South Fork Resort serving Mark Twain Lake in Missouri, Lodging, Convenience Store, Bait, Gas

Your Mark Twain Lake Vacation Spot!

Please support our local businesses. Check out the

Mark Twain Lake Chamber of Commerce web site, or email them at mtlcoc@socket.net

Email Us

Missouri Division

of Tourism

** UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP **

Ron and Mary Gillitzer purchased the resort on November 2nd 2007. We bring a fresh approach along with years of customer service experience to the resort. We recognize the time and energy Terra and Larry Douglas devoted to South Fork Resort to ensure the enjoyment of their guests. Our goal is to provide the same vacation experience during your stay with us.

We can be reached at the same telephone numbers, toll free at 866-382-0033 or 573-565-3500.
Check the website frequently for further updates and news.

We are accepting reservations for Spring '08 fishing and turkey hunting.

If you're in the area, please stop in and say hello.

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May 09, 2008
The lake is so far maintaining at 614 and the people out fishing are finding water in the mid 60's temperature-wise, though the tail race is still at 57. The crappies are coming to the banks to spawn, but you still have to find them as some are still out deep as well. The weather seems to have them as mixed up as we are. There are limits being caught, but not by everyone every day. Minnows under a bobber seems to be the most consistent enticement for them. There are lots of nice cats being brought in as you can see in the pictures on our website with the flatheads starting to move to now. We haven't seen many mushrooms this week, but one has to think there are still some to be found. Turkey season ends this Sunday, so there isn't much time left to fill those tags.
Good luck out there! -Ron

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April 25, 2008
FINALLY!! Winter has loosened its grip and the fish are really starting to turn on. Just heard a report of a nice walleye from the Elk Creek area along with about 50 drum. The crappies are moving up and the late day bite is your best bet. The lake is holding at about 613 and the temp is varying wildly dependent on where you take it, but at the tail race it is in the low 50's. They are finding mushrooms in scattered locations as well. The turkey hunters are taking some nice birds, we added pictures of some of them to the new pictures site. We also added some pictures of the Chic Lumber fishing tournament from last weekend. We have minnows, night crawlers, & gold fish and a good supply of tackle.
Good luck out there! -Ron

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April 18, 2008
Lake water temp is still right at 50 degrees and water level is at 613 which will likely go up some with the rain. The water is still pretty muddy so crappie fishing is still tough. They are catching channel and blue cats using cut shad and nitecrawlers. The channels are biting wherever water is flowing into the lake and the blues are coming on jug lines. White bass are starting in the creek channels and they are usually the first to start so it looks like the stars are finally lining up for the season to get started. The Dogwoods have started blooming so hopefully once the weather settles down for a few days the fishing should really kick off.
-Ron

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April 13, 2008
It tried to snow off and on over the weekend but we didn't get anything worth mentioning except that it snowed in April. It wasn't enough to deter the youth turkey hunters.

Some of you may have got a glimpse of the new website. Our web-host made an error while updating DNS settings, which resulted in the main site address being re-directed to the new site. This should be fixed as of this posting at 11:45PM CST.

Part of the new website is a much improved picture gallery. The images from the existing site have been imported into the new gallery (they are also still available on the existing site). All new pictures will be added to the new image gallery. We have added two pictures this evening of two youth's who each got a turkey over the weekend. To access the new image gallery use the following link: pictures.southforkresort.net
-Ron

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April 11, 2008
The winter that won't quit is still here. Snow possible for the weekend?

They are catching fish though. The fish are still staging in deeper water and moving up and down the water column as the temperature dictates. The water is rising and falling as they try to control the level with all the rain so check the Corp website for the most current information.

Water temp is about 45 degree's and finally rising. Try the deeper water in the bays. Good luck. We are hoping the warmer weather forecast for this coming week will finally turn the tide.
-Ron

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April 5, 2008
Spring has finally sprung and the weather is warming up. The 7 day forecast is for mid 60's with some wind and rain thrown in just to remind us what time of year it is. The water temp is still in the low 40's, but I think it will warm up pretty quickly with these warmer days.

