How Deep Is Table Rock Lake?

Table Rock Lake reaches a maximum depth of 220 feet near the dam, making it one of the deepest reservoirs in Missouri and the deepest lake most Ozark visitors will ever swim, fish, or boat on. The lake’s average depth runs roughly 70 to 80 feet at normal pool, meaning even in the middle of August you are floating above water columns that have not seen sunlight in decades. If you have ever looked down from a pontoon and watched the color shift from teal to dark blue-green before the bottom disappears entirely, that is Table Rock Lake doing exactly what it was built to do: hold an enormous, cold, clear body of water across the Ozark hills. Whether you are planning a trip or just want the real numbers on size, history, and what lives below the surface, this guide pulls every verified figure from Army Corps of Engineers and USGS sources so you have one authoritative place to land.

Rock Lane Resort sits directly on Table Rock Lake at 611 Rock Lane in Branson, Missouri. Rock Lane Resort has offered lakefront lodging and a full-service marina since the lake was still a young reservoir, which gives the team here a working, daily relationship with Table Rock’s moods, seasons, and depths. Whether you want to go out on the water, cast a line, or simply sit on a dock and watch the sun drop behind the tree line, call (417) 338-2211 and the front desk can walk you through every option.

How Deep Is Table Rock Lake?

The maximum depth of Table Rock Lake is 220 feet, recorded at the deepest points near Table Rock Dam. This figure comes from bathymetric surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The most recent comprehensive survey was completed in late 2020, combining echosounder data with LiDAR measurements to produce the most accurate depth map the lake has ever had.

Average depth across the reservoir at normal pool elevation runs approximately 70 to 80 feet. That figure, however, hides enormous variation. The river arms, coves, and shallow flats that line the upper lake can measure as little as 10 to 15 feet, while the flooded main channel of the White River plunges to depths that no natural lake in this part of the country can match. This depth gradient is one of the defining characteristics of the lake: wade fishermen and cliff jumpers share the same general watershed, but they are experiencing entirely different parts of it.

The lake holds its normal pool elevation at 915 feet above sea level (referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988). When heavy rainfall pushes the lake into flood control operations, the Corps can raise the pool as high as 931 feet, adding 16 feet of water depth and surface area across the entire reservoir. After flood events clear, the lake is drawn back down to its conservation pool at 915 feet.

How Big Is Table Rock Lake?

At normal pool elevation, Table Rock Lake covers approximately 42,400 surface acres, according to the 2020 USGS bathymetric survey. The Missouri Department of Conservation measures approximately 745 miles of shoreline at the conservation pool level.

To put that shoreline figure in perspective: if you drove every inch of Table Rock Lake’s shoreline at highway speed, it would take you more than 10 hours without a single stop. In practice, much of that shoreline is undeveloped national park land, Army Corps of Engineers public ground, or private cove edges that most visitors never reach by road, which is exactly why exploring it by boat is the experience the lake rewards.

Rock Lane’s Table Rock Lake section covers the recreational side of the lake, including swimming access, watercraft, and what to expect by season. The stats above are the engineering and science layer underneath all of that recreation.

How Does Table Rock Lake Compare to Nearby Ozark Lakes?

Table Rock Lake reaches approximately 150 feet at its deepest points in recreational boating areas near the dam, with the absolute maximum of 220 feet recorded in the primary channel directly behind the structure, per U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bathymetric records. That depth profile distinguishes it sharply from its immediate neighbor, Lake Taneycomo, which lies directly downstream of Table Rock Dam and averages only 20 to 30 feet across most of its length. Lake Taneycomo is a cold tailwater fishery: cold water released from the base of Table Rock Dam keeps Taneycomo temperatures in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit year-round, creating ideal trout habitat but conditions very different from Table Rock’s warm, clear main lake. Bull Shoals Lake, located downstream in Arkansas on the White River, is the largest reservoir in the Ozarks by several measures, with a maximum depth of approximately 220 feet and a shoreline approaching 1,000 miles, per Army Corps of Engineers project data for the Bull Shoals Dam, Little Rock District.

The table below compares key measurements across the three Ozark White River reservoirs most relevant to visitors in the Branson, Missouri and Stone County region, per Missouri Department of Conservation data and Army Corps of Engineers project records.

