Kansas Fishing Report for Northwest Kansas

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REGION 1
Update dates are shown at the top of the report of the individual lake.
State reports last checked August 18, 2017 at 3:58 p.m.

Last Updated: 8/16/2017

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, Location
Crappie	Fair	Up to 15 inches	Minnows, jigs, and small slab spoons fished vertically around the fish attractors has been best. Most fish caught have been ranging in the 9.5 to 12 inch range.
Walleye	Slow	Up to 28 inches	Vertically fishing live bait or slab spoons around the fish attractors or over deeper drop-offs and points. Most fish have been caught inadvertently by anglers fishing for white bass and wipers.
White Bass/Wipers	Fair	Whites up to 17 inches Wipers up to 13 lbs.	Surface activity of white bass has been sporadic at best and anglers have caught few fish on top-water. Most anglers are vertically fishing or drifting live shad and slab spoons over drop-offs, points, and around the fish attractors. Trolling shad imitating crankbaits can be effective. The bite has been somewhat slow over the past couple of weeks. Drifting live shad or vertically jigging slab spoons over points in water anywhere from about 15 to 25 feet deep or around the fish attractors has the best bet. Like the whites, the wiper bite has been sporadic and slow recently.
WATER TEMPERATURE-77 SURFACE ELEVATION- 2119.12-24.88' below conservation pool ATTENTION: An established zebra mussel population has been documented at this water making Cedar Bluff an ANS designated water. With this designation a few new rules are now in effect primarily aimed at discouraging water containing microscopic zebra mussel larvae from leaving the property and establishing in new waters. Any time one leaves the reservoir it is best to clean mud, vegetation, or attached zebra mussel adults off of boats and other equipment, drain any thing on a boat or other equipment that holds water, and allow boats and other equipment to dry completely before using them at another body of water. It is now illegal to use wild-caught bait from Cedar Bluff at any other water. Live fish are not to be taken off the property. And all livewells and bilges must be drained prior to leaving the property. It is illegal to release fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. So please discard any leftover bait in a trash can. Cedar Bluff District Newsletter: A biannual newsletter detailing fishing related prospects and activities in the Cedar Bluff District, which includes such waters as Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Sheridan and Scott State Fishing Lakes, Antelope Lake, and other public fishing waters in northwest Kansas are available. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. The link is: http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Cedar-Bluff-Fishing-District

GLEN ELDER FISHING REPORT - Need a Map? -

Last Updated: 8/14/2017

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, Location

Crappie Slow 8-13 inches The crappie fishing has generally been slow throughout the summer. A few fish have been caught around dead standing timber using minnows on a Carolina rig. A few have also been reported from white bass anglers fishing over river channel drops and the outlet structure.

Walleye Fair 14-24 inches There have not been a lot of good walleye reports over the last month, but anglers have been catching a handful of fish in 3-8 feet of water in the Walnut Creek area. Fishing around the Cawker City causeway has also yielded some fish as well as the main lake points in the state park. Trolling crankbaits seems to work best this time of year, especially for keeper fish, but fish of all sizes can be caught using traditional jig and worm or jig and leech.

White Bass

Wipers
Good to Excellent
11-18 inches

19-27 inches

Anglers have been doing very well this summer catching good numbers of white bass with fish up to 18 inches reported regularly. Just about all of the traditional methods have been working with anglers catching them trolling, wade fishing, vertically slabbing along the river channel, and night fishing with lights. There has also been some top water activity over the last several weeks, but these are often the smaller 10-12 inch fish. With the strong 2015 and 2016 year classes of white bass, the fishing should be good for several years as they continue to grow.

The wiper fishing has been a bit slow this summer compared to the past few years, but anglers are still reporting some fish coming from the lower end of the reservoir. The dam has produced nice fish along with Walnut Creek and the main lake points. Fishing around the shallow, rocky foundations will also give you a chance to catch a mixed bag of white bass and wipers.

