Edward Medard Reservoir

Black crappie (specks) fishing is slow with the warmer water temperature in the lake. Try drifting live Missouri minnows, or trolling with Hal flies and small spinners in open water areas over humps, drop-offs, and the rock piles that were created during the drawdown. With the water temperatures on the rise, many anglers will switch over to fishing for bluegill (bream) and redear sunfish (shellcracker). Fish with crickets, grass shrimp, and red wigglers under a cork around shoreline structure (overhanging trees) and Kissimmee grass. Sunshine bass are continually being stocked in the lake and anglers have reported catching these fish when drifting live Missouri minnows in open water over the humps and rock piles. Try throwing a rattle-trap or jerkbait around the dam and hang on, these fish can put up a good fight! Catfish are plentiful and can be caught using chicken livers, frozen shrimp, night crawlers, or any commercial stinkbaits fished on the bottom. The reservoir has a pretty healthy Largemouth Bass population. FWC biologists sample the lake routinely and have encountered multiple fish weighing over 8 pounds, tagging them with a yellow external tag located on the back (dorsal) of the fish. If you catch a tagged fish, remember to remove the tag. You will need it to collect your reward! Some of these fish have already showed up in angler catches. Fish drop offs and rock piles with worms in bright red, Junebug, or black and blue colors to find some of these big bass. Don’t be afraid to pick up your cranking stick and fire a shad colored crankbait along these same areas to activate the schools relating to the underwater structure.