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1-acre lake in Missouri. MDC-managed public fishing pond. The lake tops out around 9 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The outline encloses 1 acres, worked by 0.2 miles of shoreline. A shoreline index of 1.2 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. Gentry County claims this one. King Lake Conservation Area sits 9 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 9 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 9 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 9 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Shoreline break (4 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 2 to 9 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 9 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 9 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (8 ft) | |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (8 ft) |
Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 2 to 9 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 9 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| 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 | 2 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (8 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 9 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 9 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 8 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| 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 | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (8 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Elam Bend Conservation Area carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 8 ft down.
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 Elam Bend Conservation Area specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →
Elam Bend Conservation Area is about 9 ft (3 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie on Elam Bend Conservation Area.
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. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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.
Fishing on Elam Bend Conservation Area 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.
King Lake Conservation Area 9 mi · Limpp Community Lake 14 mi · Willow Brook Lake 16 mi · Pony Express Lake Conservation Area 19 mi · Pony Express Lake 20 mi · North Bethany City Reservoir 21 mi · Grindstone Lake 21 mi · Eagle Lake 21 mi · Century Lake 22 mi · Sunrise Lake 22 mi · Jamesport Community Lake 23 mi · Harrison County Lake 25 mi
See how Elam Bend Conservation Area 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. 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.