Lake Taneycomo begins at Branson Landing in Taney County, Missouri, and runs northeast, never widening into a true open lake the way Table Rock does. Its cold, narrow character makes it one of the best tailwater trout fisheries in the Midwest, managed jointly by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, but it is not suitable for the warm-water recreational boating that Table Rock Lake and Rock Lane Resort are known for. Bull Shoals Lake, by contrast, shares Table Rock’s depth and clarity profile but sits mostly in Arkansas, with a smaller portion crossing into the Missouri Ozarks. For guests visiting Rock Lane Resort on Stone County’s shoreline, Table Rock Lake is the home lake and the one that defines every experience from the marina to the tiki bar.

History of Table Rock Dam

The White River drains the northwestern corner of the Arkansas Ozarks and the southwestern tip of Missouri before eventually joining the Black River and flowing south. For most of American history, it was a wild, flood-prone river that devastated downstream communities every few years. Congress authorized flood control work on the White River system under the Flood Control Act of 1941, but construction at Table Rock was delayed first by World War II, then by the Korean War, and then by priority work at Bull Shoals Dam immediately downstream.

Ground broke at the Table Rock Dam site in October 1954. The Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, completed the dam in August 1958 at a total construction cost of approximately $65 million. Power generation came online in May 1959 with two hydroelectric units; two additional units were added in 1961. The reservoir behind the dam filled relatively quickly given the White River’s volume, and by the early 1960s Table Rock Lake had become a major recreational destination across the Ozarks.

The primary feed for the reservoir is the White River, which runs the full length of the main lake channel. Major tributary arms include the James River in Stone County, Long Creek, and the Kings River, which enters from the Arkansas side. Each arm has its own depth profile, clarity, and fish habitat characteristics, which is part of why anglers and divers treat Table Rock as several lakes within one boundary.

Water Clarity on Table Rock Lake

Table Rock Lake is one of the clearest large reservoirs in the central United States. Under typical summer conditions, visibility in the main lake runs 20 to 30 feet, meaning you can see the bottom in much of the shallower cove water and watch fish holding at structure in real time. During exceptional years, particularly when cool spring temperatures slow algae growth and allow zooplankton to filter the water column, visibility has reached 40 feet. Water clarity officials in the region describe those conditions as occurring roughly every 15 to 20 years.

The lake’s clarity is not accidental. Table Rock sits in a heavily forested watershed with limited row-crop agriculture along its banks, which keeps sediment and nutrient loading lower than lakes in the agricultural Midwest. The Army Corps actively manages shoreline development to protect water quality. The USGS has assessed Table Rock Lake’s clarity using Landsat satellite imagery in addition to physical Secchi disk measurements, giving researchers a long-term record of how the lake responds to drought cycles, flood events, and land use changes across the watershed.

For swimmers and snorkelers, clarity in the 20-to-30-foot range means conditions that rival many coastal environments. The water temperature at the surface typically climbs into the low-to-mid 80s Fahrenheit by July and August, while deeper water stays noticeably cooler, which is one reason cliff jumpers and platform divers appreciate the thermal layering. You feel the cold water rushing up from below as soon as you break the surface.

What Lives in Table Rock Lake

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) classifies Table Rock Lake as one of the state’s premier fisheries, and the data backs that up. The main lake from the Highway 86 bridge toward the dam holds a strong population of smallmouth bass, a species that requires cold, clear, well-oxygenated water, which tells you something about the lake’s overall health. The river arms, particularly the James River arm in Stone County and the Kings River arm, support good numbers of largemouth bass and spotted bass.

Crappie fishing is productive across multiple arms, with both black and white crappie present. MDC fall 2025 netting surveys in the James River arm found fair numbers of black and white crappie in the 7-to-9-inch range expected to reach legal size (10 inches) by fall 2026, with 40 percent of black crappie already exceeding 10 inches. The James River, Kings River, and Long Creek arms carry the highest crappie densities on the lake.

Catfish anglers can find both channel catfish and flathead catfish throughout the reservoir. Additional species include white bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and goggle-eye (rock bass). The combination of depth variation, cold main-channel water, and warmer, shallower cove habitat gives Table Rock an unusually diverse fish community for a single reservoir of its size.

For a full breakdown of seasonal patterns and productive techniques, see what’s biting on Table Rock Lake and the MDC’s published prospect reports, which are updated annually with population data from electrofishing and netting surveys.

