Fishing Reports By Reservoir | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Fishing reports last updated 08/17/2026.

Fishing Reports from KDWP biologists provide timely on-the-water updates for all 24 federal reservoirs in Kansas, giving anglers practical information they can use right now.

Unlike the annual Fishing Forecast, these reports focus on real-time conditions including fishing success, lake levels, water temperatures, effective baits and methods, and more precise locations around each lake where fish are being caught.

Reports will be updated monthly, typically mid‑month, throughout the summer fishing season. Scroll to the lake you’re interested in to see the latest conditions, and consider sharing your own successful fishing notes on KDWP Fisheries Facebook page to help fellow anglers.

Region 1 - Northwest Kansas Reservoirs

Cedar Bluff, Glen Elder, Kanopolis, Keith Sebelius (Norton), Kirwin, Lovewell, Webster, Wilson

Cedar Bluff Reservoir

AIS Designated Water: zebra mussel.

Species	Rating	Size	Bait, Methods, Location
Bass - Largemouth	Fair	up to 5 pounds	Casting soft plastics or shad-imitating swim baits and crank baits around rock piles, flooded timber, and submerged aquatic vegetation especially on points or submerged road beds and parking lots early and late has been best.
Catfish - Channel	Fair to Good	up to 16 pounds	Trot lines and limb lines fished at water depths of 25 feet and less and in direct proximity to underwater features possessing relatively rapid depth change such as points and creek channels has been best. Live or cut sunfish, cut shad, and prepared baits have all been good bait choices.
Crappie	Fair	up to 15 inches	Vertically fishing jigs, minnows, or cast net-caught gizzard shad around the fish attractors.
Walleye	Slow	up to 7 pounds	Vertically fishing large slab spoons or larger, shad imitating swim baits over deeper portions of points, underwater humps, creek channels, and roads/parking lots or trolling deep-diving crank baits near similar structure early and late.
White Bass/Wipers	Good to Excellent	White bass up to 16 inches Wiper up to 10 pounds	White bass have been chasing young shad on the surface pretty reliabably. Casting floating or shallow running shad imitating crankbaits or Kastmaster spoons into surfacing schools has been good. Best action is often early or late, but surface activity has occurred more middle of the day some days. Otherwise, fish can be caught trolling crank baits as well. Wipers are often lurking below the surfacing white bass, so it can be productive to choose a shad imitating lure that gets down a little deeper for them. Otherwise, locating wipers with electronics and vertically jigging large slab spoons can be effective, especially near habitats mentioned for walleye above.

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

Water Level: View current lake level and other related water data available from the Bureau of Reclamation here.

Glen Elder Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Black	Fair	12 to 20 inches	The state park coves had the best densities during spring sampling. Smallmouth tend to prefer harder, rockier bottoms, while Largemouth might be found on softer bottoms and weed beds. Flooded shorelines should hold forage and ambush points for black bass. Don't overlook brush piles that hold baitfish. Use a 1/4 oz or 1/8 oz jig tipped with a minnow or baitfish imitation. You could also have success spoons, crankbaits, soft plastics, and crayfish imitations. 600k Largemouth fry were stocked in April 2026. 10k Smallmouth fingerlings were stocked in June 2026. Seeing good numbers of one year old fish with the water being up.
Catfish	Good	15 to 44 inches	Channels are opportunistic and can be caught in most areas of the lake. Targeting inflows after the rain can be effective or a smelly bait next to a brush pile. Blues tend to orient on deeper structure. Try river channel bends, old road beds, drop-offs, and other submerged structure. Most blue cat anglers are using cut bait or dead shad. Flatheads key in on hard structure. Rip-rap or brush piles will hold fish, or they can be found hunting live fish on nearby flats at night.
Crappie	Fair	9 to 15 inches	Crappie are in summer patterns. Try fishing deep brush piles and other hard structure. Some fish can occasionally be found in shallow vegetation, fallen trees, and anything that provides shade throughout the summer. With population density lower trolling river channels for solitary fish can be effective. Use minnows, jigs, spoons, or small crankbaits.
Trout	Poor	10 to 20 inches	All stockings for the season have been completed by Feb. 13 in the outlet on the north end of the dam. As water temps rise these fish will start to succumb to heat stress. Hatchery trout can be caught with a variety of methods. Some anglers prefer traditional fly fishing or small spinners and jigs. Others try to mimic the pellet feed trout are raised on by using things like cheese bait or corn.
Walleye	Fair	11 to 25 inches	Recent reports have anglers fishing deep (25-30ft). In summer, fish may roam lake flats and river channels looking for baitfish, while others suspend over deep drops or points. Trolling river channels and roadbeds with crankbaits or nightcrawlers can be a good strategy to find Walleye. Walleye are often caught using nightcrawlers, jigging spoons, minnows, crankbaits, and spinners. 2.8 million fry were stocked in April 2026 and 3,000 fingerlings in October 2025.
White Bass & Wiper	Excellent	11 to 23 inches	White Bass and Wipers can be found chasing shad near brushpiles, river channels, drop offs, and other structure. Higher numbers of big whites tend to be caught west of the causeway. Look for drop-offs and points for suspended fish. Downwind shorelines can produce good numbers of actively feeding fish. Use a variety of jigs, spinners, or minnows to catch fish all year. 350,000 wiper fry were stocked in May 2025.

