Lake Taneycomo at School of the Ozarks, MO

Water temperature for trout, salmon and steelhead

Federal guidance. Missouri Department of Conservation publishes no water-temperature line for trout anglers that we found. The lines below are the National Park Service's, federal guidance, not a Missouri rule, with Missouri Department of Conservation's own figure added:

• Under the federal 68°F line. Water 57.6°F now; the highest in the last 24 hours was 58.8°F. That is under the 68°F at which the National Park Service, at Grand Teton National Park, recommends anglers stop fishing in the afternoon (“cease fishing at 2 p.m. when water temperatures are likely to exceed 68°F”). Water warms through the afternoon, so check again later in the day: “Carry a pocket thermometer to monitor water temperature.”