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Pomme de Terre Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Missouri’s muskie lake: Pomme de Terre stocks the fish of ten thousand casts alongside crappie and walleye in Ozark hills.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
6 cfs
Air / High
101 / 102 F
Wind
S 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06921070, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Pomme de Terre Lake locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 6 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 102. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Hybrid striped bassGood

Schooling at first light over main-lake humps and channel edges. Slabs, tail spinners and live shad once you mark bait. It is usually over by mid-morning.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 104 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Pomme de Terre River near Polk (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06921070.

451171886 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp101 F
High / Low102 / 75 F
WindS 6-8 mph
Pressure1011.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:46 / 19:38
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 102/75 F, wind 8 mph, rain 0%

Slow. 102 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Pomme de Terre Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: Jun-Sep

Stocked white bass x striper cross. Open-water shad chasers; birds and busting bait give them away. Schooling at first light over main-lake humps and channel edges. Slabs, tail spinners and live shad once you mark bait. It is usually over by mid-morning.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Pomme de Terre Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Pomme de Terre Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 102 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Missouri requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Missouri license. Muskie have a 42-inch minimum in Missouri; crappie and bass under statewide limits: check current MDC rules.

Access

Pomme de Terre State Park ramps at Hermitage and Pittsburg, plus Corps access areas and marinas.

About this water

A 7,820-acre Corps reservoir on the Pomme de Terre River, Hickory and Polk counties, Missouri: the state’s premier muskie water.

Fishing Pomme de Terre Lake: the full guide

Small lake, big reputation

Pomme de Terre Lake covers 7,800 acres in the western Ozarks, and among Missouri anglers it means one thing: muskellunge. The Missouri Department of Conservation has stocked muskie here since the 1960s, building the state’s premier fishery for the species. Beneath that headline, the lake produces crappie, largemouth and white bass, walleye and catfish in a compact, hilly setting.

Chasing muskie

Muskie hold along the standing timber, points and weed edges, with the Pittsburg and Nemo arms holding the classic water. Bucktails and large rubber baits worked fast in summer, glide baits and suckers in the fall: October and November are the trophy months. Figure-eights at boatside are mandatory here as everywhere. Expect long hours between fish and a genuine chance at fifty inches.

Crappie, bass and walleye

Crappie fill the brush piles and standing timber: spring shallow fishing and winter deep-brush work both produce well. Largemouth relate to the rock, docks and timber; white bass school in the open water chasing shad in summer. Walleye were stocked historically and still show up, especially for anglers trolling the points at night in summer.

Ozark logistics

Pomme de Terre State Park operates two units with ramps, campgrounds and marinas at Hermitage and Pittsburg. The lake is small enough to learn quickly and quiet compared with Truman or the Ozarks, especially outside summer weekends. Water clarity is generally good, and the surrounding hills keep the wind manageable on most days.

Common questions

Is the muskie fishery real?

Yes: stocked since the 1960s and managed for size, it is Missouri’s best muskie water with genuine fifty-inch potential.

When should I target muskie?

October and November for the biggest fish, with summer producing action on bucktails for anglers willing to cast all day.

What else is worth fishing?

Crappie in the timber and brush year-round, plus white bass schooling in summer and solid largemouth on the rock.

Is fishing good at Pomme de Terre Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Niangua River19 miTruman Lake23 miLake of the Ozarks27 miStockton Lake29 miBennett Spring29 miGasconade River84 mi
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