Water Temperature: 84°F
Water Level: 1.6 feet low

View current lake level and other related water data available from the Bureau of Reclamation here.

General Comments: Despite a small shad kill early in August, plenty of shad remain for your favorite predators to prey on.

Kanopolis Reservoir

AIS Designated Water: zebra mussel.

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Good	up to 17 inches	Casting swimbaits, bucktail jigs, and Kastmaster spoons along wind blown points and areas near the river channel. Using slab spoons or live minnows is also producing some fish right now along brush piles and in the river channel. As we move later into the summer look for fish surfacing while feeding on shad.
Catfish - Channel & Blue	Good	16 to 21 inches	Reports of fish being caught in the upper end and in the river during high inflow events. Fishing cut and prepared baits along the river channel from the south boat ramp all the way to buzzard bay. Try deeper catfish humps and structure near bluffs. Remember there is a 35" minimum length limit on blue catfish at Kanopolis Reservoir.
Crappie	Good	10 to 14 inches	Try the deeper structure, brush piles, or the river channel with 1/16 oz. jigs and live minnows.
Saugeye	Fair	14 to 22+ inches	Wind blown points and flats in the middle and lower ends of the reservoir are best. Shad imitating swimbaits and jigs tipped with minnows or worms can be productive baits. 6,726 saugeye fingerlings were stocked in May.
Wiper	Fair to Good		Similar locations and baits as those used for white bass. We are seeing more Wipers in the reservoir with recent successful stockings. Know your identification as the creel limit is 2 per day.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Keith Sebelius Reservoir (Norton)

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Spotted	Fair	10 to 20 inches	I would recommend fishing around the coves or along the Dam and Breakwater using crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and plastics.
Catfish	Fair	10 to 30 inches	Catfish typically spawn during the first half of June and can be targeted around rocky areas like the dam, north breakwater, Concrete Cove, and east of Leota Cove point. Fish are being caught lake wide using shad, gizzards, shrimp, night crawlers or stink bait on the bottom.
Crappie	Fair	7 to 16 inches	Have been getting reports of fish moving up shallow and being caught around the public fishing dock, maintained fish attractors and up in Leota and Schoen's Coves using jigs under a bobber and jigs tipped with minnows.
Saugeye & Walleye	Fair	13 to 27 inches	Been getting reports of fish being caught around Concrete cove up by the marsh dike and along the dam using jigs tipped with night crawlers and/or minnows and trolling diving lures. An 18" minimum length limit is in effect.
Wiper	Good	10 to 28 inches	They have been catching fish around the east side of Leota Cove, Monkey Island and Concrete cove using jigs and swim baits. Trolling diving lures is also proving successful.

