FISHING AT WAPPAPELLO? DON'T THROW THAT SMALL BASS BACK

WAPAPELLO -- If you're going to fish Lake Wappapello, don't toss those small bass back.

Mark Boone, fisheries management biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, is asking anglers to keep the small bass and let the big ones go.

"Small bass are interfering with the opportunity to grow greater numbers of large bass," said Boone. "Because of the competition for a limited food supply, many of the smaller bass don't get the chance to survive and grow."

Boone says if the competition could be reduced, it will increase the number of healthy bass growing up to 12 inches or more.

"We're asking angler to keep bass of less than 11 inches long, up to a creel limit of six," said Boone. "We're also asking that angler release bass over 12 inches long.

"Catch-and-release fishing for larger bass is fun, and will help improve the bass population here," he added. "And, in the long run, the quality of fishing here will be improved."

Wappapello Lake fishing for crappie is only fair this week. The lake is muddy, high, and anglers have to "hunt" to find almost any species.

Lake officials says Barretts Landing has been closed due to flooding conditions.

Meanwhile, the report from Duck Creek is that crappie and bluegill fishing is good. The water is clear, and high. Bass fishing is listed as "fair."

Crappie fishing has also been good at Lake Girardeau, at Crump. Brad Brown and Shannon Steger of Chaffee recently filled a stringer with Crappie, with a few "slabs" on the string.

Catfish appears to be the top catch at Clearwater Lake near Piedmont, where the water is five feet above normal and dingy. Crappie fishing is fair at Clearwater.

Following is the fishing report, provided by the Associated Press, for other lake and river impoundments.

Rivers

Big Niangua (above the park) - muddy, up, all species fair.

Big Piney - Lower: up, muddy, all species poor. Upper: muddy, 4 feet above normal, all species poor.

Big River - clear, normal, catfish and bass fair.

Black River - Upper: muddy, 5 feet above normal, all species poor. Lower: no report.

Bourbeuse - clear, low, bass fair.

Castor - Upper: clearing, high, sunfish fair to good, all other species poor. Lower: no report.

Chariton - dingy, falling, all species poor.

Current - muddy, 10 feet above normal, all species poor.

Eleven Point - muddy, high, all species poor.

Gasconade - Upper: up, muddy, all species poor.

Grand - Lower: low, clearing, channel catfish fair, all other species poor.

Jack's Fork - dingy, 2 feet above normal, all species poor.

James - Lower: muddy, 3 feet high, channel catfish fair, all other species poor.

Lamine - dingy, high level, channel catfish fair, all other species poor.

Meramec - Lower: clear, low, bass fair. Upper: no report.

Mississippi - Lower: muddy, rising, all species poor. Upper: muddy, 6 feet high, channel catfish fair, all other species poor.

Missouri - Lower: no report. Middle: muddy, normal pool, all species poor. Upper: muddy, high, all species poor.

North Fork - clear, 1 foot above normal, trout and suckers good.

Osage - Lower: normal, muddy, flathead catfish fair, all other species poor.

Salt (below Mark Twain) - muddy, high, poor for all species. Below re-reg pool: no report. Lower Salt: no report.

St. Francis - Upper: clearing, high, sunfish good, goggle-eye fair, all other species poor.

Lakes

Bull Shoals - dingy, normal, crappie and black bass excellent, suckers excellent in upper end of lake and creek arms, white bass good. Forsythe: no report. K-Dock: muddy, 3 feet high, channel catfish fair, all other species poor. Beaver: muddy, 3 feet over power pool, white bass fair, all other species poor.

Council Bluff - slightly murky, high, bass fair, all other species slow.

Hunnewell - murky, full pool, crappie good, channel catfish and bass fair.

Lake of the Ozarks - Glaize: no report. Osage: no report. Niangua: muddy, crappie good, bass fair to good, catfish and white bass slow. Gravois: slightly dingy, crappie and black bass good, white bass fair, catfish poor to fair. Bagnell Tailwater: normal, dingy, white bass and channel catfish fair, paddlefish also fair by snagging, all other species poor.

Little Dixie - clear, full pool, crappie and bass fair.

Long Branch - clear, western arm murky, bass and channel catfish good, all other species poor.

Longview: murky, normal, bass and carp fair, channel catfish and walleye good, crappie excellent.

Mark Twain - muddy in upper end, murky in lower end, 1 foot high, bass and crappie fair, catfish fair, walleye and sunfish fair to poor.

Montrose - dingy, bass and catfish good, crappie fair, all other species poor.

Norfork - dingy, 6 inches below normal, bass good.

Paho - full and clear, bass and crappie fair, catfish fair to good, all other species fair to poor.

Pomme de Terre - clear, steady, crappie and black bass good.

Pony Express - slightly dingy, full, bass and blue catfish good, crappie fair, all other species poor.

Reed Area - muddy at Cats Claw and Cottontail, all other areas clear, normal, bass and crappie good, bluegill and channel catfish fair.

Schell-Osage - Atkinson Lake: dingy, 8.3 feet low, crappie fair, all other species poor. Schell Lake: dingy, 1.5 feet low, crappie and catfish fair, all other species poor.

Sever - clear, full pool, crappie and bluegill fair, bass and channel catfish fair.

Smithville - clear, normal, bass good, bluegill and crappie fair, all other species poor.

Stockton - clear, 3 feet low, crappie and black bass good.

Table Rock - Cape Fair: dingy, 1 foot low, crappie and bluegill good, white bass and black bass fair. Long Creek: no report. Joe Bald to Indian Point: murky, high, bass good, bluegill fair, all other species poor.

Taneycomo - clear, 2 feet high, all species poor.

Thomas Hill - dingy, 1 foot above normal, bass good, channel catfish fair, crappie poor.

Truman - clear, 705.88 feet, crappie good, black bass and white bass fair, all other species poor. Tail Water: murky, 2 feet low, channel catfish good, white bass and stripers fair, hybrid and crappie fair, all other species poor.

Trout Areas

Bennett Spring - off color, slightly up, trout good.

Maramec Spring - clear, normal, trout good.

Montauk - clear, normal, rainbow trout good in early morning.

Roaring River - high, murky, trout good.