Bilby Ranch Lake offers quality small-lake fishing opportunities in a unique landscape of rolling upland terrain. From the bank or from a boat, Bilby Ranch offers non-stop largemouth bass fishing, limits of large tasty panfish, tackle busting channel catfish, and a real good chance at catching the popular walleye.
Location
Bilby Ranch Lake is located on Bilby Ranch Conservation Area in Nodaway County, 14 miles west of Maryville on Highway 46 (Follow the signs).
History
Bilby Ranch Conservation Area was once part of a large ranch owned by J.S. Bilby, who came to northwest Missouri in 1832. He eventually purchased 26,000 acres of land in the area. By 1900, Bilby operated one the largest cattle ranches in the United States until the Great Depression took its toll, and the ranch folded in 1936. The Missouri Department of Conservation purchased 5,030 acres in 1987 in what is now the Bilby Ranch Conservation area, an area emphasizing ring-necked pheasant management.
Construction of the lake began in 1990, and was completed in 1991. The lake was initially stocked in 1992 with largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish at a rate of 100, 500, 100, and 100 per acre. The lake completed filling later that spring.
Lake description and facilities
Bilby Ranch Lake is 110 acres, with a maximum depth of 36 feet. Facilities include a concrete boat ramp, a disabled accessible floating fishing dock, and privies. With help from the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, a new fish cleaning station will be constructed during the summer of 2006. Five artificial reefs were added to the lake basin during construction to add habitat diversity. The 50-100 feet long reefs were constructed of dirt piles capped with rip rap. Numerous brushpiles have been installed recently, and hold fish all year long. A contour map showing habitat structures is available to help anglers find the fish.
Quality fishing is also available on numerous stocked ponds on the area, but anglers must walk in to fish them. Please contact the Missouri Department of Conservation at 816-271-3100 for any questions on Bilby Ranch Lake.
Fishing outlook and tips for Bilby Ranch Lake
Largemouth bass
Fish community sampling by MDC personnel shows an excellent bass population, with 80% of the bass in lake over 12”. Electrofishing catch for largemouth bass in Bilby has always stayed consistently high, in some years over 200 bass per hour! Numerous trophy bass up to 6 pounds also make Bilby Ranch their home. The first place to start looking for bass is along the face of the dam. Try plastic worms, crankbaits, or topwater plugs in the evening. The brushpiles and rock piles always hold plenty of bass too.
Bluegill
Bluegill fishing in Bilby Ranch will provide anglers of all ages hours of fast-paced action for 7-9” gills. Fish the banks in May-June with small jigs or live bait. These fish can be found anywhere where there is vegetation or woody cover. Bluegills are a blast on light tackle, and perfect for introducing young anglers to fishing.
Crappie
Although not stocked by MDC, the crappie in Bilby are numerous and at times, very large. Fishing pressure has hurt the size structure a little in recent years, but large fish over 15” still swim in Bilby Ranch, as well as a strong 2-3 year old size class of fish in the 9” range. One the best spots on the lake for crappie is off the floating fishing dock, where brushpiles and artificial PVC fish structures have been placed so crappie are easily accessible to anglers without a boat. Boat anglers will have excellent luck on the rock piles and newly installed brush.
Channel catfish
Annual stocking of 1,650 channel catfish from 8 to 10” ensures that catfishing will be consistently good. Channel cats are abundant and large, and can be caught with nightcrawlers or prepared dip baits. Channel catfish up to 30” are not uncommon. During summer, don’t fish too deep. There is typically no oxygen deeper than 10 to 12 feet during summer months. The rip rap on the dam is a great place to play tug of war with these brusiers.
Redear Sunfish
The redear sunfish has taken off in Bilby Ranch Lake, and anglers fishing for them have a great chance at a master angler sized fish (greater than 10”). Trap netting data shows an unbelievable population of this huge colorful sunfish. Fish the banks in May-June with a small piece of worm, or try small jigs on the rock piles later in the year.
Walleye
Walleye were first introduced into Bilby in 2002 as part of small impoundment walleye stocking initiative, and it looks as though the clear water in the lake provides perfect habitat for fast growth of this popular sportfish. All of the walleye from the 2002 stocking were legal sized fish (15”) in just 2 years, with many fish over 20” to be had by walleye anglers right now. Bilby received 2,400 fingerling walleye in the fall of 2005, and those fish should be harvestable by 2007. Please release all walleye under 15”.
Fishing Regulations for Bilby Ranch Lake
| Species | Length Limit | Daily Bag Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 15” | 6 |
| Crappie | none | 30 |
| Catfish | none | 4 |
| Walleye | 15” | 4 |
| All other fish combined | none | 20 |
- Pole and line fishing only – no trot lines, set lines, limb lines, etc.
- Bullfrogs and green frogs may be taken during the statewide season.
- Seining or trapping live bait is prohibited on all impounded waters.
- Boats may be used for fishing or wildlife-related activities only, and may not be stored or left unattended overnight.
- Outboard motors in excess of 10 hp must be operated at no-wake speed