Water Temperature: 79°F
Water Level: 2289.10; 15.2 feet below conservation pool; 1.99 feet lower than this time last year

General Comments: The fish cleaning station is open. A boat cleaning station (CD3) can be found next to the fish cleaning station and should also be usable. Discard leftover bait fish in a trash can. The Almena Irrigation District stopped releasing water on 07/24/26.

Kirwin Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair	12 to 22 inches	I would recommend fishing along the rocky shorelines, fish attractors, and outlet using plastics and crank baits.
Catfish	Fair	10 to 30 inches	Catfish typically spawn during the first half of June and can be targeted around rocky areas like crappie point, northshore boat ramp point, cottonwood grove point. Fish are also being caught lake wide with shrimp, cut bait, stink bait, night crawlers or shad off the bottom.
Crappie	Fair	7 to 17 inches	Been having some reports of fish being caught around Crappie point, the four maintained fish attractors and both river channels using jigs under a bobber and jigs tipped with minnows. Could also possibly catch some off the Dam and around the outlet.
Walleye	Fair	10 to 29 inches	Have had reports of fish being caught on the flats and river channels using jigs tipped with night crawlers and/or minnows. Trolling diving lures could also prove to be productive.
White Bass & Wiper	Good	10 to 28 inches	Have had reports of fish being caught lake wide casting jigs and roadrunners from the bank. Trolling diving lures along the dam, river channels, and breaks is also producing fish.

Water Temperature: 78°F

Water Level: 1706.66; 22.59feet below conservation pool; 6.19 feet lower than this time one year ago

General Comments: The North lane of the South Shore ramp and the Bow Creek ramp are the only usable boat ramps at this time. A boat cleaning station (CD3) can be found next to the fish cleaning station and is usable at this time. Discard leftover bait in a trash can. If you have any questions regarding Kirwin Reservoir and the surrounding public lands, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 785-543-6673. Irrigation District started releasing water on 7-6-2026 and are currently releasing 118.49 cfs.

Lovewell Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish	Good	16 to 40 inches	Fall sampling indicated good numbers of channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish. Best baits to use for channel catfish include stinkbait, shad sides, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Blue catfish usually go for cut bait, and flatheads tend to prefer live bait. Anglers often report good spring catches of blue catfish near Walleye Point, Cedar Point, and Pawnee Point. Blues and flatheads tend to focus on hard structure like rocks, brush piles, and river channels. There is a new blue catfish regulation of 10 fish per day with only 1 fish greater than 30 inches allowed.
Crappie	Good	8 to 15 inches	Good numbers of big crappie were being caught this fall and winter. In May, they should be in spawning areas or headed back to deeper water. Look for transitions between deeper haunts like brush piles or river channels, and shallow structure they will use for the spawn. Look for places that hold baitfish and structure. The marina will usually hold crappie and Cedar Point is one of the most popular crappie fishing spots all year.
Walleye	Fair	16 to 25 inches	Look fish over deep structure, points, drop-offs, and river channels. Also look for fish roaming shallow flats holding baitfish. Fish can be found along the river channel between Cedar Point and Walleye Point in 20-25 feet of water. I’ve also seen Walleye up shallow from Walleye Point to the Marina. Try using jigging spoons, minnows, brightly colored lures, or nightcrawlers. Trolling nightcrawlers or crankbaits is a common tactic. One million fry were stocked in April 2026.
White Bass & Wiper	Fair to Good	7 to 25 inches	White bass and wipers will suspend on river channels, drop-offs, and deep brush piles. Downwind shorelines will attract actively feeding fish. White Bass populations have been low for a few years, but fall sampling indicated better numbers. Look for schools of baitfish and these predators are probably nearby. The outlet at dawn and dusk can be a hot spot for White Bass and Wiper. Using a variety of jigs, spinners, or minnows can catch fish most of the year.

Water Temperature: 84°F
Water Level: 5.3 feet low

View current lake level and other related water data available from the Bureau of Reclamation here.

General Comments: There are good numbers of gizzard shad in lake to feed the crappie, white bass, and walleye. With the lake over 5' low and dropping, one lane of the Marina Boat Ramp is already closed. The Cedar Point Ramp will be the most reliable in low water conditions.

