Mark Twain Lake

About Mark Twain Lake

Mark Twain Lake, located about 120 miles northwest of St. Louis, is a 18,600 acre Corps of Engineers lake. Built for flood control, power generation, and recreation, Mark Twain Lake was filled in 1984, making it one of the newest lakes in Missouri. The Salt River and some of the nearby creeks provide most of the water that feeds the lake. A unique feature of Mark Twain Lake is the re-regulation pool located below Cannon Dam. A river like pool of water extends nine miles below the dam and is used to pump water back into the main lake for power generation purposes. Boat ramps are available to fish the re-regulation pool.

The Mark Twain Lake area provides numerous recreational activities which include boating, fishing, water skiing, sailing, camping, hunting, and hiking. Primitive and modern camping facilities are available along with numerous lodging facilities near and around the lake. For water sports, there are plenty of boat ramps around the lake along with two marinas, Indian Creek and Black Jack. Both marinas are full service, and provide nearby campgrounds, fuel, storage, tackle, store, and boat rentals.

When Mark Twain Lake was built, most of the trees were left standing and the surrounding shoreline was left undisturbed. The lake is made up of a main body of water with six major arms, each unique in its own way with many tree lined banks with rock, mud, gravel, and bluffs.

Many of the anglers who fish Mark Twain Lake concentrate on the trees for the fish they’re after. The lake offers black bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, and walleye.

Detailed Lake Information:

Type of Lake: Hilland

Average Depth of Lake: 29 feet

**Average Water Temperature:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	62 90 80 30

Spring Thaw: March
Fall Turnover: September – October
* Mark Twain Lake will freeze over during hard winters.

Heavy Rains: Affects entire lake with the exception of the Indian and Little Indian Creeks. The rest of the lake takes about 2 weeks to clear up.

**Winds:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Windy Mild Mild Windy

Detailed Lake Characteristics:

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

**Main Lake Area:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Rock, Gravel, Clay Mud, Rock, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Roads Clear to Stained

**North Fork:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Clay Rock, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns Stained

**Middle Fork:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Clay Mud, Gravel, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns Stained

**South Fork:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Gravel, Clay Mud, Rock, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns Stained

**Sandy Creek:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Clay Mud, Rock, Bluffs, Weeds Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns Clear

**Indian Creek:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Gravel Clay Mud, Gravel, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Flats Clear

**Spalding Area:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Gravel Mud, Rock, Bluffs Trees, Stumps Clear

**Lick Creek:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Rock, Gravel Mud, Rock, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Flats Clear – Stained

**Pigeon Roost Area:**
Bottom: Shoreline: Structure: Water Color:	Mud, Rock, Clay Mud, Rock, Bluffs Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns Clear – Stained

Detailed Fishing Information:

Main Forage: Shad

Average time of year when fish spawn:

Bass:
Crappie:
Bluegill:
Catfish:
Walleye:

June
Late May, Early June
June
Late June
March-April

Best baits to use during seasons:

**Bass:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Jig-Pig Plastic Worm, Crankbaits Top Water, Spinnerbaits Jig-Pig

**Crappie:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Minnows, Jigs Minnows Minnows, Jigs Minnows

**Bluegill:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Crickets, Worms Crickets, Worms Crickets, Worms Crickets, Worms

**Catfish:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Bluegill Cut Shad Cut Shad Cut Shad

**Walleye:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Crankbaits, Jigs Crankbaits, Jigs Crankbaits, Jigs Crankbaits, Jigs

**Night Fishing Conditions:**
Spring: Summer: Fall: Winter:	Fair Good Fair Poor

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