Colwil Lake near Winona: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Colwil Lake lies in Shannon County, in Missouri. Elevation runs to 673 feet. Surface area runs to about 15 acres — small enough to read in one session. Head to Winona, 13 miles away, for anything you forgot. Springfield is the closest city, 112 miles away. If this one is busy: Deer Run Lake 17 miles away, Roy Davis Lake roughly 21 miles, Miller Lake 22 miles away, McCormack Lake roughly 26 miles and Clearwater Lake 27 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Colwil Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Species logged across Shannon County include Ozark madtom, arkansas saddled darter and banded darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Colwil Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 77°F and January about 32°F. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Colwil Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Two Rivers Lower sits about half a mile away and carries the launch. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Deer Run Lake, 17 miles away. What applies at Colwil Lake may have changed since it was mapped.