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58-acre lake in Missouri. MDC-managed public fishing lake. The lake tops out around 24 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.
Happy Holler Lake Conservation Area maps at 58 acres behind 3.2 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 68% of this chart, as modeled. Figure 0.7 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.5 mi at the beam. Andrew County claims this one. Savannah City Lake sits 8 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 7 to 24 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| 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 (11 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 24 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 7 to 24 ft, then a winter hold in 7 to 24 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 20 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (20 ft) | |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | dusk | Deep basin (20 ft) | |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Deep basin (20 ft) |
Spring bluegill on Happy Holler Lake Conservation Area hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| 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 (11 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Deep basin (20 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Spring crappie on Happy Holler Lake Conservation Area hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 20 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| 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 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Deep basin (20 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 20 ft.
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 Happy Holler Lake Conservation Area specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →
Happy Holler Lake Conservation Area is about 24 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie on Happy Holler Lake Conservation Area. 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.
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 map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Happy Holler Lake 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.
Savannah City Lake 8 mi · Limpp Community Lake 11 mi · King Lake Conservation Area 16 mi · Willow Brook Lake 21 mi · Pony Express Lake Conservation Area 23 mi · Pony Express Lake 24 mi · Mozingo Lake 25 mi · Elam Bend Conservation Area 25 mi · Worth County Community Lake 29 mi · Nodaway County Community Lake 29 mi · Grindstone Lake 29 mi · Belcher Branch Lake Conservation Area 30 mi
See how Happy Holler Lake 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 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.