Number 165 Reservoir Fishing near Excelsior Springs, Missouri

• Overview

  Number 165 Reservoir lies within the bounds of Ray County, Missouri. Beyond the shoreline you have open valley. Excelsior Springs is the closest town at 2.8 miles. Lawson follows at 5.6 miles, then Kearney at 9.7 miles. Nearby, in order: Number 166 Reservoir near enough 0.2 miles, Number 172 Reservoir out at 0.4 miles, Woods Lake near enough 1.6 miles, Lake Doniphan out at 2.5 miles and Watkins Mill Lake near enough 5 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Number 165 Reservoir

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. County-wide records name bluegill, orangethroat darter and green sunfish. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At this water the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 77°F for July and 26°F for January. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. On this water that shapes the whole year. Late evening often out-fishes the whole afternoon.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Number 166 Reservoir is 0.2 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for this water.