Webster Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair	12 to 22 inches	I would recommend fishing around the maintained fish attractors, outlet and breakwaters using plastics and spinner baits.
Catfish	Fair	12 to 30 inches	Have been catching some fish lake wide using shad, shrimp, gizzards, night crawler's or stink baits on the bottom.
Crappie	Fair	7to 17 inches	I would recommend fishing around the north and south shore breakwaters, the outlet, and fish attractors using jigs and jigs with minnows.
Walleye	Fair	14 to 28 inches	They have been catching a few fish off the shore using night crawlers and/or minnows on the bottom and also catching some on the flats using night crawlers as well. Trolling diving lures could also be productive.
White Bass/Wiper	Good	8 to 28 inches	Both species are being caught around the north and south shore fish attractors, breakwaters, and along the dam using jigs and jigs tipped with minnow. Trolling diving lures lake wide is also proving successful.

Water Temperature: 80°F
Water Level: 1866.67; 25.78 feet below conservation pool; 0.39 feet lower than this time last year

General Comments: Old Marina, Morel, Goose Flats and Lake view boat ramps are not usable; however, Rock Point (north ramp has been barricaded off, but the south ramp goes all the way to the bottom and is still usable). Fish cleaning station is open and usable. A boat cleaning station (CD3) has been added by the fish cleaning station and is also usable at this time.

Wilson Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) designated water: zebra mussel and white perch

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Black	Good	12 to 20 inches	Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits around structure.
Bass - Striped	Good	7 to 25 pounds	480,000 fry were stocked in May. Try trolling crankbaits, casting/jigging large bucktail jigs, or drifting live shad or sunfish along channel breaks. Have recieved a few reports of surfacing stripers feeding on shad early in the morining and late in the evening.
Bass - White	Fair	12 to 18 inches, up to 3 pounds	Casting shad imitating swimbaits and bucktail jigs over windblown points and using slab spoons along the river channel.
Catfish - Blue & Channel	Good	2 to 30+ pounds	Channel Catfish: Fish can be found from shallow to moderate depths. Try cut bait, dough bait, or punch bait thorough the reservoir. Blue Catfish: scattered throughout the reservoir, try fresh cutbait in 6-30 feet of water on river channel swings or flats near these swings. New creel limit of 10 fish per day with only one fish over 30 inches. Harvest of smaller individuals is encouraged
Walleye	Fair to Good	18 to 27 inches	Trolling or casting crankbaits and swimbaits over main lake points or the flats early morning or late evening are your best bets. 225,984 fingerlings were stocked in May 2026.
White Perch	Poor	4 to 12 inches	It is illegal to possess live white perch. If you catch and keep, it must be dead and kept in a cooler or livewell. White perch are not legal for live bait.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Region 2 - Northeast Kansas Reservoirs

Clinton, Hillsdale, Milford, Perry, Tuttle Creek

Clinton Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) designated water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair	up to 5 pounds	Largemouth can be found in up-river tributaries or on structure (marina, standing timber). Smallmouth are typically caught on rocky shorelines in the lower end of the reservoir. Crayfish imitations produce bites from both species. Dawn and dusk are the best feeding windows when fish move into the shallows.
Catfish	Good	Channel: up to 10 pounds Blue: up to 35 pounds	Most catfish species have completed their annual spawn and are feeding. Summer is a great time to run limbs lines and trot lines allowing anglers to capitalize on the night bite. Blue Catfish are being caught by drifting deeper flats ~20ft adjacent to river channels. Drifting allows anglers to cover water and find active fish.
Crappie	Fair	up to 13 inches	Crappie can be found on deeper brush piles and standing timber. Minnows are the most effective for producing bites, but small plastics can work too.
Sauger/Saugeye/Walleye	Fair	up to 25 inches; 16-16 inches is common	Walleye fishing has slowed down due to warm summer temperature and high abundance of bait fish. Slow trolling crankbaits or bottom bouncers can still produce bites.
White Bass/Wipers	Very Good	White Bass: up to 16 inches Wiper: up to 25 inches and 10 pounds; most are 18-20 inches	Wiper and white bass fishing can be very good during the summer, particularly in the morning and evening. These fish form schools and feed aggressively on the abundant baitfish. Look for schools breaking the surface, cast in, and hold on!

