Best smallmouth bass lakes in Missouri
15 Missouri waters hold smallmouth bass, 3 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Current- and rock-loving fighter. Lives around gravel, boulders and hard-bottom structure.
- Table Rock Lake — 218 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 19 public access sites
- Norfork Lake — 176 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Bull Shoals Lake — 210 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 7 public access sites
- Gasconade River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel CatfishWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 15 public access sites
- Stockton Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 6 public access sites
- Current River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Longnose GarWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
- Meramec River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow TroutWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 15 public access sites
- Eleven Point River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- Big River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Longnose GarWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
- Fellows Lake — 81 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Big Piney River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel CatfishWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
- James River — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Longnose GarWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
- Jacks Fork — 8 ft max · Smallmouth BassWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- North Fork of the White — 9 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
- Niangua River — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Longnose GarWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 9 public access sites
Find the closest smallmouth bass waters to you →
How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Missouri waters with public access data
When to fish smallmouth bass in Missouri
- Spring 3–12 ft — Gravel and rock flats near deep water; spawning happens on hard bottom.
- Summer 10–30 ft — Offshore rock humps and deep points; smallmouth suspend near bait.
- Fall 8–25 ft — Feeding hard for winter — long tapering points and rocky drops.
- Winter 20–45 ft — Deep, vertical presentations near rocky wintering holes.
Also in Missouri: best largemouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best brown trout lakes
Smallmouth Bass elsewhere: Ontario · Wisconsin · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Maine · New Hampshire · Montana · New York · Wyoming · Massachusetts · New Brunswick · Washington · Indiana · North Dakota · Iowa · Texas · Ohio · Connecticut · Nebraska · Vermont · California · Oklahoma · South Dakota · Utah · Arizona · Colorado · Illinois · New Mexico · Nova Scotia · Kansas · West Virginia · Idaho · New Jersey · Kentucky · Oregon · Tennessee · North Carolina · Nevada · Manitoba · Virginia · Rhode Island · Pennsylvania · Arkansas · Maryland