Montgomery State Fishing Lake: Fishing & Camping Guide

Montgomery State Fishing Lake is a scenic, well-built little lake in the wooded hill country of southeast Kansas, just outside Independence. The 105-acre lake sits below oak-and-hickory bluffs and is unusually well-developed for a state fishing lake, with three boat ramps, floating docks and seven rock piers. Good bass, crappie and catfish fishing, free lakeside camping and a touch of local coal-mining history make it a rewarding stop in the Independence area.

This guide covers Montgomery State Fishing Lake – the fishing, the camping, and what’s nearby. It’s part of our growing Kansas Lakes Database.

Table of Contents

Montgomery State Fishing Lake at a glance
Fishing Montgomery State Fishing Lake
Camping, scenery and access
Getting there and what’s nearby
Frequently asked questions
How big is Montgomery State Fishing Lake?
What fish can you catch at Montgomery State Fishing Lake?
Can you camp at Montgomery State Fishing Lake?
Where is Montgomery State Fishing Lake?

Montgomery State Fishing Lake at a glance

Size: 105 acres of water within 303 acres of public land (built 1953), about 4 miles south and 1 mile east of Independence in Montgomery County, southeast Kansas
Managed by: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)
Top fish: largemouth bass, white crappie, channel catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish
Facilities: three boat ramps, two floating fishing docks, a courtesy dock, seven rock fishing piers and two vault toilets
Camping: free primitive camping at designated angler sites (no hookups, showers or drinking water)
Scenery: oak-hickory bluffs overlooking the lake; old coal-surface-mining ground near Coal Creek

Fishing Montgomery State Fishing Lake

For its size, Montgomery is well stocked and well equipped. Anglers find largemouth bass, white crappie, channel catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish, and with three boat ramps, floating docks and seven rock fishing piers, both boat and bank anglers are well served. Work the timbered shoreline and bluff edges for bass and crappie, and the channel for catfish. Anglers 16 to 74 need a Kansas fishing license; check the current KDWP report before you go.

Camping, scenery and access

Camping is free and primitive at several designated angler sites – no hookups, showers or drinking water, so come prepared. The setting is the draw: scenic bluffs cloaked in oak and hickory rise over the water, and the ground near Coal Creek was once surface-mined for coal, with traces still visible – a small window into the region’s mining past. As with any warm Kansas lake, watch for summer blue-green algae advisories and avoid visible scum.

Getting there and what’s nearby

The lake is just south of Independence in Montgomery County, deep in southeast Kansas. It pairs well with the bigger reservoirs nearby: Elk City Lake, with its rugged hiking trails, is just northwest, and Big Hill Lake lies to the east.