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

General Comments: Hot summer temperatures make evening, morning, and night periods most effective for finding actively feeding fish. High abundance of forage (young of year shad, mayfly hatches) can make for tougher fishing conditions as fish may have full bellies. However, warm temperatures mean fish metabolism is high, requiring them to feed frequently. As we progress into early fall, cooler nights will bring fish in shallower for more extended periods.

Hillsdale Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Poor	up to 5.5 pounds	Slow moving finesse baits over deer cover. Target 8-12 feet of water.
Bass - White	Fair	12 to 16 inches common	Target wind-blown points using shad imitations.
Catfish - Channel	Good	up to 15 pounds	Live and prepared baits should produce bites lake-wide. Creek channels may be hot spots immediately after a rain.
Crappie	Good	up to 13-14 inches	Warm water has these fish suspended over deep cover. Target vertical structure with jigs or live minnows under a bobber
Walleye	Good	up to 29 inches	Target deep water humps and creek channels. Deep diving crank baits may produce bites. Slower finesse presentations may also be successful.

Water Temperature: 87°F

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Milford Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair to Good	Largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found near the shoreline that has woody habitat or rock. Bass can be targeted with spinnerbaits, jigs, tubes, and swimbaits.
Catfish	Good	Channel catfish can be caught on cut bait, worms, and stink bait. Blue catfish are typically caught on fresh cut bait. Target wind blown flats and river channel ledges for catfish. New blue catfish regulation: creel limit is 10 but only one can be 40 inches or longer; all between 28-40 inches must be released.
Crappie	Slow	10-20ft deep suspended near points, flooded brush, and ledges on jigs w/ minnows and crankbaits.
Walleye	Slow to Fair	10-20ft deep suspended near points, road beds, and ledges on bottom bouncers w/ nightcrawlers, jigs w/ minnows, or trolling crankbaits. Using lead core in deeper water is another option.
White Bass/Wipers	Good	Target deeper water with live shad or artificial baits (spoons, swimbaits, etc.). Some fish may be found on wind swept banks and points. Fish have the best chance to surface in early morning or evenings where shad are dense.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Perry Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair	up to 6 pounds	The bottom half of the lake is more likely to yield bass than the upper portion with the best luck coming in the Slough Creek arm. Several nice smallmouth have been caught recently by anglers.
Bass - White	Fair	up to 1.5 pounds	White bass can be caught using any bait resembling a shad or even from crappie jigs. As shad begin to grow look for White Bass breaking up schools of shad on the surface.
Catfish - Blue	Good	up to 45 pounds	Harvest of smaller fish is encouraged to help thin down and prevent possible stunting. Look for blue catfish on deeper mudflats that are around the depth of the thermocline, about 15 feet.
Catfish - Channel	Good	up to 10 pounds	Fish can be caught with worms or cut bait on deeper mud flats.
Crappie - White	Good	up to 2.5 pounds	Fish are mostly staying out deeper. Start looking for fish in about 10-15 feet of water or areas that would be 10-15 ft deep prior to lake level rises.
Sauger	Good	up to 2.6 pounds	There are good numbers in the reservoir with a good portion currently above the 18" minimum length limit. Try trolling crankbaits along the dam or the shoreline north of Devil's Gap. Casting a jig or crankbait in areas under a light may produce some fish during the night. If the dam is releasing water, the spillway can be productive.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Tuttle Creek Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair	up to 6 pounds	Most of the lake has low numbers of largemouth bass but the McIntyre Cove has a decent population of mid-sized fish.
Catfish - Blue	Good	most 20 to 30 inches	Great time of year to fish for blues while they are fattening up on all the young shad and fresh shad tends to be the best bait right now. Blues can be found about anywhere this time of year but are usually concentrated along the river channel or main lake points.
Catfish - Channel	Fair	24 to 28 inches	Most of the recent channel catfish success has been in the river upstream of the reservoir.
Crappie	Fair to Good	up to 2 pounds	Crappie are still mostly scattered and can be found from 4 to 10 feet deep. Some pockets of schooled up fish in Stockdale Cove. Great population right now
Saugeye	Fair	up to 6 pounds	A few saugeye being caught trolling crankbaits along rocky banks. Good numbers of fish over 18 inches right now.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

General Comments: Water levels have stablized and most ramps have been open.

