Missouri crappie fishing is first rate, no matter where in the state you examine. The lakes are ideal for crappie fishing, and anglers are discovering new fishing holes every day. However, based on statistics, there are top locations in each region of the state, and these are where both avid anglers and first time fishermen can expect the best chances of catching a large number of crappie.

Just south of Kansas City in the northwestern part of the state, you'll find excellent Missouri crappie fishing at Longview Lake, which is relatively new and already quite popular. Because of the lake traffic, you may want to hire a guide for your first outing to avoid complications. Smithville Lake is actually just north of Kansas City in the northwest as well and is probably the best known large reservoir in the area. It is such mostly because it is one of the few lakes in the entire state that maintains a large population of both black and white crappie. You might also try the small 110-acre Bilby Ranch Lake, 14 miles west of Maryville, where a little patience and a few hours will most likely turn out a limit for the day. Don't forget Che-Ru Lake, a 160-acre lake near Meadville. This lake provides a lot of favorable cover for crappie, including borrow ditches, shoreline, standing timber, submerged levees, and rock reefs. If you are a novice looking for excellent Missouri crappie fishing, venture over to Pony Express Lake, where the waters are so overloaded with the sunfish that you are guaranteed to catch at least a few small specimen.

In the northeastern part of the state, check out Mark Twain Lake, the only large reservoir in the area. With three forks of the Salt River impounded here and lots of small creeks and hillside drainages, as well as lots of standing timber, the lake is an ideal crappie breeding ground. In the past few years, most crappie have been small throwbacks, but now, the population has had time to mature and should be sized for bragging rights. Long Branch Lake to the north of Macon is full of crappie as well, although these tend to be smaller specimen that are not worth keeping at this stage of the game. However, Thomas Hill Lake to the southwest of Macon proves completely different, with tons of crappie meeting and exceeding 10 inches in length. The St. Louis area brags both the August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Lakes, which both have a great turnout of crappie year in and year out, despite the pressure put on them by the metro area.