The spawn usually occurs at Washington County Lake by April 20, and the best fishing is usually during those last 10 days of April. But anglers should look for the crappies to begin moving shallow by late March or early April. Sometimes the spawn happens a little earlier or later, but many years it is fairly much history by the beginning of May.

Anglers have many choices for fishing spots on this lake. There are some good areas out on the main lake, but the crappies will often want to get out of the wind while carrying on the family name. There are some very large coves and big arms that offer shelter from the wind. And don't overlook the riprap around the dam, because it always holds crappies.

There is a lot of submerged woody structure here. There are ample fallen trees, stumps and buttonbush in certain coves. Newman said most of the crappies they've collected during sampling have been near the bigger structures.

For more information on the lake, call the Washington County Conservation Area site office at (618) 327-3137. There is also a bait concessionaire there that is a good source of current fishing info. Biologist Newman can be reached at (618) 443-2925. For lodging info, call the Nashville Chamber of Commerce at (618) 327-3700, or go to the Web site.

PEABODY/KING STATE FWA
This fish and wildlife area southeast of St. Louis in southern St. Clair County is home to about 20 lakes that total 534 acres. Most of these small lakes have decent crappie populations, according to DNR biologist Fred Cronin. Substantial largemouth bass populations help keep the papermouths numbers in check, thus giving them the opportunity to grow to nice sizes.

These lakes have varying accessibility. Some have boat ramps, while others must be reached by hiking. The larger lakes allow a 10-horsepower motor, while some of the smaller lakes only permit trolling motors. Information on all the regulations is available at the site office.

Trap-net surveys on 101-acre Eagle Lake in March 2006 showed 70 percent of the crappies to be above 9 inches. Around 22 percent of the slabs were above 10 inches. These fish will have another year of growth on them by right about now.

There is good distribution of white crappies from 7 inches on up, and the number of whites up to 12 inches is very good. A few fish as large as 14 inches can be caught on Lake George. There is also a good year-class of black crappies in the 10- to 11-inch range, which is very respectable for a lake of this size.