Region 3 - Southeast Kansas Reservoirs

Big Hill, Bone Creek, Council Grove, El Dorado, Elk City, Fall River, John Redmond, La Cygne, Marion, Melvern, Pomona, Toronto

Big Hill Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair	12 to 20 inches	Bass fishing remains fair. Hot days have slowed fishing. Look for fishing to be better in morning and evening when temps are cooler. Spnner baits, chatter baits and top-water baits on calm days can produce fish. Look for largemouth around deeper brush and weedlines. Smallmouth bass are being found on the south end near deeper rock.
Catfish - Channel	Good	16 to 24 inches	Catfishing remains good. Fishing has been best in the evening and at night. Cut shad has been working best.
Crappie	Good	6 to 12 inches	Crappie fishing has slowed some but can still be good. Look for crappie under Rea Bridge or deeper brush piles. Vertical jigging soft plastics and minnows work best.
Sunfish - Bluegill & Redear	Fair	5 to 7 inches	Panfishing remains fair. Look for fish near deeper weed lines in the early morning. Worms have been working best.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Bone Creek Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair	43% - 8 to 12 inches 22% - 12 to 15 inches 31% - 15 to 20 inches 4% - over 20 inches	Anglers have reported catching largemouth bass in coves, road beds, trees and vegetation edges with top water and swimbaits this month, as well as weedless jigs. Common sizes being reported are 12-15", 15-17", 18-20" and a few above 20". 54,000 largemouth bass fingerlings were stocked in May 2026.
Catfish - Channel	Good	15 to 32 inches	Both shoreline and boat anglers have reported channel catfish being caught in northwest corner of dam, handicap, and west end in coves and flats using cut bait. Average sizes reported have been 4-8 lbs with 15-20 lbs not uncommon.
Crappie - Black	Fair	8 to 14 inches	Anglers are reporting catching crappie at shoreline access near the handicapped access and both ends of the dam in the evening. Anglers are reporting catching multiple year classes from 4-14-inches with the most prominent being 9-10" size class. Anglers should focus on submerged trees during the day and near shore in the evenings. Live minnows under a bobber, spinners, or 1/16 or smaller ounce jigs with twister tails will all be good options.
Saugeye	Fair	18 to 26 inches	A few anglers have reported catching saugeye 24-27" this month near the handicap and south boat ramp in the evenings, as well as by boat in the southwest "Y-Cove" and road beds near the dam. Jigs tipped with a nightcrawler, or swimbaits, in the evening and morning will be good tactics to try.
Sunfish - Bluegill, Green, Longear & Redear	Good	4 to 9 inches	Sunfish species can be found near access jetties and in the shallows along vegetation edges. Bobber and worm, 1/32 oz and smaller jigs, and flies will be good baits to try!

Water Temperature: 91ºF

General Comments: If you would like to provide a fishing report, or have questions in regards to fishing or fish populations at Bone Creek, email Connor Ossowski, KDWP District Fisheries Biologist, at connor.ossowski@ks.gov.

Council Grove Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel.

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Fair to Good	along deep rock points and ledges on spinners and jigs
Catfish - Channel	Fair to Good	near wind blown flats and creek channel ledges on cut bait and worms
Crappie	Fair	10-20 ft deep on minnows and jigs near points, brush, and ledges
Saugeye	Fair	near dam and gravel/rock points on jigs and worms

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

El Dorado Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel and white perch.

