Forest Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear, Green Sunfish

The lake

Forest Lake covers 571 acres in Missouri, across Adair County. It is a lake: 93.1% of it is 39 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 48 feet (14.6 m). Our records hold 5 species for this water.

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mostateparks · Public domain

Depth: down to 48 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 48 ft (14.6 m). 93.1% of the water is 39 feet or shallower. We hold 53 depth contours for this water, drawn from 84,205 soundings.

  • 0–3 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 10.4% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 10.7% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 8.8% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 6% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 4% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 1.9% of the water

4 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Redear — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Green Sunfish — Feeding water: 65–80°F.

Also recorded here: Yellow Bullhead.

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Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.8–6 feet on our readings, averaging 3.5 feet, from 143 readings. Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 48°F and the warmest is 90°F; the warmest monthly average is 83°F. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2017–2024.

What is hard here

Clarity swings from 1.8 to 6 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed.

Where this data comes from

  • USGS — USGS reservoir bathymetric surveys (ScienceBase): class A, a survey of the bottom, 2021.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.