Hough Park Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MO)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Hough Park Lake, MO

Max 37 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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Hough Park 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 Hough Park Lake on the board.

Fishing Hough Park Lake: what the data says

11-acre lake near Jefferson City. MDC-managed public fishing lake at Jefferson City. The lake tops out around 37 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:

On the chart, Hough Park Lake draws 11 acres inside 0.8 miles of shoreline. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.6) — enough points and pockets to pattern. 35% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 0.3 mi of water from one end to the other. The water lies in Cole County. The nearest mapped water is Binder Community Lake, 8 mi to the northwest.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Hough Park Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (17 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (9 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (17 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Hough Park Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 11 to 37 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 31 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (17 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (31 ft)
Winter	11 to 37 ft	midday	Deep basin (31 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Hough Park Lake

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (17 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Break off the point (17 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Hough Park Lake

Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 31 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (17 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (17 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (31 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 31 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 31 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 17 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft

Hough Park 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 Hough Park Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Hough Park Lake?

Hough Park Lake is about 37 ft (11 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 Hough Park Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie on Hough Park 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 Hough Park Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 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 Hough Park 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 Hough Park Lake?

Fishing on Hough Park 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

Binder Community Lake 8 mi · Scrivner Road Conservation Area 12 mi · Osage River 14 mi · Ben Branch Lake Conservation Area 21 mi · A. Perry Philips Park Lake 25 mi · Little Dixie Lake 26 mi · Bagnell Tailwater 33 mi · Manito Lake Conservation Area 34 mi · Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area 38 mi · Gasconade River 41 mi · Lakeview Park Lake 45 mi · Teal Lake 45 mi

See how Hough Park 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.