Black Bass Good 10-19 inches Bass fishing during the summer can still be productive with the right lures and techniques. The easiest way to catch these fish is using a variety of topwater lures fished near the shoreline early in the morning and late in the day. Buzz baits, Pop-Rs and Zara Spooks all work well for both smallmouth and largemouth bass. Deeper running crankbaits fished off the rocky banks can also catch smallmouth bass while both species will be susceptible to the Ned Rig and other soft plastics throughout the day. Smallmouth bass tend to occupy deeper water as things warm up so your approach will need to change during mid-day.

Channel Catfish Fair to Good All Sizes
Anglers continue to catch channel catfish chumming with soy beans and milo, but the bite has slowed a bit over recent weeks. Other anglers have been catching a nice mess of catfish drifting over the flats between Granite Creek and the Cawker causeway using stinkbait and shrimp. Set line anglers could likely have success setting trotlines in the major creek arms like Mill, Granite, and Walnut. Baits like green sunfish, bluegill, crawdads, and goldfish work best this time of year.

Remember there is a 35 inch minimum length limit on blue catfish at Glen Elder!!! You are required to immediately release all blue catfish less than 35 inches once caught!

Anglers can now find GPS locations for each of the brush piles located in the reservoir. Simply click on this link Good Fishing Spots and select the individual brush pile. As we enhance these brush piles throughout the year, we'll make a note under each individual location.

Current water temperature: 75°F Current Water Level: 0.8 feet below conservation

Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water!

KANOPOLIS RESERVOIR FISHING REPORT - Need a Map? -

Last Updated: 8/11/2017

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, and Location
Channel Catfish	Good	16 - 21"	Good. Few reports and the water temp is good for the catfish bite; try small cutbait and worms from 4 to 10 foot of water or shallower after lunch and toward the evening. Liver and dip bait on sponges work well this time of year too.
Crappie	Fair/Poor	10 to 13 inches	Fair/Poor. Water temps have risen to the low 80s. Water temps have crappie deeper and more sluggish.
Trout			NOTICE: Trout season is over but a few fish survive the summer temps.
Walleye/Saugeye	Fair	14 - 22"	Fair. Very slow success but try trolling crankbaits in the early mornings and towards the evening.
White Bass	Fair	All sizes - up to 17 inches	Fair. Try white bass on the river channel edges, rocky points, and the dam.
Wiper	Good	All sizes	Good. Wiper fishing has heated up. Summer reports documented fish up to 11 pounds and limits being caught off points and deeper flats near river channel. Try live minnows and trolling soft baits on shallow flats near the river channel or wind-blown points.
General Comment
Elevation: Water level is 2.5' above conservation pool. Water Temperature: 78 - 80 degrees F. Current lake elevation and water temperature is available on the location page linked to this fishing report. It is updated daily by the Corps of Engineers. This is a general winter fishing report. If a hot tip is received, the report will be updated. Otherwise, weekly fishing reports will resume in March.

Last Updated: 8/14/2017

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, Location
Walleye	Fair to Good	12-24 inches	No change here. The walleye bite continues to be fair to good on certain days and there have been some very nice fish caught over the past month. Anglers have been catching walleye trolling along the dam and off Walleye Point. Many of these fish are not legal so please take care in carefully returning them to the water. 1.5 million walleye fry were stocked in April. 50,000 fingerling walleye were stocked in May.
White Bass/Wipers	Good	7-13 inches 14-23 inches	There has been some fair to good fishing for small white bass off Cedar Point when the wind is blowing in from the south and anglers have had the best luck using roadrunners, jigs, and Kastmasters. Other anglers continue to report good success catching white bass with a few wipers mixed in near the outlet area as irrigation releases continue. A few fish can also be found in the inlet depending on flows. Trolling around walleye point, Cabin Point, and Oak Hill can also be a productive method to catch some white bass.
Channel Catfish Blue Catfish	Good	3-12 pounds	Same as last week. Anglers have been having good success catching catfish nearly lakewide. Most of the catch is channel catfish, but keep an eye out for blue catfish which are also being caught now. Drifting shrimp and shad is a great way to catch some cats while other anglers prefer to bait chum piles and attract catfish to a specific area. Nighttime fishing for catfish is also excellent during the summer. Similar to the white bass and wipers, channel catfish can be caught where there is moving water at the inlet and outlet. There is a 35 inch length limit on blue catfish!!! All blue catfish less than 35 inches should be returned to the water immediately. Please handle these fish with care if you do catch one.
Crappie	Slow	7-13 inches	There are a lot of crappie in the reservoir now, but most of them are one or two year old fish less than 10 inches. There are, however, a fair number of fish between 10 and 13 inches for anglers to target. Fishing around the deep brush piles off Cabin Point, Cedar Point, and the Marina will be good places to start, but fishing around the marina boat docks can also yield some fish. Minnows are often required this time of year as the fish can be tougher to catch during the hot summer days. There have been reports of crappie being caught mixed in with white bass off Cedar Point, but many of these are too small to keep.
Comments
Anglers can now find GPS coordinates, descriptions, and histories of some of the major brush piles in Lovewell. Simply follow this link Good Fishing Spots and select the individual brush pile to find out more information. Current water temperature: 75ºF Current water level: 3.4 feet below conservation Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water!

