Valley Water Mill Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MO)

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Lake depth chart

Valley Water Mill Lake, MO

Max 17 ft

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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.

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Recent catches at Valley Water Mill 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 Valley Water Mill Lake on the board.

Fishing Valley Water Mill Lake: what the data says

14-acre lake near Watershed Committee of the Ozarks. MDC-managed public fishing lake at Watershed Committee of the Ozarks. The lake tops out around 17 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

Traced from the shoreline, Valley Water Mill Lake runs 14 acres with 1 miles of edge. Index 2 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Roughly 79% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.4 mi. The water lies in Greene County. For a second option, Fellows Lake lies 4 mi northeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Valley Water Mill Lake

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 17 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 17 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	5 to 17 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 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	5 to 17 ft	midday	Break off the point (8 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Valley Water Mill Lake

In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 17 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 17 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 14 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	5 to 17 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (14 ft)
Fall	5 to 17 ft	dusk	Deep basin (14 ft)
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Valley Water Mill Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 5 to 17 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.

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	5 to 17 ft	midday	Break off the point (8 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)	Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Valley Water Mill Lake

Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 5 to 17 ft, wintering in 5 to 17 ft. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 14 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.

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	5 to 17 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	5 to 17 ft	dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

The chart marks 4 structure features on Valley Water Mill Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 14 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 14 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Valley Water Mill 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 Valley Water Mill Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Valley Water Mill Lake?

Valley Water Mill Lake is about 17 ft (5 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 Valley Water Mill Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie on Valley Water Mill 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 Valley Water Mill Lake?

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.

When is the best time to fish Valley Water Mill 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 Valley Water Mill Lake?

Fishing on Valley Water Mill 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

Fellows Lake 4 mi · James River 22 mi · Stockton Lake 32 mi · Pomme de Terre Lake 40 mi · Lake Taneycomo 41 mi · Table Rock Lake 46 mi, MO/AR · Niangua River 47 mi · Bull Shoals Lake 57 mi, MO/AR · Lake of the Ozarks 63 mi · Harry S. Truman Reservoir 67 mi · Schell-Osage Conservation Area 68 mi · North Fork of the White 68 mi

See how Valley Water Mill 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.