If there is open water, you can catch crappie. Winter crappie fishing on Truman is some of the best fishing to be had. Fish can be targeted on timber near creek channels or bluffs. Fall is a time of transition with fish moving from summer to winter patterns. Vertical jigging sometimes works well for these fish, but as jig fishing becomes less productive, minnows will work best. In the summertime, you can find crappie on timbered flats near channels or along timbered bluffs. Spawning fish can be caught vertical jigging from the bank or casting and retrieving a jig fished about 12-18 inches below a float. A good map with county roads and lake depths is a great tool to have. This gives anglers ample opportunity to fish from the bank. The land surrounding most of Truman Lake is public land owned by the Corps of Engineers. Spawning fish can be found earliest at the upper ends of the lake in the major tributaries and the spawn will progress toward the dam as water on the lower lake warms. Fish will move to the bank early and late in the day early in the spawn during the spawn. Spawning areas usually have flatter slopes and gravel banks. The spawn is one of the best times to catch fish from the bank and a boat isn't necessary to get in on excellent fishing. In general, the upper portions of the lake have larger crappie and the lower portions of the lake tend to have more crappie. The upper portions of the South Grand and Osage Arms tend to have murkier water and can be almost entirely white crappie.

The Pomme de Terre and Tebo Arms as well as the lower lake tend to have clearer water and as a result have a higher percentage of black crappie. There are good numbers of large crappie in the Big Tebo area, but you may have to weed through more small fish than in other parts of the lake. The Big Tebo area is an exception, as there are still large numbers of black crappie in the 7-8” range. Across most of the lake the catch rates of crappie in our fall sample looked to be trending back towards the long-term average, but with a few more 10-11” crappie and a few less crappie under 9” than “normal”. The flood in 2019 led to a large spawning class and an increased abundance of short crappie over the last few years. The year class of fish spawned in 2019 during the high water year is still having a sizeable impact on the fisheries.Ĭrappie fishing should be good across the entire lake in 2023. It’s looking like 2023 will be another great year for fishing on Truman Lake.

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