DOGWOOD LAKE
Sprawling Dogwood Lake in extreme southern Daviess County is a 1,400-acre impoundment located almost midway between the towns of Washington and Jasper. The lake sits nearly dead center in the Glendale Fish and Wildlife Area (FWA), and it gets plenty of use from campers and fishermen who trailer their boats to the property.

Unlike most of the other reservoirs in the southern half of the state, Dogwood Lake is home to black crappies rather than white crappies. In 1978, the fish population was completely eradicated to remove rough fish species. The lake was restocked with black crappies, largemouth bass, bluegills, redear sunfish, flathead catfish and channel catfish. The black crappies have been doing very well ever since.

Biologists Dave Kittaka and Kevin Hoffman agree that Dogwood is an excellent crappie lake. "Hoffman found plenty of fast-growing black crappies," Kittaka said. "Based on his data, crappies reached 12 inches here by age 4. A strong year-class of 3-year-old black crappies was found in the spring of 2005. Those fish were in the 10- to 11-inch size range, and it is likely that they will be in the 12-inch range by the spring of 2006."

According to the last creel survey at Dogwood in 2001, a total of 14,220 crappies were harvested between April and October. According to Kittaka, 8,287 of those fish were caught during the springtime in April. Although the creel report did not show it, March is also a popular time for crappie anglers at this lake.

The lake's crappie population is not only healthy where numbers are concerned, there are also some real trophies present. The creel survey found crappies ranging from 6 inches up to 16 inches in length. Since black crappies tend to be shorter and fatter than their white crappie cousins, a 16-inch black crappie is something to be proud of.

There is no shortage of good fishing spots on Dogwood, so even first-time visitors seem to have little trouble locating fish. Flooded timber is almost everywhere, and since crappies love to hug the timber in the springtime, find a likely spot and try your luck. If the fish are not active at the back of coves, move out to the timber on the edge of the channel. It shouldn't take too long to find some friendly fish.

Be aware that there is a 10-horsepower limit on motors in Dogwood Lake, and it is recommended that you travel very slowly until you learn where most of the underwater obstacles lie. Floating logs tend to move around, and there are many stumps and unmarked timber hiding just below the waterline. During years with low water, anglers should be extra cautious!

HOVEY LAKE
Hovey Lake is part of the 6,963-acre Hovey Lake FWA, which is in the extreme southwest tip of our state near the shores of the Ohio River. In fact, Hovey Lake is an old oxbow water that was formed by the Ohio River years ago. Today, the lake covers approximately 1,400 acres, and shallow water and bald cypress trees characterize it.

District 7 fisheries biologist Dan Carnahan picks Hovey Lake as one of the top crappie lakes. "We did some crappie work down there in 2001 and 2002, and the lake has a lot of nice crappies in it," he said. "They are all white crappies and a good percentage of these fish are over 12 inches."

That is good news, especially to fishermen who are looking for some real slabs. The news gets even better, too. Besides big fish, few people are out there fishing for these crappies. "The fishing pressure is very low at this lake," Carnahan confirmed. Doubtlessly, Hovey Lake's isolated location south of Mt. Vernon and at the end of state Route 69 contributes to the lack of fishermen.