MDC Seeks Comments From Wappapello Lake Anglers at Open House Meetings

Dave Knuth, a MDC fisheries management biologist, holds two White crappie at Wappapello Lake. (Photo courtesy of Paul Davis)

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has scheduled three open house meetings to present data on crappie from Wappapello Lake as well as collect comments from Wappapello anglers.
“We look forward to interacting with anglers so we can show them our data and hear their comments. This combination will help lead us to a future path of management that’s best for the fish population and the people who care about it,” said Dave Knuth, a MDC fisheries management biologist.
Meetings are scheduled as follows:
• May 4, 6 to 8 p.m., at New Home General Baptist Church which is located at 1864 Hwy AA in Poplar Bluff
• May 9, 6 to 8 p.m., at Greenville Elementary Gymnasium which is located at 195 Walnut Street in Greenville.
• May 11, 6 to 8 p.m., at University Forest Classroom which is located at 46 University Forest Drive in Wappapello.
Knuth said the history of Wappapello Lake is relevant to the challenges in managing the lake’s crappie fishery. The 8,400-acre lake is unlike many other lakes, in that it’s a shallow floodplain reservoir as opposed to a steep sided, large volume reservoir. The lake’s primary, and necessary, function is for flood control, which often doesn’t provide ideal conditions for fish spawning and growth. However, MDC has identified some of the issues and continues to work to improve crappie fishing in the lake.
For more information about fishing for crappie and Wappapello Lake, go online to mdc.mo.gov. To contact Dave Knuth with questions or comments about Wappapello Lake, call (573)290-5858, ext. 4434.