"The Corps had the reservoir drawn down for six years, and it is loaded with trees," said Region 4 fisheries biologist Ed Braun. The trees Braun is talking about are now underwater, and they are providing outstanding structure for the crappie population. Whenever there is a drawdown of a lake or reservoir, it is usually good news for the long-term health of the fish that will inhabit the water when the lake or reservoir is filled back up. This is because terrestrial plant life returns and eventually becomes structure, and the soil is enriched by the natural cyclic pattern of plant life, and then decay.

"There are mostly white crappies in Mississinewa; there are black crappies too, but 99 percent are white crappies," Braun noted. "There are a lot of nutrients in the water at Mississinewa."

These nutrients add to the turbidity of the water, and this is one of the main reasons the crappie population at Mississinewa is predominately made up of the white crappie. White crappies prefer turbid water, while black crappies prefer clearer water conditions.

The infrastructure for supporting anglers at Mississinewa and the other reservoirs in the vicinity is outstanding. There are seven public-access boat ramps at Mississinewa Reservoir, which makes getting into the lake at various locations a breeze. It is recommended to obtain a map of this crappie hotspot before you hit the water because of its large size.

If you want to combine a family camping trip with a crappie-fishing trip, this trio of reservoirs is a great place to do it because of the many recreational outdoor activities and facilities that are available. Camping is readily available.

With these reservoirs being so close together, it affords crappie anglers the opportunity to easily switch over to one of the other reservoirs in a short period of time. For more information on Mississinewa Reservoir, call (765) 473-6528.

CENTRAL
Monroe Lake
Located in beautiful Brown and Monroe counties, Monroe Lake is 10,750 acres in size, and is Indiana’s largest reservoir.

An angler/creel survey was conducted on Monroe Lake in 1998. Crappies were the third most abundant fish caught, coming in at 11.6 percent of the total catch recorded. Moreover, an angler creel survey was conducted in 2000 and crappies turned out to be the most abundant species caught. During this survey, an incredible 85,258 crappies were caught from May 3 through Oct. 31 -- now that’s a heck of a lot of crappies!