Bagnell Tailwater Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MO)

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Lake depth chart

Bagnell Tailwater, MO

Max 26 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~5 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Bagnell Tailwater

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Bagnell Tailwater on the board.

Fishing Bagnell Tailwater: what the data says

97-acre lake in Missouri. MDC-managed public fishing lake. The lake tops out around 26 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

The drawn water covers 97 acres wrapped in 3 miles of bank. With a 2.1 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 73% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 1.3 mi, about 0.3 mi across. Miller County claims this one. If the bite dies, Lake of the Ozarks is 19 mi to the west.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Bagnell Tailwater

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 26 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (12 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	8 to 26 ft	midday	Break off the point (12 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Bagnell Tailwater

When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 26 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 22 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (22 ft)
Fall	8 to 26 ft	dusk	Deep basin (22 ft)
Winter	8 to 26 ft	midday	Deep basin (22 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Bagnell Tailwater

When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (12 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (22 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Bagnell Tailwater

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 26 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 22 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (12 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (12 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	8 to 26 ft	midday	Deep basin (22 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

Count 6 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 22 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 22 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 12 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Bagnell Tailwater fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Missouri waters are set by the Missouri Department of Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Bagnell Tailwater specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Bagnell Tailwater?

Bagnell Tailwater is about 26 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Bagnell Tailwater?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie on Bagnell Tailwater. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.

Where is the best fishing spot on Bagnell Tailwater?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Bagnell Tailwater?

For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Bagnell Tailwater?

Fishing on Bagnell Tailwater is regulated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Check the official Missouri regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake of the Ozarks 19 mi · Osage River 20 mi · Scrivner Road Conservation Area 23 mi · Niangua River 27 mi · Manito Lake Conservation Area 29 mi · Binder Community Lake 32 mi · Hough Park Lake 33 mi · Gasconade River 36 mi · Pomme de Terre Lake 46 mi · Harry S. Truman Reservoir 51 mi · A. Perry Philips Park Lake 51 mi · Ben Branch Lake Conservation Area 52 mi

See how Bagnell Tailwater stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Missouri · best crappie lakes in Missouri · best bluegill lakes in Missouri · best channel catfish lakes in Missouri

Browse all Missouri fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.