Number 172 Reservoir Fishing Guide, Ray County, Missouri

• Overview

  Number 172 Reservoir is a Ray County water, Missouri side. Elevation runs to 866 feet. The water covers some 98 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Roughly 2.3 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. It is the biggest water on our Ray County list. Head to Excelsior Springs, 2.6 miles away, for anything you forgot. Lawson is 5.4 miles away, with Kearney at 9.4 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Number 172 Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. County-wide records name bluegill, orangethroat darter and green sunfish. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At this water the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 77°F in July and bottom out at 26°F in January. A lid forms in a hard winter only. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Expect this water to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Number 165 Reservoir at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Signs at this water carry more weight than any list.