Fishing at Gelbach Farms Lake, Knox County, Missouri

• Overview

  Gelbach Farms Lake is set in Knox County, Missouri. Height above sea level is 860 feet. It runs to roughly 33 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Roughly 1.4 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The town to know is Edina, 8.8 miles out. Columbia sits 79 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Gelbach Farms Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Knox County records list green sunfish, black bullhead and johnny darter among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Gelbach Farms Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 76°F in July and bottom out at 24°F in January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually goes in mid March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. In an average year the thaw lands around mid March and the freeze near late December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Gelbach Farms Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. La Plata City Lake sits 8.6 miles off and takes the overflow. For Gelbach Farms Lake in particular, ask before you travel.