Larson pointed to two other lakes in his management area that should be good this year. Both are in Adair County. Nodaway Lake at 25 acres and Lake Orient at 15 acres are definitely small, but both support good numbers of 10-inch fish, said Larson. Fishing was excellent for crappies this past year, and the fisheries surveys conducted in 2006 indicate that there should be good numbers of these larger fish in 2007.

For more information, contact the Cold Springs Fish Management unit at (712) 769-2587 or the Prairie Rose State Park at (712) 773-2701.

BROWN'S LAKE AND GREEN ISLAND WILDLIFE AREA
Brown's Lake and the Green Island Wildlife Area are neighbors along the Missouri River and just a stone's throw away from each other. A dike separates the two bodies of water, and when one isn't producing, the other probably is.

"Brown's is an oxbow on the Missouri River that isn't connected to the river anymore," said Don Herrig, fisheries technician with the Black Hawk Unit. "The outside edge is deeper than the inside and any of the deeper water is good for crappies. There aren't many rockpiles or points for the fish to relate to, so the crappies will still be deep in the early spring. As the water warms, they'll move up into the shallows."

According to Herrig, lots of springtime crappies are taken off the campground and along the east side of the lake. "When we were sampling the fish population there were some good ones. Fish measuring 10 inches were common and in good numbers," he said.

Brown's Lake covers 580 acres in Woodbury County just a short distance from Green Island Wildlife Area. "The Green Island area is a productive crappie, bluegill, bass and northern pike fishery," said wildlife biologist Bob Sheets. "The water totals 3,550 acres and is subject to heavy weed growth once midsummer arrives. It's tough access, and requires walking a dike -- but the crappies are there."

Gene Jones, a biologist who also manages the area, pointed out that though anglers were disappointed with crappie catches last year, things can change fast, and this year might not be as disappointing. "It can be a really good crappie fishery," he said. "The area is managed for waterfowl so there is a lot of vegetation, and it's only about 4 feet deep. The problem is that the area both summer- and winterkills. The good news is that, whenever the dike breaks, we restock the lake, and these newly introduced crappies grow fast, since there isn't any competition from other year classes. This fishery can change fast."

The IDNR pumps water into the wildlife area to keep the water levels up. The dikes provide walk-in opportunities to areas difficult to reach. Once you're on the water, canoes are the best form of transportation.

"It's a good fishery and when it's hot, it's hot," said Jones. "If you hear about anglers taking crappies, that's when to go. The nice thing about Brown's Lake and Green Island is that if the fish aren't biting in one area, then try the other one. That's what I do."

For additional information, contact the Black Hawk unit at (712) 657-2638.

BEEDS LAKE
This little lake only covers 100 Franklin County acres, but it's loaded with crappies this year, said James Wahl, fisheries biologist in north-central Iowa.