Truman Lake Information

Truman Lake is a great location for fishing, even in the winter, as power from Truman Dam helps heat the water. Truman Lake is nationally known for its excellent crappie and bass fishing. The reservoir is fed by four rivers and several small streams, creating a broad diversity for fishing.

Fishing Information

Truman Lake continue to be one of the best crappie hot spots in the Midwest. 

Crappie fishing is excellent throughout the lake.  In general the further upstream you go the bigger the fish.  In the spring look for crappie congregated at the mouths of creeks and tributary coves staging to spawn.   As the water warms look for fish to begin moving to spawning banks.  Spawning banks usually have flatter slopes and finer gravel.  Fish will move to the bank early and late in the day early in the spawn and can be found throughout the day in shallow water as the spawn peeks.

Bass fishing can be good year around.  The best producing lures are topwater baits (low light periods), plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits.

Walleye are typically caught by trolling crankbaits on steep rocky points and humps. Jigs tipped with either minnows, nightcrawlers, or a twister tail grub, fished on or near the bottom, is another productive technique. Unlike bass, walleye tend to prefer bright colored jigs and dressings such as orange, white, and chartreuse.   Walleye are stocked at Bucksaw, Long Shoal, Osage Bluff, and Berry Bend. Walleye fishing near these areas is the best bet on the lake. The upper ends of the river arms are also hot spots for walleye. The best arms are the Pomme de Terre, Upper Osage, and Sac River from the mouth up to Caplinger Mills. Walleye make early spring runs up tributaries and concentrate in pools just below riffles.

White bass After a long time of poor white bass fishing, Truman Lake is starting to improve.  White bass numbers have gotten better over the past few years.  Large numbers of 8-10 inch white bass were caught during the summer of 2012 and 13.  These fish are getting in the 1 to 3 pound range now. April and May, and even as early as March, white bass can be caught making their spawning runs up the major tributaries like the Pomme de Terre, Osage, Sac, South Grand, and Tebo arms.  Other minor tributaries to the Osage also support good white bass fishing during these times.

Hybrid Striped Bass – Summertime will find white bass and hybrid striped bass associated with mid and lower lake humps and points.  Trolling over humps with silver or white crankbaits, or imitation shad baits will work well in these areas.  Bouncing jigging spoons over these areas also works well.  White bass and hybrids can be caught on or near the surface in late summer and early fall chasing schools of shad.

Catfishing should continue to be good on the Osage, Grand, Deepwater, and Tebo arms.  Channels can best be caught on the flats with worms or prepared baits.  Channels will move to rip rap near roads and bridges to spawn in May – June.  Blue catfishing on Truman is good for small and medium sized fish, while larger blues are not as abundant as they once were.  The average size of blue catfish caught on Truman is about 4 pounds.   Blues can be caught on rod and reel drifting cut shad.  Blues can also be caught effectively drifting or anchoring jug lines baited with cut shad.

Paddlefish – The paddlefish snagging season is March 15 through April 30. Snagging should be good for legal fish (greater-than 34 inches) in the upper Osage from Talley Bend to above the Taberville Access with many fish greater than 45 pounds. The paddlefish population is maintained through annual stockings by the Department of Conservation.