Fishing Fienup Lake in Saint Louis County, Missouri

• Overview

  Fienup Lake is a Saint Louis County water, Missouri side. The ground around here is farm and woodlot. Small at around 17 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The bank runs about 1.0 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Missouri listings. Head to Chesterfield, 1.6 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is St. Louis, 22 miles distant.

• Where to Fish on Fienup Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Survey and observation records for Saint Louis County include bluegill, green sunfish, channel catfish, orangethroat darter and shortnose gar. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fienup Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 78°F and January near 29°F. The year gives four workable seasons without severe ends. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. It sets the rhythm of the year at Fienup Lake. Wind direction matters more than wind strength.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Arrowhead Estates Lower Lake is 3 miles distant. Where Fienup Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.