Early-morning and late-evening fishing in the shallow shoreline areas will be the bass angler’s best bet. You can set out a line for the cats and toss topwaters for the largemouths.

Gary Burton, a retired biology teacher who worked at both the high school and college levels, now owns Burton’s Bait and Tackle in Smithville, and is always ready to lend his expertise to anglers. “Catfish are generally scavengers,” he noted, “and will eat whatever they’re in the mood for at the time.”

In smaller waters like 100-acre Perry County Lake, the cats are easier to find -- but not necessarily easier to catch. Use baits that pack a punch to compete with the other scents that drift through smaller eutrophic lakes, which have plenty of decaying plant and animal matter. Channels will move right up to the shoreline areas when the sun starts to set; that’s where you’ll find the numbers.

For additional information, contact the Southeast Region at (573) 290-5730.

MOZINGO LAKE
Northwest Missouri has several good hot-weather destinations. One of the top picks of biologist Harold Kerns is Mozingo Lake in Nodaway County. The fishery in this lake owned by the city of Maryville is managed by the MDC -- and it’s a good one, as Mozingo boasts a channel catfish population that’s nothing less than spectacular.

The biologists who keep a finger on the pulse of Mozingo’s fishery are impressed with the size of the cats. Big fish in the 8- to 10-pound range are fairly common, and can be taken just about anywhere on the lake during the night. Blues and flatheads are extremely rare at Mozingo, but they do show up on occasion.

Conventional baits for cats include chicken livers, doughballs and cut fish. Nothing fancy is needed on this 1,006-acre lake. After dark, pick a spot along the shoreline on the flats and you’ll be on the cats.

Target the jumbo bluegills on the deeper brushpiles during the summer heat. The larger ‘gills go deep in the summer and will generally be deeper than smaller fish. Outside weed edges, points and dropoff areas outside the coves will hold fish. The shallow, woody cover will hold smaller bluegills if you’re after a stringerful of fish for supper.

MDC samplings have produced bluegills up to 9 inches. They’re a great alternative to the lake’s cats when you’re after the double bite.

Boat passes are required; these can be obtained from the park. Three small ramps are available.

For additional information, contact the Northwest Region at (816) 271-3100 or the city of Maryville at (660) 562-8001.

FELLOWS LAKE
Channel cats rule the roost in Fellows Lake, but the largemouth bass and muskies are certainly worth contending with as well.

“Fellows is normally stocked with 10 to 15 channel catfish per acre every year,” said Jennifer Guyot, the area fisheries biologist. She reported that the lake is a numbers lake rather than a trophy fishery. During stockings from 2001 through 2005, the lengths of sampled fish ranged from 8 to 25 inches. Many of the catfish are in the larger size-brackets, but the majority will prove perfect for the pan. An occasional fish over 25 inches is sampled by the MDC, but not very often.

Anglers can keep up to four channel cats daily; there is no minimum-length requirement. The cats are taken on conventional baits like night crawlers and chicken livers.

About a fourth of the lake’s bucketmouths are above the 15-inch mark, which is nothing short of excellent, said Guyot. A 12- to 15-inch slot limit is in effect with a 6-fish limit.

Check in the area of the submerged fish attractors that have been scattered around the lake.