northeast Missouri. JUNE
Lake Of The Ozarks Bass Fishing
Year in and year out, Lake of the Ozarks produces more trophy largemouth bass and spotted bass than any other Missouri Lake, and June is the peak month. Post-spawn bass feed voraciously to restore energy levels used during spawning. Though the action is strong regardless of where you fish, check out the Niangua Arm. It clears quickly, and buzzbaits and crankbaits work well there in June.

Other Options: In June, flathead, blue and channel catfish are likely to bite in Truman Lake and in the Truman Dam tailwaters. Bluegills will be spawning in north Missouri ponds and lakes, and largemouth bass will move to shad schools in Table Rock, Stockton, and Pomme de Terre lakes.