Melody Lake, Missouri: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Missouri holds Melody Lake, in Franklin County. It stands 702 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 31 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. It is among the larger waters listed here for Franklin County. The closest town, Gerald, is 5.2 miles away. St. Louis sits 60 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Melody Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Across Franklin County, recorded fish include longear sunfish, orangethroat darter, bluegill and greenside darter. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Melody Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 77°F at the top of summer and 29°F at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Expect Melody Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Herman Huelhorst Reservoir sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. For Melody Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.