Fishing cabin rental Missouri - 1 fishing cabin

A guide to fishing in Missouri

There are a few states that stick out when thinking of fishing in the United States, and Missouri tends to fly under the radar. With plenty of great lakes and rivers to fish, you can spend many days exploring what trophies live under the surface. Here is a guide to fishing in Missouri that covers places to fish, species found here, and some bait and gear recommendations! So read on and book your fishing cabin in Missouri!

Places to fish in Missouri

Lake of the Ozarks

The most famous area in the state is Lake of the Ozarks. Not only is it great for fishing, but people come to party here every summer as the waters are pure and great for activities.

This is a fantastic bass and catfish system that you can spend many days exploring while still not hitting every spot. This lake system provides a unique mixture of natural cover and docks from lakeside homes.

Table Rock Lake

Alongside Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock is a world-famous lake system that hosts tons of fishing tournaments and a lot of interest. This is one of the best bass fishing systems in the state, so that is a nice perk. You can even go for the Triple Crown here. The Triple Crown is catching a smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass all in one day.

Crappie and walleye are also found here, so there are a lot of fishing opportunities to have at Table Rock. Be sure to add this to your fishing bucket list.

Truman Lake

A very popular summertime location is Truman Lake. Truman Lake is a pretty large lake that is one of the best crappie lakes in the country. There are also large populations of bass and catfish to target as well.

This reservoir is a great place to spend a long weekend fishing as there are many cabins and boat rental companies posted up on the lake.

Species found in Missouri

Some of the top species found in Missouri water bodies include:

• Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass
• All sorts of catfish subspecies
• Crappie
• Walleye
• Sturgeon
• Paddlefish
• Gar
• Much more..

These are a few of the fished-for species found in Missouri. Especially in the three main lakes talked about above, most of these can be targeted with ease.

Bait and gear recommendations

Rod and Reel

Spinning and bait-casting gear are both at the top of popularity for fishing in these opportunities. Fly fishing is a bit more uncommon but is used in some of the rivers and lake offshoots.

Line

Sticking to any of the three line types (monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braid) will be good. If using braid, be sure to use a clear leader, and Missouri has a lot of clear water. So, visibility can become an issue.

Baits and Lures

Your bait and lure selection is super important as this is how you convince a fish to strike. For Missouri lakes specifically, shad, craws, and worms make up a majority of the live bait sector.

Great lures include jerk-baits, jigs, crank-baits, and spinner-baits. Especially for bass, they love reactionary lures that have movement and will cause a disturbance.