Fishing News and Reports of Interest to Kansas Anglers

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Warnings and Advisories

More habitat sites added to Beaver Lake

Oct. 26, 2016 - Anglers from the Bear Creek Bass Club rolled up their sleeves and joined staff from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to break ground on a new weigh-in facility to be housed at the Prairie Creek Access on Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. They even managed to add a little extra habitat to the water while clearing the area making up the footprint of the new facility. Read Story

Missouri winter trout fishing kicks off in early November

MDC staff will stock 73,000 of the cold-water-loving fish in 32 urban-area lakes throughout the state.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is stocking 73,000 rainbow trout in 32 urban-area lakes around the state for winter trout fishing beginning in early November. Many of these areas allow anglers to harvest trout as soon as they are stocked, while other areas are catch-and-release until Feb. 1. Read Story

Northern Oklahoma game wardens invite folks for coffee

Oct. 26, 2016 - Residents in north-central and northwestern Oklahoma who are not acquainted with their local game wardens will have a chance to change that in the coming days.
Game wardens will host informal gatherings in six counties where area residents can visit with the officers and each other over a cup of coffee. Read Story

Trout Stocking Discontinued at Cedar Bluff Stilling Basin

12 Oct 2016 - CEDAR BLUFF RESERVOIR – For more than 40 years, trout have provided winter fishing fun in select Kansas waters, and the Cedar Bluff stilling basin has been a part of that program from the beginning. However, the stilling basin below Cedar Bluff Dam won’t be stocked with trout in 2016. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Fisheries Division staff considered several factors before making the decision to discontinue stocking trout at the Cedar Bluff location. Read Story

B.A.S.S. approves longer maximum rod length increase to 10 feet

The 8-foot length limit on Bassmaster tournament competitors' fishing rods will be changed for 2017, allowing anglers to use rods as long as 10 feet. Elite Series pro Skeet Reese was one of the main proponents of the change.
Photo by James Overstreet/
Bassmaster

Sept. 26, 2016 - BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 40-year-old rule that has limited Bassmaster tournament competitors to rods that were 8 feet or shorter will be changed for 2017, allowing competitors to use rods as long as 10 feet. Read Story

National Hunting and Fishing Day set for September 24

Posted: 14 Sep 2016 03:18 PM PDT
PRATT – National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) is Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, to recognize the amazing contributions hunters and anglers have made to wildlife conservation over the past 100 years. Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a proclamation officially dedicating Sept. 24 as National Hunting and Fishing Day in Kansas, crediting Kansas hunters and anglers for their positive impact on wildlife conservation and the state’s economy. Read Story

Become a Certified Fishing Instructor in Salina

Become A Certified Fishing Instructor In Salina Aug. 10, 2016 SALINA – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) and Fishing's Future will host an Angler Education Instructor Certification Course on Saturday, August 20. Class starts at 9 a.m. and concludes at 12 p.m. at the Lakewood Discovery Center, 250 Lakewood Dr., in Salina. It is free to any angler aspiring to teach fishing techniques to youth and families. Read Story

Tuttle Creek Blue Catfish tagged for research

Tuttle Creek Blue Catfish Tagged For Research Aug. 10, 2016 - MANHATTAN – If you catch a blue catfish from Tuttle Creek Reservoir this summer, be sure to check for a little yellow tag just below its dorsal spine. A blue catfish tagging project is underway to help biologists learn more about blue cats in Tuttle Creek. Biologists are collecting blue cats with an electrofishing boat, weighing and measuring all of them. Any blue catfish longer than 14 inches will receive a yellow tag with a unique number so it can be identified. Read Story

How to land summer fish

July 13, 2016 - PRATT – It’s hard to think about fishing on a sweltering summer day, but when the sun sinks toward the western horizon, everything changes. Warm water and direct sun make the bass sluggish during the day, but as evening temperatures cool, the fishing can get hot. Now it’s time to grab your bass rods and find the nearest farm pond, state fishing lake or community lake. Read Story

May is great month to earn Kansas Master Angler Awards

Master Angler Awards Go To Lucky Anglers

May 11, 2016 - PRATT – So, you caught a big fish; was it luck or was it skill? There’s no doubt a little luck never hurts, but good anglers make their own luck by refining their skills, paying attention to environmental conditions and being persistent. And for that, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) wants to recognize them when they catch trophy-class fish. Read Story

Biologists Take Tissue Samples To Evaluate Bass Stocking Program

May 4, 2016 - EMPORIA – Fisheries biologists at the Meade Fish Hatchery have been fooling Mother Nature to get largemouth bass to spawn earlier than normal. By controlling water temperature and photo-period (day length), along with other biological factors, hatchery staff are able to create an environment where largemouth bass spawn up to two months earlier than they would in the wild. Read Story

Kansas adds new five year licenses

January 13, 2016 - PRATT – Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism license and permit fee increases took effect Jan. 1, 2016 and with those fee changes, some new licenses are being offered. Five-year hunting, fishing and hunt/fish combination licenses are now available and offer significant savings compared to purchasing licenses individually each year. Read Story