Last Updated: 8/11/2017

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, Location

Crappie Poor 10-14 inches Poor. Crappie numbers are very low and no reports of fish being caught yet but fish are likely moving towards shallower rock and cover to feed prior to spawning. Coves towards the upper end of the reservoir and Otoe in Hell Creek are your best bets.

Striped Bass Fair/Good 2-15 pounds Fair/Good. There were reports of a few 15+ lb. fish being caught and released. They are relating to deeper structure on the main lake. Look for stripers from 10 - 30' or deeper on ledges and drop offs near the river channel. There is an abundance of stripers in the 16 - 20" range. These fish have excellent body condition compared to the last few years.

Walleye Fair 14-25 inches Fair. A few more reports coming in of a few fish being caught. Warming water has a few being caught at shallow to moderate depths but also some on deeper ledges (12 - 24'). Fish late evening and early morning on shallow wind-blown points and rocky shorelines butt try deeper structure during the day. Most shoreline right now is covered with reed grass so try swimming jigs and spinners in the vegetation and on the outer edge. Worm anglers have struggled this year.

Channel Catfish Good 2-10 pounds
Good. Try cutbait, liver, and/or worms near the river channel and off points such as Minooka, Lucas, etc. Look for fish to move shallower (<8 feet depths) towards sundown. The channel catfish population in Wilson has been a nice surprise the last few years.

Be on the lookout for blue catfish which are also in the reservoir. They are not legal size yet so make sure and take care to return them to the water. There is a 35 inch minimum length limit on blue catfish at Wilson Reservoir!

White Bass Fair 12-18 inches, up to 3 pounds Fair. There are low number of white bass but locate shad and try spinners and live shiners around Minooka and rocky points.

Black Bass Fair/Poor 14-18 inches Fair/Poor. Some smallmouth are being caught by casual anglers and tournament anglers up to 3 lbs. Largemouth are also being caught but in much less numbers but most are small which should be good for the next few years. Use slow/moderate presentations with crawfish colored or chartreuse crankbaits. Also try texas and carolina-rigged soft plastic tubes, craws, or worms off of rocky shorelines or reed grass margins.

White Perch Good 9 to 13 inches
Good. Some are being caught up to 12" in size but most are less than 8" and biting everybody's lures whether your fishing for bass, walleye, or white bass. The fish we collected seemed to be targeting the river channel and moving up and down it while feeding. The west end had the biggest white perch I've seen in some time with 12-13 inch fish common. Anglers might try spoons and spinners off of the river channel near the bluffs towards Minooka - IT IS ILLEGAL TO HAVE A WHITE PERCH ALIVE IN YOUR POSSESSION - IF YOU CATCH IT AND WANT TO KEEP IT - IT HAS TO BE DEAD IN A COOLER OR LIVEWELL. THEY ARE NO LONGER LEGAL AS LIVE BAIT FOR STRIPERS OR OTHER FISH!!!!!

