"Our crappies average between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds," said Samples. "Sometimes guys will come in with 25 fish, and every one will be 2 pounds or better."

Ken Meyer, a crappie enthusiast from Egyptian Hills Marina, agrees.

"Crappies here are bigger and fatter than I've seen anywhere around," said Meyer. "Most every fish is better than a pound, and when they're biting, you have no trouble catching your limit in two hours. My biggest last year was 1 pound, 13 ounces, but I've seen good numbers of fish over 2 pounds come in, and one over 3 pounds."

Right now, the best crappie fishing can be found on the north end of the lake around shoreline grass and woody cover. In March and April, fishing becomes productive in the brushy coves of the lake. Meyer said a minnow and slip-bobber rig is the most popular setup, but he also favors small tubes with white, red or chartreuse patterns. Samples added that small Beetle Spins and Roadrunners can be productive and can help anglers find concentrations of fish. Most target the visible cover. Anglers with a keen sonar eye can key in on brushpiles that have been placed through public or private effort. You can find good numbers of hidden brutes in those brushpiles.

Lake of Egypt is owned by Southern Illinois Power Cooperative. Fee boat launches are located around the lake. A public launch is located on the east end, in the Shawnee National Forest. For more information, contact Pyramid Acres at (618) 964-1184, or Egyptian Hills at (618) 996-3449. For travel and lodging information, call the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce at (618) 997-6311.

NORTH & SOUTH SPRING LAKES
Named because of its unique distinction as the termination of the Mahomet Aquifer, Tazewell County's Spring Lake FWA is a bona fide crappie honeyhole.

Biologist Wayne Herndon said the crappie fishing on North and South Spring lakes this year should be pretty good.

"We have five distinct year-classes right now in Spring Lake," said Herndon. "Most of the population is between 9 and 11 inches, but we've seen fish up to 15 inches in our surveys."

"When the crappies are hitting, small jigs are a popular presentation," said Stan Weimer of Spring Lake FWA. "Wax worms and minnows are popular as well."

Both lakes are shallow, averaging only 3 feet. The months to cash in on the best fishing are March and April.

Weimer suggested anglers concentrate their efforts on riprap, docks, trees, stumpbeds and the stump-lined submerged levee in the south lake.

Located west of Manito, North Spring Lake is 578 acres, while South Spring Lake is 610 acres. Both offer excellent facilities. There is a 9-inch minimum on crappies, and a limit of 25 fish per day. Motors are restricted to 25 horsepower. For more information, call (309) 968-7135. For lodging info, call the Havana Area Chamber of Commerce at (309) 543-3528.

CRAB ORCHARD LAKE
A perennial papermouth palace, Crab Orchard Lake is shaping up to continue its reign as one of the premier crappie fisheries in the Prairie State.

"Crab Orchard is excellent, and that's the best way I can put it," said DNR Region 5 biologist Chris Bickers about the 6,965-acre lake. "We have good numbers of fish in the 8- to 10-inch class, and about 50 percent of the population is over 10 inches."

The lake is generally shallow with excellent shoreline cover. Bickers said most people target weed edges, laydowns and woody cover along the banks. As the season progresses, he said, the best fishing can be found away from the bank on the many DNR-established brushpiles. To bolster habitat, Bickers sinks numerous cedar trees in 8 to 10 feet of water each year, and has maps of their location with GPS enablement for interested anglers.

As for presentation, Bickers said anglers are split between those who favor small jigs to those favoring bobber-and-minnow rigs. Curlytailed grubs and Roadrunners also find good numbers of fish here.