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Fishing Mark Twain Lake: what the data says
18,600-acre reservoir near Perry. The lake tops out around 70 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Crappie fishing at Mark Twain Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 35 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Mark Twain Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Mark Twain Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Mark Twain Lake
Start shallow in spring: white bass & hybrids sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Indian Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Blue Catfish fishing at Mark Twain Lake
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 35 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Channel Catfish fishing at Mark Twain Lake
Spring channel catfish on Mark Twain Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Indian Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Mark Twain Lake
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 35 ft, rated prime for fall flathead catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Mark Twain Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 60 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 35 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 32 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 18 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 18 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 10.365616512506055 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 9.159843790516371 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 8.829661762769835 ft
- Indian Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Lick Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6.0994605410117275 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Mark Twain Lake?
Mark Twain Lake is about 70 ft 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 Mark Twain Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, blue catfish on Mark Twain Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Mark Twain Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 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 Mark Twain Lake?
For crappie, 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.
Nearby waters
Thomas Hill Reservoir · Osage River · Meramec River · Creve Coeur Lake · Gasconade River · Big River
See how Mark Twain Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Missouri · best walleye lakes in Missouri · best crappie lakes in Missouri · best bluegill lakes in Missouri
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