Pony Express Lake
Pony Express Lake offers one
of the most diverse fishing opportunities of any small lake in Missouri.
Extremely abundant crappie, tackle- busting catfish and muskie, and excellent
largemouth bass fishing can all be found at Pony Express Lake. Whether you
are looking to catch a bunch of crappie for the table, cast at daybreak
for an elusive muskie, outsmart a wily old bass, or dunk some stink bait
for catfish, Pony Express Lake is a great choice.
Pony Express Lake is very
accessible to anglers from both shore and boat. Several fishing jetties,
an ADA fishing pier and floating fishing dock, and ample areas of mowed
shoreline make this lake easy to fish from shore. Three boat ramps located
in the main arms of the lake make boat access to all parts of the lake easy.
For those who do not have a boat, boat rentals are available for $5. Life
jackets and oars are provided with the boats and anglers are also permitted
to use their own motors.
To take advantage of the abundant
crappie in the lake, the Missouri Department of Conservation hosts an annual
Crappie Festival each May. During this one day event, anglers are shown
how to catch crappie as well as how to clean and cook their catch. This
is an ideal event for families learning to fish since even beginning anglers
will catch a stringer of crappie. Numerous door prizes are available to
children and the fast fishing action will surely capture their interest.
Hundreds of crappie are caught, cleaned, and cooked at this event and it
has proven to be enjoyable for anglers of all experience levels. Be sure
to attend in May!
Biologists are also working
to establish aquatic vegetation in the lake to add critical fish habitat,
improve water quality, and reduce shoreline erosion. The lake has been without
vegetation since the late 1980's, resulting in reduced water clarity and
lower quality habitat for fish. Reestablishing vegetation is not as easy
as it sounds, however. The high numbers of geese, carp, and muskrats consume
much of the vegetation that is planted. Since so little vegetation currently
exists, a new planting is much like the last item of food in a buffet line
and typically does not last long. Fences are being used to protect young
plants until they are established. Several types of plants are doing well
in the lake and will provide much needed fish habitat in the future.
For
best luck, fish for muskie in the spring and fall, and concentrate efforts
at dawn and dusk or on cloudy days - muskie are feeding most actively
during these periods. Popular baits at Pony Express Lake are large, white
bucktails and spinner baits. Most of the muskie caught by anglers are
taken near brush piles along the eastern shoreline of the lake or along
the dam - especially those brush piles located near deep water. For more
information about muskie fishing in Missouri visit the Department of
Conservation muskie page.
Location: Pony Express Lake is located 9 miles west of Cameron on Highway 36, north 2 miles on Highway 33, then west 1 mile on Route RA (marked with a cantilever sign).
Lake description and facilities: Pony Express Lake is one of the larger lakes in the region at 240 acres and maximum depth of 29 feet. The lake sits on the Pony Express Conservation area which covers over 3,000 acres (Conservation Area Brochure and Map).
Fishing outlook and tips for Pony Express Lake
Crappie
If you want action, crappie are the best bet. Because crappie are so abundant, they are growing slowly and most are under 8 inches. We encourage you to harvest your daily limit of 30 crappie - this will allow remaining crappie to grow faster and provide you with some wonderful fishing. Fishing small jigs and minnows near the shoreline in spring and in deeper water near brush during the rest of the year will put crappie on the stringer. Some of the better crappie areas include the rocky shoreline from the fishing dock around to the dam. This area is especially good in spring when the crappie are spawning. The extremely abundant crappie provide an excellent opportunity for introducing new anglers to fishing. If you use light line and small jigs or minnows, you will likely catch a bunch of fish.
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass population continues to improve as a result of habitat improvements in the lake. Good numbers of bass over the legal length limit of 15 inches are present with fair numbers exceeding 20 inches. Bass densities need to be higher, however, so catch-and-release is recommended and will result in improved fishing for all species in the future. Further improvement in the bass population will depend on angler compliance with the fishing regulations and continued efforts to improve habitat. During the past few years, significant efforts have been made to increase the amount of woody habitat in the lake by constructing brush piles and hinge cutting trees around the shoreline. Continued habitat improvement efforts will no doubt result in increased bass densities in the lake.
Bass fishing is good throughout the lake. In spring and early summer the best fishing occurs around the shallow brush piles and trees that were hinge-cut along the shoreline. During summer, fish the deeper brush piles - especially those in 8 to 12 feet of water. Although most lures will work in spring when bass are aggressive, the best baits in summer at Pony Express are often those that imitate shad.
Channel catfish
Regular stocking of channel catfish ensures that fishing is consistently good. Catfish are abundant in Pony Express Lake and can be with natural and prepared baits. Most channel catfish will be in the 14 to 18-inch range but larger fish are not uncommon. During summer, don’t fish too deep. There is typically no oxygen deeper than 10 to 12 feet during summer months. Fishing can be especially good after a rain when water is flowing into the upper ends of the lake. At these times, action can be fast if you fish near the locations where the runoff is entering the lake. Some channel catfish in Pony Express Lake have reward tags on them.If you catch one of these fish, please return the tag to collect the reward. The tag can then be returned to you. This information will help biologists manage catfish in our public lakes and will result in better catfish fishing in the future (more information on catfish tagging project).
Blue catfish
Blue catfish are regularly stocked in Pony Express Lake. Because they grow faster and larger than channel catfish, they offer anglers an opportunity to catch a really big fish. Most fish are in the 14 to 20-inch range but fish over 30 inches and 20 pounds are caught every year. Your best bet at hooking a blue cat is to drift cut shad or live sunfish on shallow flats near deeper water in spring and fall or suspend baits in deeper water just above the thermo cline during summer. The thermo cline in Pony Express Lake is typically between 9 and 12 feet deep during summer.
Muskie
Muskie offer an exciting opportunity for persistent anglers at Pony Express Lake. Although there are good numbers of muskie exceeding the 36-inch length limit, muskie can grow much larger and releasing legal fish will improve the odds of catching a larger in the future see catch-and-release poster. Muskie up to 48 inches long have been caught in Pony Express Lake and muskie over 40 inches are regularly observed during spring trap netting. Although muskie are typically stocked in the fall in Missouri lakes, current research at Pony Express Lake is examining the benefits of stocking larger muskie in the spring. Hopefully, stocking of larger muskie will allow more to avoid predation by bass and herons and increase the numbers of muskie in the lake. Also, current efforts to establish vegetation in the lake will no doubt improve habitat for muskie - a species that is well-known for its affinity for vegetation beds.
If you're looking for a lake with a diversity of great fishing opportunities, a lake that is easy to fish from both shore and boat, or a lake where you just may catch the fish of a lifetime, then give Pony Express Lake a try. See you on the water!
GOOD FISHING!
