Lakes Info
Rainfall Data
Previous Spillway Articles published in the Signal
Recommended Fishing Guidelines for Lake Winnebago
Submitted by: The Fish Committee
It has been recommended by the Missouri Conservation Department to help preserve the quality of the lake that our residents abide by the following fish limits:
• Large Mouth Black Bass
a. 12” and under in length = 6 per day
b. Over 12” in length – Catch and release
• Bluegill/Sunfish = 50 per day
• Crappie = No Limit
• Channel Catfish = 10 per day
• Hybrid Stripped Bass = Catch and release
• Walleye = Catch and release
These limits may be reviewed annually and may change depending on the fish populations at the time.
2023 Lake Winnebago Water Quality Report as conducted by the University of Missouri
Bathymetric Maps (Depth Elevations) and Silt Volumes
E. Coli Update 11/23/2021
After several years of sending letters to the City of LS when we've had high E Coli levels, they have done quite a bit of investigation. It appears they are telling us (1) no sewer system problems have been found, (2) the spikes of E Coli from the Saddlebrook area are typical, but (3) their investigation into the live stock operations on Doc Henry road has turned into an ongoing legal dispute with the land owners. Hopefully resolution of the legal issue will help minimize the periodic J Cove problems.
Map of Fish Structures 5/1/2025
Greenwood Martin Marietta Materials (MMM) Quary Expansion
In March of this year, after members of the Lakes & Dam Committee participated in a conference call with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), MMM, and a group of citizens opposed to the quarry expansion, and then the subsequent approval by the MDNR Land Reclamation Division to approve the quarry expansion from a land reclamation perspective, the HOA Board approved the hiring of Intertek/PSI to study the possible impacts of the expanded quarry operations on the new dam and spillway. Intertek/PSI is the firm that designed the new dam and spillway, and they are the engineer of record for the dam. The Intertek/PSI report, dated June 8, 2021, is posted on the HOA web page. The final paragraph of the report reads as follows.
“Based on the USBM RI 8507 Safe Blasting levels at a frequency of 20 to 30 Hertz (a common natural frequency of mass soils), this represents a safe blast level and around an order of magnitude below recorded reading supplied by Martin Marietta’s monitoring company, Vibra-Tech. Therefore, we believe the currently proposed quarry limits will not result in damaging blast vibrations at the concrete spillway for the Winnebago Dam so long as the load per delay is in the range defined above.”
A full explanation of Intertek/PSI’s review, terms, calculations, and assumptions is included in the report.
Ice Caution - Guidelines
Water Quality & Test Data
MPN/100ml and CFU/100ml are both units of measurement used in microbiology testing to determine the concentration of microorganisms in a sample. However, they are not the same thing. CFU stands for "colony-forming units" and is determined by directly counting visible colonies of bacterial growth on the plate or film. MPN, on the other hand, stands for "most probable number" and measures growth statistically. In this method, sample is added to a series of test tubes with special media at different concentrations. The MPN value is then measured based on the reaction levels in the tubes and the value is then calculated with a 95% confidence interval.
In summary, CFU is an actual count from the surface of a plate, while MPN is a statistical probability of the number of organisms per unit of measure.
Zebra Mussel Information:
Area bodies of water that are known to have zebra mussels:
(per the Missouri Department of Conservation)
(per the Missouri Department of Conservation)
Missouri
Barber Lake Bull Shoals Lake Lake Lotawana Lake Niangua Osage River
Lake of the Ozarks Lake Taneycomo Smithville Lake Truman Lake Prairie Lee Lake
Lake Jacomo Blue Springs Lake Little Platte River Meramec River Missouri River
Mississippi River Longview Lake Carrollton Lake
Kansas
Cedar Bluff Reservoir Chase State Fishing Lake Cheney Reservoir Clinton Reservoir
Council Grow Reservoir Council Grove City Lake El Dorado Reservoir Winfield City Lake
Council Grow Reservoir Council Grove City Lake El Dorado Reservoir Winfield City Lake
Hillsdale Lake Smokey Hill River Wilson Reservoir Milford Reservoir
John Redmond Reservoir Pomona Reservoir Perry Reservoir Perry Reservoir
Kanapolis Reservoir Lake Afton Lake Shawnee Lake Wabaunsee
Marion Reservoir Melvern Reservoir Wellington City Lake
Osage State Fishing Lake Paola City Lake (Lake Miola) Wyandotte County Lake
Jeffrey Energy Make-Up and Auxiliary Lakes Glen Elder Reservoir-Waconda Lake
Zebra mussels, one of the most notorious unwanted hitchhikers, have already made their way into the Missouri, Mississippi and Meramec Rivers. It is up to every Missouri resident and tourist to keep from spreading these harmful mussels throughout the rest of the state.
