Vineyards Lake Fishing in Saint Francois County, Missouri

• Overview

  Vineyards Lake falls in Saint Francois County, part of Missouri. The country here is rolling hill. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It sits higher than most water we list in Missouri. Some 1.7 miles away sits Bismarck, the nearest settlement. For a city, St. Louis is 62 miles off. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Vineyards Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Reported across Saint Francois County: rainbow darter, greenside darter, fantail darter and orangethroat darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Vineyards Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 77°F on average, January about 30°F. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Vineyards Lake fishes to that pattern most years. Sudden cold puts fish down faster than sustained cold does.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. 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. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Donald Straus Lake is 2.6 miles distant. Check the position on Vineyards Lake before loading the car.