About Lake Stockton

Lake Stockton, located in the western part of Missouri, is a 24,900 acre Corps of Engineers lake, created for power generation, flood control, and recreation. Because of the terrain in the area, Lake Stockton offers bluffs and rock banks, along with large flats. With Stockton being positioned north to south, there's not much cover on the main lake from even mild winds. For this reason, Stockton Lake can be very rough at times.

Lake Stockton is made up of two rivers, the Sac and Little Sac. Both arms are long, and offer deep channels, bluff and rock banks, gravel points, and large flats with flooded cedars. Where the main lake is very clear and windy, the water up in the Sac arms do offer some color and cover.

Lake Stockton offers many recreational opportunities such as fishing, boating, skiing, sailing, scuba diving, camping, golf course, horseback riding, and hiking trails. For water sports, there are plenty of boat ramps around the lake along with three marinas, Orleans Trails, Mutton Creek, and Stockton State Park. All three marinas are full service, and provide fuel, storage, tackle, store, and boat rentals. There are also resorts, motels, restaurants, and shops in the area. For fishing, Lake Stockton offers Black Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, White Bass, Bluegill, Tiger Muskie, Catfish, and Walleye. A recent stocking program on Lake Stockton should provide excellent Walleye fishing in the future.

Detailed Lake Information:

Type of Lake: Hilland

Average Depth of Lake: 69 feet (Est.)

Average Water Temperature:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

45-50 85-89 70 40

Spring Thaw: Does not occur
Fall Turnover: August

Heavy Rains: Affects entire lake with the exception of the dam area. The rest of the lake clears up in 2-3 weeks.

Winds:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Windy-Strong Windy Windy Windy

Detailed Lake Characteristics:

This information describes the makeup of the bottom, shoreline, structure, and water color for various parts of Lake Stockton.

Dam Area:

Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:-

Mud, Rock Rock, Gravel, Bluffs Rocks, Bluffs, Stumps Clear-Stained

Sac River Arm:

Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:-

Mud, Rock, Gravel Rock, Gravel, Bluffs Bluffs, Stumps, Flats Clear-Stained

Little Sac River Arm:

Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:-

Mud, Rock, Gravel Rock, Gravel, Bluffs Bluffs, Stumps, Flats Clear-Stained

Detailed Fishing Information:

Main Forage: Shad

Average time of year when fish spawn:

Bass: Crappie: Bluegill: White Bass: Catfish: Walleye:

April-May April-May May-June March-April June March

Best baits to use during seasons:

Bass:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Stickbait Top Water, Plastic Worm Crankbaits Crankbaits, Plastic Worm

Crappie:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Minnows, Jigs Minnows, Jigs Minnows, Jigs Minnows, Jigs

Bluegill:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Crickets, Worms Crickets, Worms Crickets, Worms Crickets, Worms

White Bass:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Jigs, Crankbaits Top Water, Crankbaits Top Water, Jigs Crankbaits

Catfish:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Crawdad Shad Stinkbait Stinkbait

Walleye:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Jigs, Crankbaits Jigs, Worms Jigs, Worms Jigs, Worms, Crankbaits

Muskie:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Jerkbaits, Crankbaits Crankbaits Bucktail Crankbaits Bucktail Crankbaits

Night Fishing Conditions:

Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:

Good Excellent Good Fair