August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas Fishing
A 500-acre Missouri lake in St. Charles County.
Pick for largemouth bassPiscifun Chaos Pro CNC baitcasting reel25% OFFSale $97.99 Photo of O'Fallon: Classiv, CC BY-SA 4.0
August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas, measured and mapped
Missouri anglers get 500 acres of lake at August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas, a water of St. Charles County. Plan on about 3 miles to reach Dardenne Prairie, the nearest town. Fisheries work here belongs to the MDC St. Louis Region. The surrounding ground is August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area.
Read on for access, limits and nearby water.
MDC Managed Public Waterbody outlines (GIS acres, region, managing area) on gisblue.mdc.mo.gov, Census 2023 places, retrieved October 27, 2026. MDC office phone: 636-441-4554.
August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas in the 2026 Fishing Prospects
MDC fisheries staff wrote this outlook for August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas in the 2026 Missouri Fishing Prospects:
Largemouth bass are plentiful, but most are smaller than the 15-inch length limit in lakes 3, 5, 9, 10, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35, and 37 and Fire Lake on adjacent Weldon Spring CA. Use small spinner baits, crankbaits, and topwater baits along rocky shorelines, brush piles, and in weedy coves for best results. The best lake for big largemouth bass will again be lakes 33, 36, and 38. Lakes 6, 11, 21, and 28 and Prairie Lake on nearby Weldon Spring CA are also big bass lakes. In spring and fall, bass will be in shallow water and can be caught on spinnerbaits, jig and pig, and crankbaits.
White crappie are plentiful in Lake 6 and 33. Please remove all sizes of crappie up to the daily limit for the lake. Although you can occasionally catch large crappie in Lakes 6 and 33, better lakes to catch larger crappie are Lakes 19, 20, 21, 23, 30, 35, 36 and 38, and Fire Lake in Weldon Spring CA. The best crappie fishing is from mid-March through mid-May. Lakes 33 and 35 feature several large brush and pallet piles (follow the "Crappie brush pile" signs) to enhance crappie fishing. Approximately 75-100 mature cedar trees were placed along the dam and near the floating dock on Lake 33 in 2025.
Channel catfish will be best at lake 7 where catfish averaging 14 inches are stocked April through September. Lakes where channel catfish greater than 10 pounds are consistently caught include lakes 33 and 35. Lake 38 also provides larger catfish.
In St. Charles County, south on Highway 94 from Interstate 64, then west 1.5 miles on Route D.
MDC, 2026 Missouri Fishing Prospects (report), quoted; retrieved October 27, 2026.
For the largemouth bass herePiscifun AlinoX 300 low profile baitcaster34% OFFSale $104.99 Fish MDC names for August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
These fish are tied to August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas through MDC reporting and records, not a full netting census.
MDC 2026 Fishing Prospects text, MDC State Record Fish list and MDC trout program statements, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Boat ramps serving August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
No ramp point exists for August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas in MDC data.
Fallback launches near August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
- Weldon Spring Conservation Area on Missouri RiverMissouri River, 5 miles south
MDC boat ramp/access, dock and jetty layers; USACE Little Rock District ramps and USACE recreation areas; retrieved October 27, 2026.
Limits that govern August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
| Species | Daily limit and length | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky) | 6 a day | All year |
| Channel catfish | 10 a day | All year |
| Blue catfish | 5 a day | All year |
| Flathead catfish | 5 a day | All year |
| Crappie (black and white) | 30 a day | All year |
| Goggle-eye (Ozark, rock, and shadow bass) and warmouth | 15 a day; 7" minimum | All year |
| Muskellunge | 1 (daily limit is 1 muskellunge or 1 northern pike); 36" minimum | All year |
| Northern pike | 1 (daily limit is 1 muskellunge or 1 northern pike) | All year |
| Paddlefish (spoonbill) | 2 a day; 32" minimum (eye to fork of tail) | March 15–April 30 |
| Pickerel (chain and grass) | 6 a day | All year |
| Shovelnose sturgeon | 10 a day; 30" maximum (snout to fork of tail) | All year |
| Trout (rainbow and brown) | 4 a day; Rainbow: none; Brown: 15" minimum in streams | All year |
| Walleye and sauger | 4 a day; 15" minimum | All year |
| White, yellow, and striped bass and their hybrids | 15 a day; No more than 4 longer than 18" | All year |
Unless named below, August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas follows the statewide rows.
Limits and seasons as printed in A Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations 2026 (MDC, effective March 1, 2026), page 20 (booklet PDF); retrieved October 27, 2026.
How August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas compares with nearby water
The largest neighbour in the table is Lake 7, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area, 10 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Ramps | Attractors | Species named |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas | 500 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Lake 7, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area | under a mile west | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake 3, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area | under a mile east | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake 23, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area | under a mile northeast | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake 22, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area | under a mile east | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake 16, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area | 1 mile south | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
MDC waterbody outlines, ramp and attractor layers, 2026 prospects; retrieved October 27, 2026.
Bait, beds and backup water by August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
Backup lakes close to August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
- Lake 7, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Areaunder a mile west
- Lake 3, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Areaunder a mile east
- Lake 23, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Areaunder a mile northeast
- Lake 22, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Areaunder a mile east
- Lake 16, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area1 mile south
Tackle stores on the road to August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
- All in Worms Bait-Tackle Shopbait and tackle shop, Saint Charles, 1 mile
- Outpost Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Saint Charles, 1 mile
- South 94 Bait & Tackle Trading Postbait and tackle shop, Weldon Spring, 4 miles
- John's Boat Harbormarina, O Fallon, 5 miles
- Marina Westrec Management Incmarina, O Fallon, 5 miles
- Bullseye Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, O Fallon, 6 miles
Overnight bases close to August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
- Dardenne Prairie3 miles
- Lake St. Louis4 miles
- O'Fallon5 miles
Which Missouri counties hold August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
- St. Charles Countyseat: St. Charles
Ozark-ready Piscifun reels for a day on August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Lakes and streams close to August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas, pictured
Photo: Heath Cajandig, CC BY 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Photo: Gvolk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: TCP04, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Clearing up the basics of August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
What corner of Missouri holds August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
It lies in St. Charles County, the MDC St. Louis Region, about 3 miles from Dardenne Prairie.
How much open water does August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas have?
About 500 acres.
Which ramp should I use at August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
Carry in a small boat, or use a nearby ramp.
What can a Missouri angler hook at August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
MDC points to hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish and blue catfish.
What are the daily limits at August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
Black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky): 6 a day; All year.
Do I need a Missouri permit to fish August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
Missouri anglers 16 through 64 carry a fishing permit: $14 a year for residents, $57 for nonresidents, or $9 for a daily permit.
Do I need a boat permit for August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
No horsepower rule is in this data; follow posted signs.
Is there a bait store on the road to Missouri's August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
All in Worms Bait-Tackle Shop, about 1 mile away.
What did MDC sampling find at August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas?
Largemouth bass are plentiful, but most are smaller than the 15-inch length limit in lakes 3, 5, 9, 10, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35, and 37 and Fire Lake on adjacent Weldon Spring CA. Use small spinner baits, crankbaits, and topwater baits along rocky shorelines, brush piles, and in (MDC 2026 Fishing Prospects)
Put August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas on the Show-Me fishing list
Permit prices and the statewide limits sit on one page.