It is muddy on the south end of the lake so a lot of the fishing is going on up nearer the dam. One of the reasons I like the location of this resort is that we have 5 ramps to choose from within less than 10 minutes drive. There are people starting to catch crappie in shallow water, but the females are still out deeper. The water level is at 608.9. There were some white bass caught last weekend so that's a good sign that things are ready to start up in a big way.
-Ron

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March 22, 2008
Lot's of fisherman out this week due to the warmer weather, but no reports of what's being caught other than a few who caught some catfish. The water temp is still hovering about 40 and the water level jumped up pretty good due to the rain we received. Lake level is around 614 and should crest this weekend.This will make for muddy water and fish out of place so it will take some work. That's why we call it fishing rather than catching, right?
-Ron

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March 06, 2008
Finally the lake is wide open. I did not even see any ice in the creek arms. As far as I can tell most if not all ramps are now free of ice. Looks like we are ready for another season of fishing here on Mark Twain. The resort is nearly ready for the busy season and we are open now for all you early birds. Speaking of birds, the geese have been thick around here so there should be some good hunting for them as well.

The Army Corp of Engineers is looking for volunteers to help place christmas trees in the lake for fish habitat. Please see their press release (in Adobe PDF format) for further information.
-Ron

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Febuary 29, 2008
Well, good news at last. The ramp at 107 is now ice free as is the main lake so anyone that just can't wait any longer can finally get out on the water. The water level is at about 610 which is 4 feet above normal pool and almost 10 feet above the low levels from last summer. Not sure how that will affect the fishing, but at least there is plenty of water to work. My minnows are ready to go! We do recommend calling before making the trip up and checking on the lake status.
-Ron

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Febuary 29, 2008
Well, it feels warm outside, but the lake is pretty inaccessible yet. Even the ramp at 107 is iced in as of this morning. The main lake is still open, just no way to reach it that I know of. After the sun gets to it all today it could change, but as of right now we'll just have to think about the fishing. Will update again late today.
-Ron

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Febuary 9, 2008
After the recent warm weather the main lake has opened up. The ramp at 107 is open so you can get on the main lake there. South Fork ramp is also open, but you can't get all the way to the main lake. Our minnows are ready for some action so come on out and give the fishing a try. No word on how anyone is doing, but I did see a boat on on the water on Friday.
-Ron

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January 26, 2008
After this last cold spell the lake is completely frozen over. The store is open if you need to fill up with gas, need a loaf of bread, or just want to stop in and say Hi!. We are gearing up for the spring fishing and turkey hunting season.

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We have updated the fishing report with current info and have also updated the 2008 Fishing Prospects report courtesy of Ross Dames of the Missouri Department of Conservation. We have winterized the hotel rooms but still have Kitchenettes and Cabins available at winter rates. The store is open at 8AM seven days a week and closes at 5PM except on Friday and Saturdays (7PM).

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South Fork Resort has been serving families and sportsmen alike since 1988. Please step into our web site, browse around and make yourself at home. We want the South Fork Resort to be your "last resort" at Mark Twain Lake and it's historical surrounding areas. After you're done checking out our web site we're sure you'll want to spin your way to our resort and leave your stress behind, call us and reserve your room today. This web site is chock full of information, be sure to bookmark it for your browsing pleasures!

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What is your pleasure? Boating, Floating, Fishing, Water Sports, Hunting, Site Seeing, Hiking, Antique Shopping, Historical Buff, or just plain relaxing? South Fork's ideal location at Mark Twain Lake can fulfill your desires! We are located in the south west area of the lake, across from Mark Twain State Park, and 1 mile from the South Fork Recreation Area. Surrounded by 54,000 acres of public use land and water, we are prepared to meet your needs. Come on over to the quiet side of the lake!

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