Exploring Table Rock Lake from Rock Lane Resort

Rock Lane Resort operates a full-service marina on the lake with a fleet of tritoon pontoons, fishing boats, and double-decker pontoons available from 8am to 8pm daily. The range runs from a Crest 250 TriToon that seats 15 to a 200HP Crest Double Decker for larger groups to a Tahoe LTZ fishing boat designed specifically for the kind of cove-hopping and structure fishing the lake rewards. For specific availability and how to book time on the water, the marina team is at (417) 338-2211.

The resort’s marina at Rock Lane sits in a protected cove off the main lake, which makes it one of the easier launches to navigate in the early morning when wind and boat traffic are both low. The deepest water on the main lake channel is accessible within minutes of leaving the dock, and the James River arm, one of the top crappie fisheries on the system, is a short run up the lake. Heading the other direction toward the dam puts you into the main channel where the 220-foot depths are, and where smallmouth bass hold along the bluff walls.

Beyond the water itself, Rock Lane Resort offers lakefront lodging in a range of cabin and resort room configurations, the Rock Island Tiki Bar with its swim-up bar and infinity pool overlooking the cove, and the Rock Island Grill. The combination of staying directly on the water, having a marina within walking distance of your room, and having cold, clear lake at the end of your dock is the reason guests return to this property year after year.

For guests who want to understand the lake before they arrive, or who want to plan specific activities around what the lake is doing in a given season, Rock Lane’s what to do on Table Rock Lake section covers the recreational calendar in detail. If boating is the priority, learn more about boating on Table Rock Lake, including navigation zones, no-wake areas, and what conditions to watch for in different seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

How deep is Table Rock Lake at its deepest point?

Table Rock Lake reaches a maximum depth of 220 feet at its deepest points near Table Rock Dam. This figure is confirmed by USGS bathymetric surveys completed in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The average depth across the entire reservoir at normal pool elevation is approximately 70 to 80 feet, reflecting the full range from shallow cove flats to the deep main channel carved by the White River.

How many acres is Table Rock Lake?

At normal pool elevation (915 feet above sea level), Table Rock Lake covers approximately 42,400 surface acres, based on the most recent 2020 USGS bathymetric survey. Older MDC publications cited a figure closer to 43,100 acres; the 2020 measurement using LiDAR and echosounder data represents the most current and precise available figure.

How many miles of shoreline does Table Rock Lake have?

Table Rock Lake’s shoreline measures approximately 745 miles at conservation pool elevation. The shoreline spans three Missouri counties, Stone, Taney, and Barry, as well as portions of Carroll and Boone counties in Arkansas. Much of that shoreline is undeveloped public land managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

How clear is the water in Table Rock Lake?

Table Rock Lake is known for exceptional water clarity by any Midwest standard. Under typical summer conditions, horizontal visibility runs 20 to 30 feet, meaning you can see the bottom in most cove areas and watch fish at depth. In exceptional years, clarity has been measured at up to 40 feet. The lake’s clarity comes from its forested watershed, limited agricultural runoff, and active Army Corps shoreline management. It is considered safe for swimming and is popular with snorkelers and scuba divers.

What fish live in Table Rock Lake?

Table Rock Lake supports a diverse fishery that includes largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass, with smallmouth particularly strong in the main lake near the dam and the Highway 86 bridge corridor. Crappie fishing is productive in the James River, Kings River, and Long Creek arms. The lake also holds channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and goggle-eye (rock bass). The Missouri Department of Conservation conducts annual population surveys to monitor each species.

When was Table Rock Dam built?

The Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, began construction on Table Rock Dam in October 1954 and completed the structure in August 1958 at a cost of approximately $65 million. Hydroelectric power generation came online in May 1959. Congressional authorization for the project dated to the Flood Control Act of 1941, but construction was delayed by World War II and the Korean War before work finally began in the mid-1950s. The dam impounds the White River and created the reservoir now known as Table Rock Lake.

What is Table Rock Lake’s normal pool elevation?

The conservation pool elevation for Table Rock Lake is 915 feet above sea level, referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. The Army Corps manages the lake between this normal pool and a flood control pool at 931 feet, a range of 16 feet. During significant rainfall events, the Corps may begin spillway releases to manage water levels and protect downstream communities, which is a continuation of the dam’s original flood-control purpose.