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Kansas Fishing Records

Copyright 1999-2001

Submitted by Ned Kehde - February 26, 2001

On a recent sunny January morning, the bleak and bitterly cold days of December had become a faded memory. Only a trace of the heavy blanket of snow that covered these parts for nearly a month could be spied.

It was, of course, still winter. A harsh chill hung in the air, and an
exquisite coating of hoar frost covered the russet and sable landscape of
Osage and Coffey counties. And as Kevin Davis of Lawrence drove with his
bass boat in tow to Coffey County Lake, the glittering hue of this vista
captivated him.

During this trip, Davis periodically cocked his head at an odd angle so
he could see the top branches of the frost-covered trees. Gazing at the
tree tops is one of those nervous afflictions that affect most anglers on
the drive to Coffey. Its purpose is to detect the velocity and direction of
the wind.

The wind is a concern of every angler who visits this waterway. The
reason for this is that Coffey's 5,090 acres can quickly erupt with ranks of
massive white caps whenever a south or north wind exceeds 15 mph. And even a 12-mph wind can make a rough outing and difficult fishing. When it hits 25 mph, it can be deadly.

Even though this was Davis' first outing at Coffey, he had heard scads
of stories since 1997 about how Coffey's horrendous winds and waves have
tormented anglers.

On this day, the wind angled from the southeast at five to 10 mph. The
lake was several feet low, which made launching the boat slightly
troublesome. And if the east wind picked up its pace, waves would pummel the boat ramp, making it precarious task to load the boat on the trailer at
day's end. So Davis kept a nervous eye on the wind throughout the day.

At the boat ramp, the water temperature registered 42 degrees. About
half of the lake was covered with ice. But the water gushing out of the
nuclear power plant registered 70 degrees, causing massive plums of steam to
engulf a small segment of the lake. And the temperature in a large swath of
water surrounding hot-water outlet fluctuated from 50 to 60 degrees.

Davis' quest on this chilly January day was to catch and release a
variety of species and a lot of them.

For Davis, that is an unusual desire. At heart, he is a die-hard
largemouth bass fisherman. And that is why he had never visited Coffey -
its largemouth bass population is paltry.

Normally Davis spends his winter outings at La Cygne Lake, where the
largemouth grow large and bountifully. But La Cygne's power plant wasn't
operating, which cooled the water and turned the largemouth so sullen that
even an angler possessing Davis' prowess had a difficult time eliciting a
strike.

So Coffey became Davis' only warm-water alternative.

At Coffey, Davis employed two medium-action rods. One sported a
Rat-L-Trap and the other a small jig. And for three hours, he caught white
bass galore at several shallow points.

After the 85th white bass crossed the gunnels of his boat, Davis became
bored and began plying some largemouth bass coverts.

Eventually he found a lair that held a congregation of smallmouth and
largemouth bass and enticed 17 of them to engulf a small jig.

And in Davis' eyes, the sight of those bronze brutes battling across the
surface was as exquisite as the morning's hoar frost and a wonderful way to
while away a midwinter day.