Why are zebra mussels on the unwanted list?
- The fast multiplying zebra mussels attach and colonize on hard surfaces. Unprotected docks, break walls, boat bottoms, engine outdrives and native freshwater mussels are targets of zebra mussels.
- Zebra mussels consume considerable amounts of beneficial microscopic organisms and this creates less food for larval and juvenile fishes that support native fisheries and native freshwater mussels.
- Beaches are also affected by zebra mussels. The sharp-edged shells along swimming beaches can be a hazard to unprotected feet.
- The potential for zebra mussels to spread is very high. These hitchhikers can spread to other inland waters either in their immature form known as veligers transported in water or as adults attached to boat hulls, engines, aquatic weeds or other surfaces. Veligers are small, about the size of the period at the end of this sentence, and may be able to survive in any residual water source. Adults are very hardy and can survive out of water for extended periods depending upon temperatures, humidity, wind and sunlight. Maximum out-of-water survival time in ideal conditions is about 10 days for adults and 3 days for newly-settled juveniles.
- Female zebra mussels can produce as many as one million eggs per year.
- The negative economic impacts of zebra mussels in North America during the next decade are expected to be in the billions of dollars.
10 Tips to Prevent the Spread of Zebra Mussels throughout Missouri
What can YOU do to stop this aquatic hitchhiker?
- Inspect. Thoroughly inspect your boat's hill, drive unit, trim plates, trolling plates, prop guards, transducers, anchor, anchor rope and your trailer's centerboards, axles, and rollers.
- Remove. Remove any visible zebra mussels, however small. If zebra mussels are found, scrape off and trash suspected individuals. Also remove weeds and mud, even the smallest amounts.
- Properly Dispose. Left over bait or any unwanted items removed from the boat should be properly disposed of in the trash and not thrown back into the water.
- Drain. While on land and before leaving any body of water, drain water from all parts of your boat and equipment such as the motor, live well, bilge, transom well and bait buckets.
- Clean. Thoroughly rinse your boat, trailer and equipment. If you were in known zebra mussel infested waters, use 104 degrees F hot water and/or use high pressure hot water from do-it-yourself car washes to "de-zebra" your boat.
- Dry. All parts of the boat should be dry before entering another body of water. If you were in known infested waters, boats, motors and trailers should be allowed to dry thoroughly in the hot sun for at least five days before boating in another body of water.
- Run. If your boat is kept in infested waters, the best way to keep a hull zebra mussel-free is to run the boat frequently. Juvenile zebra mussels are quite soft and are scoured off the hull at high speeds.
- Up/Pump. When in zebra mussel infested waters, leave outboards or outdrives in the up position and pump hot water through your engine's intake on a regular basis to prevent growth inside the engine's cooling system.
- Identify the enemy. Learn what these organisms look like (at least those you can see). If you suspect any new infestations of an exotic plant or animal, report it to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
- Pass the word. If you know people who recreate on Missouri waters (particularly those who boat in out of state waters or in the big rivers of Missouri), talk to them about the importance of following these procedures to protect your waters.
For more information on stopping aquatic hitchhikers, go to www.protectyourwaters.net or contact the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Additional zebra mussel information: Prevent the Spread of Invasive Aquatic Species