Number 188 Reservoir in Lafayette County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Number 188 Reservoir in the Lafayette County part of Missouri. Height above sea level is 801 feet. Small at around 7 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Lexington sits 6.6 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Further out sit Odessa (6.8 miles) and Higginsville (11 miles). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Number 188 Reservoir

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Survey and observation records for Lafayette County include rainbow smelt, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp and green sunfish. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of this water is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 78°F and January reads 27°F. Neither winter nor summer shuts things down for long. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Time your trip to this water by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Number 186 Reservoir is 3.2 miles distant. Ask locally about this water if anything is unclear.