Lost 11.5inch crappie in Kcmo local lake?

Hey guys, I was out fishing for catfish at the local neighborhood lake called Englewood Lake when I got a hit off my bobber and pulled in a gorgeous 11.5 inch crappie! I was shocked cause I had no idea there was crappie in this little 2-3 acre lake. People including me only caught bluegills, bullheads and catfish there. Anybody have a possible clue how it got there? Are crappies even stocked at local park lakes like these? The crappie had tons of eggs to. So do you guys think there is more? If so, how should I try to fish for them? My dad said throughout all the years he fished these little lakes, he never caught a crappie. I was using raw shrimp by the way. Anybody familiar with Bales lake at Bluevalley park, Pennvalley lake and Chaumier Lake, please give me any info. I'd love to hear more. Theres 6-8inch bullheads at chaumier and englewood, do they stock them in there or what cause bales lake dont have any bullheads except a ton of bluegills. I plan on attemtping to fish for bullheads and letting them into bales lake, how does that sound to introduce a new breed in a 3 acre lake full of undersize bluegills? Thanks for all info! I really love fishing!

Moving Bullheads is a bad idea. In Arkansas Bullheads are trash fish and moving fish from one body of water to another is illegal.

In theory, your idea might sound good. But I'd check first. Moving fish from one lake to another without a permit is illegal in Indiana. The practice can introduce disease to from one lake to another and can upset the ecosystem, etc.

moving fish or aquatic vegetation = very bad idea, and probably illegal also.......

Ok, I wont, any idea how the crappie got there? it must of lived there for a very long time to be 11.5inches right?

Ok, I wont, I just thought it might help cut down on all the bluegills. Theres so many bluegills that they will try to feed on your fishing line. any idea how the crappie got there? it must of lived there for a very long time to be 11.5inches right?

Really don't have a answer for you. Have heard all kinds of theory's all my life. Water bird feet transferring eggs and things like that. Have seen farm ponds that were never stocked with anything in a few years be full of fish. I will bet if there was one there is more. Try small beetle spins and lures like that. Best thing you can do for the bluegills is take all the small fish out you can. Give the others a chance to grow. That's what happens when a small body of water gets overpopulated.

small park lakes have people tossing fish in soon after built. lol im sure it happens all the time. not a good practice though like already said. just enjoy what others put in. best way to see what crappie are in there is under lights at night. you probably caught a fish someone stocked. if so, and you like them there, dont keep any till next fall.(so they can populate)

bullheads not as good as channel cats for predation.

Fling all those small gills as far as you can towards dry land and let the survivors walk back to the water. Beach enuf of them and it will make a difference in the growth of those that stay wet. In a 2-3 acre pond you are talking about eliminating a minimum of hundreds of stunted bluegill. Frozen, they make a great big catfish bait.

If the lake had ever been stocked with the cats or gills at some point, perhaps there were some crappie mixed in the truck tanks and they were put in with the other fish?

I can guarantee you that some local fisherman thought he was doing something good by releasing crappie into those lakes. There are probably tons of short fish in there, but you don't catch many using catfish bait on the bottom. MDC wants you to take 30 of those home with you every time you can. Chaumiere is stocked several times a year with trout (winter) and catfish (summer), but there is a certain population of guys who fish it out of both of those species within just a few days of it being stocked. If you can get there within a few days, you can have a lot of fun. You might even be able to call MDC for info on dates for scheduled stocking to give yourself a better chance. If you want a bunch (30) crappies, go to Watkins Mill.....the fishery manager will thank you!
For info on local lakes, you should post your thread to the Missouri forum

To fish for crappies at Englewood, I would try a minnow or jig under a bobber (3-4'). Toss it around the dam and out from there. Very slowly wind it back to you. Springtime fish around the banks/creeks