Missouri Department of Conservation

Fish Northwest Region

Pony Express Lake

Check the MDC Atlas for the Pony Express Lake regulations, brochure and map.

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 more than 3,000 acres (Conservation Area Brochure and Map).

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.

Note: Boaters are responsible for providing equipment needed to comply with Missouri State boating laws.  Navigation lights are required between sunset and sunrise.  An approved flotation device is required for each person in a boat.  Consult the Missouri Boating Laws and Responsibilities Manual for details.

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.

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.

Return Tags for Rewards

Some channel catfish in Pony Express Lake have reward tags on them. If you catch a tagged channel catfish, remove the tag and send it along with the following information to: Missouri Department of Conservation, 1110 South College Avenue, Columbia, Missouri 65201. Please provide the date you caught the fish, whether you kept or released the fish, the length of the fish, and your name and address along with the tag. The value of the tag has been pre-determined and the tag must be examined by Department officials to send your reward. At your request, the tag will 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 thermocline during summer. The thermocline 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!