Long Branch State Park offers three boat ramps provide access to scenic Long Branch Lake. The park offers some of the best bass fishing in northern Missouri. The lake’s swimming beach a is great for families. With overnight camping and the park’s native prairie offers peaceful hiking opportunities, this area makes for a great weekend.
Fishing Information
Bass Fishing – MDC reports many largemouth bass recently caught were over 15 inches. Hybrid striped bass fishing on Long Branch is excellent. Anglers should fish the main lake points watching for shad busting and schooling fish.
Catfishing – Channel catfish avg around 2-3 lb range. Large blue cats are readily available and many are caught on jugs baited with shad in the spring and early fall. Flathead anglers have the best luck using live bait in the upper arms near the old river channels.
Crappie Fishing – Crappie grow slow in this lake and never quite reach great size for making this a crappie destination.
Carp – Lots of common carp live in this lake which can be fun to catch with a pole. Also makes a great place for bowfishing in northern Missouri.
History
Since the area was first settled in the 1830s, flooding along the Little Chariton River was an ongoing problem for the residents of Macon County.
Missouri Extensive channelization of the main Chariton river by private entities, local governments, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers while alleviating flooding issues in some areas, created them for others. In the mi-1970s a project to solve the problem by damming the east fork of the Little Chariton was begun. Completed in 1978, a 71-foot-high earthen dam impounds water for flood control, public recreation, and wildlife conservation. Long Branch Lake is the reservoir created by the dam, with about 24 miles of shoreline and a flood-control capacity of 98,000 acre-feet.
