MDC

Busch Area Lakes

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August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area

Lake #30 at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles was recently renovated in order to create “a perfect pond.”

The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area (Busch CA) is a great place for year-round fishing. A variety of catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and sunfish opportunities await you. Throw in kids fishing opportunities, winter trout, the occasional hybrid striped bass and even muskie, and it’s easy to see the Busch CA has something for almost everyone.

Catfish

The Busch CA hosts both channel and flathead catfish fishing. Intensive channel catfish stocking runs from May through August at Lakes 3, 4, 5, 7, and 23. Thousands of 15-inch channel catfish are stocked monthly and stockings are reported to the Fish Stocking Hotline (636/300-9651). Other lakes are managed with annual stockings and have fewer, but much larger catfish

Flathead catfish are infrequently-stocked, but grow to very large sizes. Fish up to 30 pounds are available at Lakes 3, 4, 5, 7, 23, 24, 30 and 33. However, Lake 33 offers the best chances at catching a real trophy near brush piles and large logs.

Crappie

Crappie (primarily white crappie) are available at Lakes 6, 8, 9, 21, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36. Lake 33 has huge numbers of 6-8” crappie located in brush piles along shorelines. Fewer but higher quality fish occur in Lakes 21, 34, and 35. Each spring, crappies up to 18” are caught in Busch CA lakes.

Largemouth bass

All lakes on Busch CA host largemouth bass populations. High numbers of 8-13” bass make Lakes 9, 10, 11, 21, 23 27, 28, 34, 36 and catch-and-release Lakes16 and 31 great places to learn bass fishing or test new techniques. High quality bass populations exist in Lakes 33 and 35 and catch-and-release Lake 32, with bass up to 24”. Since these big bass see plenty of lures during the year, try fishing early in the year (March-May) along dam rock, downed shoreline timber and sunken brush piles for best results.

Hybrid-striped bass, muskie and trout

Hybrid-striped bass are stocked infrequently into Lakes 34 and 36. These hard-fighting fish are most often caught using shad-imitation lures.

Lake 35 hosts the St. Louis area’s only muskie fishery. With stockings since 2001, the muskie population continues to develop and includes several fish larger than the 36-inch minimum length limit. Early spring or fall fishing near brush piles or downed shoreline trees may produce best results.

Since the 1990s, Busch CA has offered winter trout-fishing opportunities. Lakes 3, 22 and 23 allow harvest after November through February stockings, while Lakes 21 and 28 allow catch-and-release fishing (November 1-January 31) followed by trout-harvest regulations the remainder of the year.

Sunfish

Busch CA offers some great bluegill and redear sunfish fishing.

Bluegills are available at all lakes, but larger fish are in Lakes 6, 34, 37, and 38 and catch-and-release Lakes 16, 31 and 32. Redear sunfish are a little harder to catch, but grow larger than bluegill at Lakes 6, 34, 37, 38 and catch-and-release Lake 32. Fish near shoreline brush piles and aquatic vegetation for best results.

Kids Fishing Program

Though family fishing opportunities abound at all Busch CA lakes, four lakes are managed specifically for kids. The kids fishing lake (Lake 12) has good numbers bluegill, channel catfish, largemouth bass and redear sunfish. Only kids age 15 and under can fish here. Additionally, Lakes 1, 2, and 15 are set aside for kids and other groups to reserve for catch-and-release fishing. These lakes are very popular with school and scout groups. Disabled-angler facilities are available at Lake 15. Fish species available are similar to those at Lake 12, but hybrid sunfish are heavily stocked to help ensure that kids catch fish.

Other Info

• Disabled-angler facilities are available at Lakes 6, 33 and 34.or
• For the area map and special regulations, see the links in "Related Information" below.