LAKE GIRARDEAU OFFERS QUALITY FISHING CLOSE TO HOME

CRUMP -- In 1962, a group of fishermen in Cape Girardeau County decided to stop talking about how nice it would be to have a good fishing lake in the area and did something about it.

Although things didn't quite go as planned, and there were setbacks along the way, the end result of their efforts is Lake Girardeau, a 162-acre lake in west Cape Girardeau County near Crump.

"It's a nice place to get away for a while," said Dennis Norman, district supervisor of the fisheries division for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "It is really a nice place to visit by day; if a fisherman or his family are wanting to get out, they can enjoy a day in the shade and go fishing within a few feet.

"Lake Girardeau is one of our better lakes in the state right now," he said. "People can go out there and expect to catch good-sized bass. We have slot limits of 12 to 15 inches, but anglers can expect to catch a lot of fish over 15 inches. In fact, a lot of 8-, 9- and 10-pound bass come out of there every year."

Norman said the lake also has good-sized channel cat, large bluegill of a quarter-pound and up, and some red ear sunfish.

"It's an excellent fishery right now, and an especially good bass lake. People can expect to catch a lot of bass of all sizes, some good-sized bluegill, red ear and nice channel cat."

In early 1962, a group of people talked to the Conservation Department about building a lake in Cape Girardeau County as part of its community lake program. With John L. Wescoat, Garland Powell, and others leading the way, land was found for a lake site. Plans were made for the county to purchase the land and have the Conservation Department build and maintain the lake.

Through the combined efforts of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson Jaycees petitions were passed around the county asking that the County Commission place a $72,000 bond issue on the Nov. 6, 1992, general election ballot.

Over 2,000 names were collected and the issue was placed on the ballot. Plans were to pay off bonds within two years with a modest property tax increase.

Voters in the county approved the bond issue by a wide margin of 7,243 to 5,435, but it was a few votes shy of the required two-thirds margin needed to issue bonds.

As the Jaycees began discussing the possibility of having another vote, some area supporters met with the Conservation Commission about other possible funding methods for the land. The large number of yes votes convinced the commission that there was a definite interest in the project.

The Conservation Commission decided in February 1963 to proceed with the project anyway, using federal funds set aside for fishing and recreation. But the project stalled a short time later when it was determined that the county's income was too high to qualify for the federal program.

Ultimately, the Conservation Commission found a funding source, and construction began in summer 1963. It was finished in about one year. On Jan. 1, 1966, Lake Girardeau was open to public fishing.

Unfortunately, setbacks were far from over. The Conservation Department found problems with the way the fish population developed; there were not enough bass in the lake and too many bluegill.

"The whole fishery was just out of balance," said Norman. "We just drained it and started over."

In 1968 the lake was closed and drained. It was restocked in 1970 and reopened for fishing June 1, 1971. Fishing has been good ever since at Lake Girardeau.

Besides bluegill, channel cat and bass, Norman said the lake has other types of fish, including crappie, which people have released over the years.

"We don't manage for crappie, but the crappie we have in there spawn wild," he said. "Some years the crappie fishing is good and some years it is not. It depends year to year on what the crappie will do, but it is not the type of lake where you can go to catch a lot of crappie."

Norman said the lake has a few muskies that were released after being displayed at the Southeast Missouri District Fair over the years. There are some striped bass and blue and flathead catfish, he said.

The lake is fertilized every year to control rooted vegetation; otherwise, Norman said, there would be a serious weed problem. "We do it strictly to block the sunlight. If you can block sunlight from the bottom of the lake you don't have a problem with rooted plants," he explained.

Boat motors are limited to 10 horsepower, and Norman said fishing is best from a boat. Still, there is plenty of shoreline within easy walking distance that offers good angling opportunities.

Largemouth bass from 12-15 inches are protected, and limits are 30 for crappie and four for channel cat. The rest of the fish in aggregate can equal 20.

Until last year a concession stand was open at the lake and there had been boat rentals. But now everything is closed.

"You have to bring everything you need to the lake with you now," said Norman.

There are easy access boat ramps, running water and restrooms, a large shaded picnic area and a camping area.

The Conservation Department owns about 350 acres at the site and Norman said the lake gets good usage. Lake Girardeau fits into the category of a community lake and the department's goal of providing a fishing lake within 25 miles of all Missouri residents.

"I would guess about 95 percent of the people who use the lake are local, from Cape, Bollinger and Scott counties," said Norman. "You can just about go out there anytime and find people fishing. Just about anytime you are there, day or night, you will see cars and boat trailers parked.

"We're extremely proud of the lake. I think an angler going to Lake Girardeau has a good chance of being successful -- and that's what we're in business for."