Bank-fishermen aren’t left out, Hoffman said. Walk-in access is along state Route 145 or near the reservoir’s main public entrance.

According to guide Tim Gibson, 100-fish days are possible and sizes can run large. Last spring a client caught a 3-pound, 4-ounce crappie and there are plenty of 2-pound fish to be had.

Not that catching numbers of fish is always easy. At times, Gibson has to motor the entire lake to connect with enough fish to call it a day.

Gibson targets the Walls Lake Ramp area where the water is from 5 to 10 degrees warmer here than in the deeper section of the reservoir. Clear up to the Kings Bridge can also be good. There’s plenty of standing timber, so fishing the channel in the main river with jigs is an excellent idea.

Jigging the vertical structure is one key that unlocks Patoka’s crappies. Gibson’s personal choice is the B&M Crappie Pole. The Sam’s Super Sensitive 11-foot rod with a 1/32- or 1/16-ounce jighead tipped with various colored tubes or a Power Crappie Nibble produces many spring slabs. Gibson’s client took his 3-pounder on a 7-foot Sam’s Super Sensitive rod.

Scent is a necessity for Patoka, said Gibson. Kodiak scents on the tubes are a mainstay for Gibson’s efforts and something he wouldn’t hit the water without.

For more information, contact the DFW’s District 7 office at (812) 789-2724 or Jeff’s Bait and Gun Shop in Jasper at (812) 482-6672. Tim Gibson’s guide service can be reached by calling (812) 936-3382 or online at www.timsguideservice.com.

Patoka Reservoir covers 8,800 acres in Crawford, Dubois and Orange counties.

WAWASEE LAKE
Wawasee Lake is a bird of a different feather. If you’re looking for numbers of fish for the frying pan, you’ll probably do better on another lake. There aren’t many papermouths in the lake and the ones that are here are tough to find. What brings crappie aficionados to the lake are the sizes of these crappies.

“The average maximum size of a black crappie in Indiana’s natural lakes is about 11 inches long,” fisheries biologist Jed Pearson said. “The fact that there are crappies in Wawasee measuring 14 inches long indicates that it’s a size rather than a numbers lake.”

Pearson points out that during one survey that included Wawasee and Syracuse lakes, anglers took home 43,000 bluegills and 20,000 perch, but when it came to crappies, the lakes only produced 3,400 fish.

The most recent DNR survey was in 2004 and numbers were definitely not the lake’s calling card. Only 2 percent of the fish sampled were crappies, but some of them were huge. In lakes with booming crappie populations, crappies might make up 35 percent of the total population for all species combined. It’s not the case here, Pearson said.

Pearson said that Wawasee Lake crappies are often caught during the early ice in December in the man-made channels. Early spring fishing should be good in the same channels, especially where lily pads are developing.

“During the early May spawn, the crappies start to get serious about biting,” said Bob Anweilar, owner of Smokey’s Landing in Syracuse.

“The fish don’t seem to concentrate in particular areas on Wawasee and no one spot is better than another. They’ll be shallow, in maybe 10 to 12 feet of water, but except for the spawn, we don’t see the fish up in the shallows very much.”

The lake’s water is generally clear due to the watershed being relatively small. Once the spawn is completed, the slabs will move out onto deeper flats and breaks, where they’re a little tougher to locate. Local anglers seem to have their favorite spots staked out, Anweilar said, and visiting anglers will be wise to begin their search along the weedbeds once the weather warms.

The shallower spots in the lake warm up fast and are protected from wind and wave action. The cattail marshes may attract crappies as well, especially if the stalks are adjacent to deeper water. Docks are a proven producer and it will be worth the effort to motor along and toss a few tube jigs or jigs tipped with minnows.