The white perch numbers are down in Wilson right now which is the goal of managing aquatic nuisance species. While this species will continue to thrive and reproduce in Wilson, they are still an ANS species and KDWPT has managed the predator base in such a way to limit their numbers. The hope is that the white bass will be able to make a comeback at the expense of the white perch numbers declining.

General Comments

Lake Elevation = 0.8' ABOVE conservation pool.

Surface Temperature = 79 - 80 degrees.

BOAT RAMP UPDATE: All boat ramps are useable. WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS and be courteous at boat ramps!

We have two Aquatic Nuisance Species - white perch and zebra mussels and have joined Cheney and El Dorado as lakes with both species. The law now says that if anyone leaves the lake with water in your livewell or boat, you are subject to a ticket for transporting Zebra Mussels since they will spawn and the microscopic little mussels will probably be in every drop of water in the lake. Make sure you drain all water from the boat before you leave the boat ramp area!!! We have been taking veliger samples and the samples were high so be sure to drain and dry everything!!!!!!

Last Updated: 8/14/2017

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, Location
Crappie	Slow	8-11 inches	The crappie population is dominated by three and four year old fish in the 8-10 inch range as we collected many of these during our 2016 fall sample. There are also a few 11-13 inch fish as well, but they are not as common. This 2013 year class should provide a boost to the crappie numbers as they continue to grow. Anglers will have success fishing crappie around the deep brush piles using jigs and minnows. The fish will be found near brush and the fish attractors. Fishing can be tough for crappie during the summer, but fishing minnows near the structure can yield some fish.
Channel Catfish	Fair to Good	11-25 inches	The catfish numbers look very good right now based on fall netting and anglers should be pleased with the numbers of cats in the lake right now. Many of these fish are in the 3-5 pound range, but there are also a handful of larger fish between 7 and 10 pounds. Traditional baits like stink bait, shad sides, and chicken liver should all work for catching some catfish now. Anglers have been catching them off the jetties and the boat dock. Morning and evening are the best times to catch some catfish, but they can be caught throughout the day. Remember there is a 15 inch minimum length limit on channel catfish!
Bluegill Green Sunfish Redear Sunfish	Fair to Good	6-11 inches	The bluegill numbers appear to be stable right now with fish between 4 and 7 inches dominating the catch, but fish up to 8 inches were collected this fall. Redear sunfish are thriving very well right now with fish up to 11 inches collected this fall. There are two size groups with good numbers of 6-9 inch fish and fair numbers of 10 to 11 inch fish. Anglers have been catching a lot of bluegill and a few redear sunfish over the past month. They can be caught just about anywhere around the lake using worms under a bobber or small jigs. Fly fishing is another good option to catch some of these sunfish.
Largemouth Bass	Good	10-21 inches	We conducted our annual bass sample in May and the numbers look much better compared to the 2016 sample. Good numbers of 16-18 inch fish are available with fish up to 21 inches or 5 pounds collected. There are also several younger year classes of small fish which will help the population in the next couple of years. Topwater lures are hard to beat in the summer especially early and late in the day. White and chartreuse spinnerbaits are hard to beat, but slowly fishing soft plastics including Senkos can be productive. Smaller baits like roadrunners and Panther Martins will also catch a fair amount of fish.
General Comments
Water temperature: 75°F Water level: 0.5 feet low KDWPT is conducting a creel survey on Jewell SFL from March to October 2017. Please take a few minutes to speak with the creel clerk as your information and opinions are used to help guide our management activities on our public waters. Thank you for your cooperation!

