ARTICLES

Fantastic Winter Fishing

The Cure for Cabin Fever in the Missouri Winters

Dressed in heavy camouflage coveralls, insulated rubber boots and a stocking cap, a lone figure of a man looks like he's ready for a day of hunting in the deer woods.

But you won't find a rifle in this man's hands on this December morning. Instead, as the temperature struggles to climb into the 20's, this resident has traded his rifle for a fishing rod and has set his sights on catching a mess of crappie.

While most Missouri anglers have tidied up their tackle boxes, winterized their boats and stowed their rods and reels for the year, this hardy fisherman knows that when the mercury dips, the fishing action stays hot at Thomas Hill Lake.

Opened in 1966 to provide cooling water for Associated Electric Cooperative's Thomas Hill Energy Center, the 4950-acre reservoir located in Randolph and Macon counties offers a unique winter fishing opportunity.

Warm water discharged from the power plant into the lake's Brush Creek arm keeps fish active and feeding on shad that concentrate there, a perfect opportunity for anglers looking to cure a bout of cabin fever. Even on the coldest days, the water temperature in the arm remains in the 60s.

"There's no doubt Thomas Hill provides unique fishing in the wintertime," says Mike Anderson, a biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation who oversees the reservoir's fishery management. "When most lakes are locked up with ice, people can come out and have a pretty decent chance of catching fish and bringing home fish, even in January and February."

It wasn't long after the reservoir opened that anglers discovered the phenomenon of the reservoir's warm water. Some anglers have fished Thomas Hill ever since it was built. An expansion in 1982 more than doubled the plant's capacity and really made a difference in warming the water up for all species of fish.

Locals have learned that when the plant's all three units are running, the water is the warmest and the chance to catch fish is the best. If conditions are right, steam rises from the water, creating an eerie scene.

In addition to fishing for crappie, largemouth bass and flathead catfish, anglers also have the opportunity to hook feisty hybrid striped bass, which the conservation department stocks annually at a rate of 10 fish per acre.

The striped bass are fighters. When using a 4-pound test line and crappie jigs, they can demolish everything. They can tear the drag up on your reel, claims one angler. I spool my spinning rods with an 8-pount test when fishing for crappie, using both plastic tubes and shad weighted with 1/16 or 1/8-ounce jig heads. I'll fish a number of colors but prefer red and chartreuse for jigs and white or black and chartreuse for shad. Sometimes I'll rig two baits on a pole, fishing one a few feet deeper than the other.

When targeting hybrid bass, I fish a bait-casting reel spooled with a 14-pound test line and often use a deep-running crankbait, though the bass will also bite on jigs and shad.

Although Thomas Hill offers a unique winter angling opportunity, it also requires that fishermen take special precautions. If fishing from a boat, be sure to keep the lower unit of your motor well-oiled to prevent water from entering it and freezing. Water pumps also can freeze up.

Negotiating an icy boat ramp can be a concern. It's best to keep a bag of ice melt in your vehicle to use on the ramp.

The conservation department recently improved the boat ramp on the lake's west side, widening it and making it less steep. For anglers without a boat, bank fishing is a viable option. A new barrier-free fishing dock also is being installed on the Brush Creek arm.

Around the lake, 15 submerged brush piles provide habitat for fish and opportunities for anglers. The piles are located 100 to 150 feet from shore and marked with bright yellow signs.

As was the case at other lakes in northeast and north-central Missouri, heavy rains in 2008 sent water levels at Thomas Hill to record highs, increasing the muddiness of the water as well as the amount of natural foods for fish. As a result, fishing success has suffered some.

The high water also caused some damage to the power plant's principal spillway, requiring a drawdown so that repairs can be made. The lake had to be taken down about 4 feet below normal pool in order to replace a broken bracket.

Fishing conditions should improve in the coming year. Though the crappie population is cycling down, there are many fish that should reach 8 to 9 inches by summer. The high water in 2008 also provided lots of habitat for young fish.

If nothing happens to that year class, it should be a fantastic crappie fishing in 2010-2011. Largemouth bass fishing in 2009 should be pretty good also. Anglers will find plenty of action in the 12 to 15-inch size range and about 30 percent of the bass, that you expect to catch next spring, could be 15 inches or longer.