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Truman Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A 55,600-acre Corps flood-control reservoir with 8,800 acres of standing timber, and crappie, catfish, hybrids, walleye and paddlefish.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Gauge
705.27 ft
Air / High
80 / 82 F
Wind
S 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06922440, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Truman Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 705.27 ft, 0.73 ft below pool, easing 0.14 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 7 mph, falling pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 82. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:51 AM-11:51 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

WalleyeExcellent

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

Hybrid striped bassGood

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

CrappieGood

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassGood

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Missouri requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $14.00 for residents. What a Missouri licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with MDC before you keep anything. The season dates for Missouri, read off the agency, are on the Missouri seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Harry S. Truman Dam and Res. at Warsaw, MO.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06922440. Conservation pool is 706 ft.

705.21705.54705.87pool 706705.27 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low82 / 49 F
WindS 7-10 mph
Pressure1020.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:31 / 18:26
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Truman Lake this week

The best day on Truman Lake this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 4 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:51 AM-11:51 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM
Minor period
4:13 AM-5:13 AM
Sun
07:31 to 18:26
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 7 mph
Rain chance
1%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

When to come: the Truman 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
Striped bass
White bass
Walleye
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Truman Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 fishing permit. MDC Truman Lake rules, verified today: crappie 15 a day, 9-inch minimum; largemouth and smallmouth 15-inch minimum, spotted bass 12-inch; blue catfish 10 a day, 26- to 34-inch protected slot, no more than 2 over 34 inches; paddlefish 34-inch minimum (eye to fork), daily limit 2. Statewide white, yellow and striped bass and hybrids: 15 combined, only 4 over 18 inches.

Access

Twenty Corps parks and access areas; Corps campgrounds include Bucksaw, Long Shoal, Sparrowfoot, Thibaut Point, Osage Bluff, Berry Bend, Shawnee Bend and Bledsoe Ferry, with marinas at Bucksaw, Sterett Creek and Osage Bluff. Harry S. Truman State Park also has a marina.

About this water

A Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Osage River; about 55,600 acres at the 706-foot normal pool.

Fishing Truman Lake: the full guide

Missouri's largest flood-control lake

The Corps of Engineers calls Truman Reservoir the largest flood-control reservoir in Missouri: about 55,600 acres at the 706-foot normal pool, and more than 200,000 acres at the top of the flood pool. About 8,800 acres of timber were left standing in the reservoir to improve fish habitat, and more than 55,000 acres of surrounding land are licensed to MDC for fish and wildlife.

Crappie and catfish

MDC's 2026 prospects call for good crappie fishing: a strong 2024 white crappie spawn should start passing 9 inches this year, while black crappie are down after several years without high water. Catfishing should stay excellent for blue, channel and flathead catfish. Blue catfish are so abundant that growth has slowed, and MDC asks anglers to keep small ones under 20 inches.

Hybrids, walleye and paddlefish

Several strong hybrid striped bass year classes since 2019 have reached the low to mid 20-inch range. Like white bass, they show on humps, points and flats, often while Truman Dam is releasing water. Walleye stage in the upper Osage, Pomme de Terre and Sac arms in late winter and early spring, and paddlefish snagging is best on the upper Osage from Talley Bend toward Taberville.

Largemouth bass

MDC says largemouth numbers and quality remain below some other large Missouri reservoirs. It points bass anglers to the lower South Grand arm, the Osage arm from Talley Bend to the dam, the Pomme de Terre and Tebo arms, and brush piles and timber.

Common questions

Is there standing timber in Truman Lake?

Yes. The Corps says about 8,800 acres of timber were left standing to improve fish habitat.

What are the crappie rules on Truman Lake?

MDC limits crappie to 15 a day with a 9-inch minimum on Truman Lake.

Where are walleye in spring?

MDC says walleye move up the Osage, Pomme de Terre and Sac arms in late winter and early spring and stage in deeper water below riffles.

Is fishing good at Truman Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Pomme de Terre Lake23 miStockton Lake36 miLake of the Ozarks39 miNiangua River44 miBennett Spring51 miHillsdale Lake78 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06922440 β€” Harry S. Truman Dam and Res. at Warsaw, MO
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.0630, -93.6777 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.