Truman Lake

About Truman Lake

Truman Lake, located in the mid-western part of Missouri, is a 55,600 acre Corps of Engineers lake that was built for flood control and power generation. Many of the trees were left standing and the shoreline undisturbed, which makes Truman an excellent place to fish. The lake is lined with tree, rock, and bluff banks, and offers a variety of fish to pursue.

The Truman Lake area provides numerous recreational activities which include boating, fishing, water skiing, sailing, camping, hunting, horseback riding, 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 five marinas, Bucksaw, Long Shoal, Osage Bluff, Sterett Creek, and Truman State Park. All of the marinas are full service, and provide nearby campgrounds, lodging, fuel, storage, tackle, store, and boat rentals.

The available fish in Truman Lake are black bass, crappie, bluegill, white bass, catfish, and walleye.

Detailed Lake Information:

Type of Lake: Hilland

Average Depth of Lake: 20 feet

Average Water Temperature:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
50-60
85-90
60-65
30-35

Spring Thaw: February – March
Fall Turnover: October – Novemberf
* Coves will freeze, but the entire lake will freeze during hard winters.

Heavy Rains: Can affect the entire lake depending on where the runoff is coming from. The lake takes about 1 month to clear up.

Winds:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
Windy
Mild
Mild-Windy
Mild-Windy

Detailed Lake Characteristics:

This information describes the makeup of the bottom, shoreline, structure, and water color for various parts of Truman Lake. Though the areas described below appear to be similar in characteristics, there are subtle differences, but it also shows that many of the same features can be found close to any part of the lake. Also, during any time of the year, rain or not, almost any type of water color can be found on Truman Lake.

Grand River Arm:

Bottom:
Shoreline:
Structure:
Water Color:
Mud, Rock
Mud, Rock
Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Roads, Flats
Stained

Tebo Creek Arm:

Bottom:
Shoreline:
Structure:
Water Color:
Mud, Rock
Mud, Rock, Bluffs
Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Roads, Flats
Clear-Stained

Osage River Arm:

Bottom:
Shoreline:
Structure:
Water Color:
Mud, Rock
Mud, Rock, Bluffs
Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Roads, Flats
Clear-Stained

Pomme Arm:

Bottom:
Shoreline:
Structure:
Water Color:
Mud, Rock
Mud, Rock, Bluffs
Bluffs, Trees, Stumps, Falldowns, Roads, Flats
Clear-Stained

Detailed Fishing Information:

Main Forage: Shad, Crayfish

Average time of year when fish spawn:

Bass:
Crappie:
Bluegill:
White Bass:
Catfish:
Walleye:
May
May
June
March-April
May
March-April

Best baits to use during seasons:

Bass:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
Jerkbaits, Jig-Pig, Spinnerbaits
Top Water, Plastic Worms and Craws
Top Water, Spinnerbaits
Jig-Pig, Spoons

Crappie:

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

Bluegill:

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

White Bass:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons
Spoons

Catfish:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
Cut Shad
Cut Shad, Stinkbait
Cut Shad
N/A

Walleye:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
Jigs, Crankbaits
Jigs, Worms
Jigs, Worms
Jigs, Worms, Crankbaits

Night Fishing Conditions:

Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
Good
Good
Good
N/A

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