Fri, Jul 18 2008
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Published May 16, 2008 12:46 am - Big muskie tales pique interest Fellows Lake, near Springfield, is one of those places that I’ve heard about for years but had yet to visit. The lake has fine bass and crappie fishing, but it’s the muskies that are so intriguing.
The Little Sac River was dammed in 1955 to form Fellows Lake as a source of drinking water for the City of Springfield. The lake was enlarged in 1992 to raise the holding capacity to its current 10.1 billion gallons with a surface area of 820 acres. The Missouri Department of Conservation began stocking muskies in the lake in 1996, and the fish have done very well. During a 2007 MDC fish survey, 89 fish were captured, and they ranged in length from 29 to 49 inches. Of those, 51 percent were over the 36-inch legal limit. A fish that has big teeth, an aggressive attitude and must be at least three feet long before it’s considered a keeper is appealing. Not long ago, while standing at the fly counter in Springfield’s Bass Pro Shops and talking with a group of anglers, I asked if any of them had gone after muskies at Fellows Lake. None had, but they suggested that I talk to a Bass Pro employee who they claimed is the muskie expert. I soon found him, and we began to talk. He said that he’d been muskie fishing at Fellows for years and had done very well. In fact, just a few years ago he managed to catch eight in a single day. Now that is amazing, considering most people say you’re lucky to catch eight in an entire year. He said that muskie have gotten progressively harder to catch at Fellows Lake over the years, and now he’s just quit going. He said one problem is that most of the bass fishermen on the lake lack the proper equipment to handle the big fish once they are caught. Their nets are both too small and the wrong shape to handle the longer fish. The bass fishermen also lack tools needed to properly remove a lure from these toothy creatures. So even though they were releasing the fish, many soon died. Proper education and equipment are needed. He claims there’s another problem that isn’t so easily fixed. There is a battle being waged by some of the crappie fishermen. They claim that the muskie are eating too many of the crappie, and so when they hook a muskie, no matter the size, they toss it out on the bank. I recently had a morning meeting scheduled in Springfield, and that afternoon seemed like a good opportunity to check out the lake for myself. The night before I’d packed my gear, complete with float tube and fins, so I was ready. Immediately following the meeting, I headed for the lake. Following U.S. highway 65 north out of Springfield, I drove five miles and then turned left onto AA highway. I made a right onto Farm Road 197 and was soon crossing a bridge which spans the east end of the impoundment. As I crossed the bridge, I passed several anglers who were sitting and fishing at various spots along the stone rip-rap at either end of the bridge. I then came upon a dirt lot where several cars were parked. A few yards further and I came to an open gate, one of three I encountered along the north side of the lake. There were signs stating that all gates are closed at dark, which may explain why the dirt lot is heavily used. Another announced that wading and swimming are prohibited, which means the float tube would have to stay in the truck. Inside the gate were restroom facilities, a large fishing dock complete with wheelchair access, and a large paved parking lot. I stopped to talk with an angler sitting in a lawn chair and baiting hooks for his grandkids. He said that fishing had been lousy since the water came up and may not improve until it comes back down. He added that the way things were going, that may not be soon. I had parked near the trailhead marker for the 21/2-mile long Fellows Lake trail. After assembling my gear, I started out along the trail. The tree-lined shores and the lightly stained water reminded me a lot of Lake Stockton, another of the lakes in the Little Sac River chain. The stiff wind had stirred up sizeable white-capped waves that were rolling across the water, also similar to Stockton. 
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