Hough Park Lake in Cole County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Cole County, Missouri. Height above sea level is 699 feet. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Jefferson City is the closest town at 2.5 miles. For a city, Columbia is 29 miles off. Not far off: Sunset Lake (historical) at about 1.5 miles, Lakewood Estates Lake within 2.6 miles, Dove Lake at about 5.4 miles, Gurwit and Lewis Lake within 5.8 miles and Lake Claradean at about 6 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Hough Park Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Survey and observation records for Cole County include orangethroat darter, green sunfish, bluegill and channel catfish. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Hough Park Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 29°F to 78°F. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. Hough Park Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Sunset Lake (historical) at 1.5 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Hough Park Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.