Share your catch

Smithville Lake Fishing Report

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

Kansas City's northern big water: crappie beds, walleye programs and 7,200 acres of room.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Gauge
863.58 ft
Air / High
98 / 99 F
Wind
S 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06821140, 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Smithville Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The gauge reads 863.58 ft, 0.62 ft below pool, easing 0.16 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 99. Water sits around 66 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 102 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 Smithville Reservoir near Smithville, MO.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06821140. Conservation pool is 864.2 ft.

863.63863.89864.15pool 864.2863.58 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low99 / 73 F
WindS 8-10 mph
Pressure1010.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:49 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 99/73 F, wind 13 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 13 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Smithville 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
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Smithville 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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 99 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 99 F, wind to 13 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

Crappie 9-inch/15 (check); walleye 15-inch/4. Confirm with MDC.

Access

Litton Way, Camp Branch, Crows Creek ramps; bank jetties throughout the park.

About this water

7,190 acres on the Little Platte, Clay County, MO: KC's brush-mapped panfish factory.

Fishing Smithville Lake: the full guide

KC's home lake

Smithville gives Kansas City real fishing at commuter distance: a crappie fishery dense with planted cedar (maps published by MDC), improving walleye, hybrids over the main lake and catfish everywhere. The habitat program here is a model: brush maps in hand, limits follow.

Crappie by GPS

MDC publishes Smithville's brush-pile coordinates: hundreds of marked cedars: making it Missouri's most democratic crappie hunt. Spring shallows, summer 15-25 ft piles, fall creek mouths: rotate publicly, catch privately.

Walleye on the wind

The dam face and main points hold April walleye; summer sends them to deep flats where crawler rigs at 1 mph produce. Wipers crash shad on the wind-blown side all summer: watch for the slicks.

Crappie infrastructure

Smithville is Missouri's most deliberately furnished crappie lake: MDC has sunk thousands of cedar trees and pallet structures, all published on the online conservation atlas. Spring fish flood the buckbrush and beaver lodges of the Camp Branch arm; summer and winter schools hold the 15-25-ft piles within sight of the ramps. Bring the coordinates, idle between piles, and let the graph pick your spot: it is structure fishing by subscription.

Common questions

Where are the Smithville brush maps?

MDC's website publishes coordinates and depths: load them before launching. The transparency spreads pressure and somehow everyone still limits in April.

What else does Smithville fish well for?

Walleye: MDC's stocking built a real 15-25-inch fishery on the flats and dam face, best on jigging raps in November and bottom bouncers in June. Hybrid stripers add summer topwater flurries off the points.

Is fishing good at Smithville Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Perry Lake49 miHillsdale Lake54 miClinton Lake56 miPomona Lake74 miMelvern Lake88 miTruman Lake104 mi
Share your catch