Hunting / Fishing Guide

Anglers fishing for smallmouth bass in the Gasconade River's special management area, in Phelps and Pulaski counties report good fishing year-round, but especially in the winter months.

Winter Draw Down will happen again in January and February of 2024.  Boat launching may be difficult.  

Spring Creek, located on U. S. Forest Service property around Highway J in Phelps County, is best when fished from January until early summer. Rainbow trout migrate downstream from private property after the winter spawn and fish of all sizes can be caught. Anglers may find trophy rainbow trout in this section of river, but the population ebbs and flows with floods and time of year.

Mill Creek's reproducing rainbow trout population has shown its ability to withstand tough environmental conditions by consistently producing good fishing.  2024 estimates are not expected to differ from 2023.  Anglers should expect a moderate population, dominated by fish under 12 inches with fish upwards of 18 inches to be found. Consistent annual quality spawns, and those fish should be sipping flies in 2024. Large fish are still present in larger pools with adequate habitat.  

Rainbow trout populations for the Little Piney have remained stable for more than a decade of over 1,000 trout per mile around Lane Springs.  The reproducing population of rainbow trout continues to be dominated by fish under 12 inches, with the majority being 8-12inches; providing a great, fun opportunity for catch and release.  However, anglers should not be surprised if they catch larger fish; trout upwards of 20 inches that are found in the stream's higher quality habitat.

The river's Smallmouth Bass Special Management Area was expanded in 2017 to include all of the Big Piney River downstream of Slabtown Access in Texas County to the confluence with the Gasconade River in Pulaski County and man has it proven a positive for the whole river system.

Smithville Lake is a 7,190-acre reservoir located just north of Kansas City.   Smithville Lake largemouth bass cate rates are at an all-time high.   Catch rates in 2023 were 131 bass per hour.  That is double the historic average for the lake.

This 35-acre lake provides excellent bank and boat fishing for crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish and largemouth bass. There is a 12- to 15-inch protected slot length for largemouth bass. In 2023, 42% of bass sampled were larger than 15 inches, and 13% were larger than 18 inches.  Anglers are encouraged to keep bass that are below 12-inches. Many of the panfish are 8-inches or larger, with 44% of white crappie and 71% of black crappie sampled greater than 8 inches, and 39% of redear sunfish were larger than 9 inches in length.

This 40-acre lake sets close to the Grand River and has been reconnected to the river during flood events in the past. Anglers can catch a wide variety of lake and river species here.

This small lake was built in the 1960s and offers a concrete boat ramp, ADA accessible privy, and grass trail around the lake.  Over the years, the lake has received higher rates of siltation from surrounding agricultural land in its watershed.  Despite shallow depths in the upper arms, the main body of the lake maintains adequate depths and offers good fishing for channel catfish and largemouth bass.  Channel catfish are stocked regularly and offer consistent catch rates for fish from 16"-24".