Fishing at Houston Lake, Platte County, Missouri

• Overview

  Houston Lake sits within Platte County in Missouri. Everything around it is farm and woodlot. At 17 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Some 1.1 miles away sits Riverside, the nearest settlement. Parkville is 3.3 miles and Gladstone 3.6 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Houston Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Reported across Platte County: bluegill, rainbow smelt, green sunfish, common carp and channel catfish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Houston Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 79°F, while January sits near 28°F. A lid forms in a hard winter only. Hard water here is never dependable, so check for yourself before stepping out. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Anyone fishing Houston Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. Somewhere to sit and eat is half a mile out. There are toilets half a mile off. Part of this sits inside or beside Northwood Park, so read the notices. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Zajic Lake at 2.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm access to Houston Lake locally before you travel.