Both boat and bank access is easy at Hazel Creek Lake (500 acres). For more information about this lake, call the MDC at (660) 785-2420.
Lake Jacomo in Kansas City is the MDC's only urban community lake that I'd recommend for good bass fishing. Sited in one of the state's most populated urban areas, the lake nonetheless holds a great bass population that's regulated by the MDC's excellent fisheries management program, which has produced great bassing here despite heavy fishing pressure.
Anglers can expect to catch only a few trophy bass (which is to say those larger than 8 pounds), but the lake supports good numbers of 1- to 5-pound bass. Strong largemouth bass year-classes from 2001 and 2003 supply plentiful sub-legal bass. However, about 25 percent of the lake's bass population measures longer than 15 inches.
To improve bass-fishing success at Lake Jacomo, MDC fisheries officials installed fish structures throughout the lake to concentrate forage fish as well as bass. For more information about Lake Jacomo, and to get your free map that pinpoints these habitat locations, call the MDC at (816) 655-6250.
Farm Ponds
When asked where to fish for largemouth bass, many Missouri bass anglers first think of the major lakes scattered around the state. However, Show Me State anglers catch more trophy bass from farm ponds than from any other type of bass water -- perhaps because thousands of farm ponds lie scattered across the state.
Most if not all of these ponds are privately owned, so you'll need to visit your local National Resource Conservation Service office to locate where the NRCS has built lakes near you; then, visit the owners and ask permission to fish.
Small ponds produce such great bass fishing because of their isolation, limited fishing pressure and great bass habitat. It's truly amazing how small ponds can produce large bass. Remember: The smaller the pond, the fewer large bass that it'll support. Catch-and-release is important to the maintenance of high-quality fishing, so harvest the small bass and return the large individuals.
The availability of largemouth bass in just about all Missouri waters -- and don't forget about our rivers -- highlights the wide range of opportunities for bass fishing in the Show Me State. Take the opportunity this year to check 'em out. If you visit my office this season and find the door locked, just chalk it up to my having gone fishing.
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