Butler City Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MO)

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Lake depth chart

Butler City Lake, MO

Max 22 ft

Today's read

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 Butler City Lake

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 Butler City Lake on the board.

Fishing Butler City Lake: what the data says

70-acre lake in Missouri. MDC-managed public fishing lake. The lake tops out around 22 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.

Drawn out, this is 70 acres of water rimmed by 2.8 miles of bank. A development index of 2.4 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 75% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 0.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.3 mi at the beam. The water lies in Bates County. The nearest mapped water is Pleasanton Reservoir, 15 mi to the west.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Butler City Lake

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.

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 (10 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	7 to 22 ft	midday	Break off the point (10 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Butler City Lake

In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	7 to 22 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (19 ft)
Fall	7 to 22 ft	dusk	Deep basin (19 ft)
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Deep basin (19 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Butler City Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 7 to 22 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.

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 (10 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Deep basin (19 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Butler City Lake

Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 7 to 22 ft, wintering in 7 to 22 ft. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 19 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.

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	7 to 22 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Deep basin (19 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

Butler City Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 19 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 19 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 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

Butler City Lake 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 Butler City Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Butler City Lake?

Butler City Lake is about 22 ft (7 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 Butler City Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie on Butler City Lake. 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 Butler City Lake?

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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Butler City Lake?

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 Butler City Lake?

Fishing on Butler City Lake 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

Pleasanton Reservoir 15 mi, KS · Louisburg State Fishing Lake 21 mi, KS · Montrose Conservation Area 26 mi · Schell-Osage Conservation Area 28 mi · Miola Lake 31 mi, KS · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 33 mi · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 34 mi · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 34 mi · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 34 mi · Rock Creek Lake 36 mi, KS · Fort Scott City Lake 39 mi, KS · Hillsdale Lake 39 mi, KS

See how Butler City Lake 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.