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1-acre lake in Missouri. MDC-managed public fishing pond. The lake tops out around 9 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The outline encloses 1 acres, worked by 0.2 miles of shoreline. Its 1.1 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. It sits in Harrison County. If the bite dies, North Bethany City Reservoir is 12 mi to the northwest.
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 9 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 9 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 9 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 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 |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 2 to 9 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 9 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 9 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 8 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 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) |
Spring bluegill on The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife Area hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 9 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 9 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 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 |
Spring crappie on The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife Area hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 9 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 9 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 8 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 | 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 |
Structure-wise the chart holds 3 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 8 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 The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife Area specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →
The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife 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 The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife 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. 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 The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife 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.
North Bethany City Reservoir 12 mi · Crowder State Park Lake 13 mi · Lake Paho 15 mi · Lake Paho Conservation Area 16 mi · Jamesport Community Lake 17 mi · Harrison County Lake 18 mi · Poosey Conservation Area 24 mi · Nine Eagles Lake 25 mi, IA · Elam Bend Conservation Area 26 mi · Slip Bluff Lake 29 mi, IA · King Lake Conservation Area 35 mi · Hamilton City Lake 36 mi
See how The Wayne Helton Memorial Wildlife 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.