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2-acre lake in Missouri. MDC-managed public fishing pond. The lake tops out around 8 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
General Watkins Conservation Area maps at 2 acres behind 0.2 miles of shoreline. Its 1.4 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. It sits in Scott County. Robert G. Delaney Lake Conservation Area sits 15 mi southeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 8 ft; winter keeps them in 2 to 8 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
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 chart-limited; documented 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 8 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 8 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Shoreline break (4 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 8 ft; winter keeps them in 2 to 8 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 7 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is 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 8 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) |
Spring bluegill on General Watkins Conservation Area hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 8 ft, and by winter most fish are in 2 to 8 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
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 8 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Spring crappie on General Watkins Conservation Area hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 8 ft in summer, 2 to 8 ft once it turns cold. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 7 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
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 | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
General Watkins Conservation Area carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 7 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 General Watkins Conservation Area specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →
General Watkins Conservation Area is about 8 ft (2 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 General Watkins 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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 General Watkins 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.
Robert G. Delaney Lake Conservation Area 15 mi · Lake Girardeau 20 mi · Duck Creek Conservation Area 28 mi · Nolen Blue Hole 30 mi · Seven Island Conservation Area 36 mi · Wappapello Lake 40 mi · Cedar Lake 43 mi, IL · Little Grassy Lake 46 mi, IL · Reelfoot Lake 47 mi, TN · Dutchman Lake 47 mi, IL · Devils Kitchen Lake 48 mi, IL · Twin Borrow Pits Conservation Area 48 mi
See how General Watkins 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.