Last Updated: 8/14/2017

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, Location
Largemouth Bass	Fair to Good	up to 4 lbs	We collected improved numbers during the May 2017 sample with fish up to 19 inches represented. The fish were found along the west shore from the middle jetty south to the boat ramp as well as in the two shallow creek arms. The fish are in excellent shape and should provide some nice bass angling. Summer bass patterns are in full swing now. The best fishing will be during the cool periods of the day and topwater lures including buzzbaits, Pop-R's, and Zara Spooks can all catch fish on calm days. Plastic baits and Ned Rigs are also good options throughout the day.
Bluegill	Fair to Good	4 to 6 Inches	Look for bluegill around the rocks on the piers and around any brush in the water. Worms and small jigs are a good bet. These guys can be caught throughout the year using a variety of techniques. Some anglers prefer to fly fish with small nymphys or dry flies fished on the surface. We stocked 3,000 adult bluegill last October!
Channel Catfish	Good	10-22 inches	Good numbers of stocked channel catfish are available to anglers using typical catfish techniques. In the summer, the fish can be found lakewide and will often bite on chicken liver, shad sides, shad gizzards, and stinkbait. We observed very good numbers of catfish in 1-3 feet of water during the May 2017 electrofishing sample.
Saugeye	Fair	12-24 inches	Saugeye numbers are good, but most are less than 18 inches. Our fall 2016 sample included 75 saugeye of which only 8 were over 18 inches. Most will be caught on shad imitation baits, or jig and a worm. We found the best numbers on the upper half of the reservoir in 4-5 feet of water last fall while test netting. Anglers should be able to find saugeye nearly lakewide. Look for them along the creek channel and near any areas with rapid changing bottom topography. We stocked 5,000 saugeye last spring!
Crappie	Slow	Most 8-11 inches	Crappie numbers are stable, so angling will be fair to good on jigs and minnows along the dam and near brush and rocks. There are a lot of 8-10 inch crappie right now, but fish between 12 and 14 inches can also be caught. The crappie are hanging out near brush and the man made fish attractors. Minnows are usually required to catch crappie this time of year and fishing during the cooler parts of the day can increase your chances of success.
General Comments
Water temperature: 75ºF In August, we really beefed up the two brush piles near the dam and another brush pile near the middle of the lake. We will come back and mark these with buoys in the near future, but anglers should begin to see success fishing around this new habitat. Approximately 60-70 large cedar trees were added to the existing fish attractors. CAUTION: LONGER BOAT TRAILERS MAY FALL OFF EDGE OF BOAT RAMP WHEN WATER IS LOW The cabin can now be rented - call the Hays Regional Office - 785-628-8614 - for reservations or more information.

Last Updated: 11/6/2014

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
PUBLIC SALVAGE			DUE TO THE LOW LAKE CONDITIONS WE ARE ALLOWING ANGLERS TO TAKE FISH BY THE MEANS LISTED BELOW AND YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO KEEP ALL THE FISH YOU TAKE.
General Comments

The area is open for walk-in traffic but the gate will remain locked and the vault toilet locked. THE LAKE IS NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC SALVAGE - ALL LENGTH AND CREEL LIMITS ARE OFF. YOU CAN NOW TAKE FISH WITH ROD AND REEL OR BY SNAGGING, SEINE, GIG, OR BY HAND. Please comply with posted signs!!!!!

Last Updated: 8/16/2017

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, and Location
			CURRENT FISHING
Largemouth Bass	Poor	3-12 inches	Stocked in 6,700 largemouth bass fingerlings on 05-16-2017.
Bluegill	Fair	3-8 inches	Fish are going to be small, but would use worms under a bobber.
Catfish	Fair	5-15 inches	Fish will probably be small, but would use worms, stinkbait and shrimp on the bottom. Also, stocked 140 channel catfish that averaged 7 pound a piece on 08-15-2017
General Comments
Water Temp. 78 Degrees Lake is currently full. Have stocked channel catfish and bluegill and stocked in 6,700 largemouth bass fingerlings on 05-16-2017. Also, stocked 140 channel catfish that averaged 7 pounds a piece on 08-15-2017. KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepage on February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! *KDWPT will be releasing the Urban Stocking Fish Program video soon and it can be found at* *http://youtu.be/5l4QiSfsQbQ* Now Available: A Webster District newsletter that will include Webster, Kirwin and Keith Sebelius Reservoir's will be coming out soon. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. The link is: http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Webster-Reservoir-Fishing-District