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass- Black	Fair	up to 18 inches	Look for smallmouth in the lower portions of the reservoir on the rocky and rip rap shorelines. Jigs, plastics, and crankbaits have been productive. Although largemouth can also be caught in the rocky areas, they are more often found in the coves and upper ends of the reservoir near woody/brushy cover. Larger plastics, spinner baits, and crank or jerk baits are good choices. First light has been best as the fish are still shallow.
Catfish - Blue	Good	up to 38 inches	Fresh cut bait fished in the mainlake river channels. El Dorado blue catfish prefer the river channels with flooded timber. Areas north of Sailboat Cover hold more blues than lower lake areas. Blues can be found in the Walnut River channel, Cole Creek channel, and Durechen river channel. Creel limit is 10/day with only 1 over 30 inches. There is no minimum length limit for blue catfish at El Dorado.
Crappie	Fair	Up to 14 inches	Most crappie action is occuring early and late in the day. Fish are in deeper water and near cover. Productive depth has been from 8 to 15 feet depending on water color.
Walleye	Fair	up to 27 inches	Trolling crankbaits on old roads, points, and breaks is a great summertime walleye tactic. Like the other species, early and late has been best.
White Bass & Wiper	Good	up to 25 inches	White and wipers are feeding on young of the year shad. Casting to surface feeding fish is a great way to catch summertime whites and wipers. Most activity is early and late in the day. Keep an eye out for fish busting the surface. Trolling crankbaits is also productive and good for locating actively feeding fish.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Elk City Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Fair	10 to 14 inches	White bass fishing has improved some. Anglers have been finding white bass on rocky points while crappie fishing. Most have been caught on smaller jigs, but swim baits and crank baits will produce fish as well.
Catfish - Blue & Channel	Good	15 to 35	Catfishing remains good. Look for blues to be suspended near any humps or the river channel. Channels have been found fishing bottom bouncers dragging the flats near the river channel. Shad has been working best.
Crappie	Fair	8 to 14 inches	Crappie fishing has been hit or miss. Fish have been found in the submerged timber or near the river channel. Vertical jigging has been producing fish.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Fall River Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Good	28% - 6 to 9 in. 22% - 9 to 12 in. 33% - 12 to 15 in. 17% - 15 to 18 in.	White bass are feeding on young-of-the-year gizzard shad on mudflats. Use an imitation plastic shad with spinner or crank bait. Troll mud flats or watch for surface feeding to locate schools.
Catfish - Channel	Good	26% - 16 to 24 in. 53% - 24 to 28 in. 30% - 28 to 36 in.	Use shad sides, cut bait, or stink bait on channel breaks and windy shoreline. Channel catfish often clean up behind white bass feeding frenzie.
Crappie	Good	61% - 5 to 8 in. 14% - 8 to 10 in. 11% - 10 to 12 in. 13% - 12 to 15 in.	Use a minnow or jig around structure in the main reservoir. Also fish the windy shoreline. Crappie are feeding on small gizzard shad.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

John Redmond Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel.

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Fair to Good	14% - 6 to 9 inches 2% - 9 to 12 inches 28% - 12 to 15 inches 51% - 15-18 inches	Focus on windblown rocky areas of the lake like the dam and around the boat ramp areas. Fish may also be found along the dredge break. Small spinners, crankbaits, small swimbaits or hair jigs should produce some fish. Small topwater baits when they are busting shad on the surface is a fun way to catch them.
Catfish - Blue	Good	9% - 12 to 20 inches 64% - 20 to 30 inches 26% - 30 to 35 inches	Any type of fresh cut bait should produce some fish. Drifting along the old river channel and around the dredge cut should produce a few bites, also fishing up near the river mouth when water is flowing in.
Catfish - Channel	Good	7% - 11 to 16 inches 59% - 16 to 24 inches 22% - 24 to 28 inches 11% - 28 to 36 inches	Fish around the flooded timber or drifting various prepared baits should be productive.
Crappie	Fair to Good	3% - 5 to 8 inches 5% - 8 to 10 inches 74% - 10 to 12 inches 17% - 12 to 15 inches	Crappie should be schooling up around any type of structure or roaming open water chasing shad. Minnows or various colored jig and plastics are usually productive techniques.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

General Comments: Fishing below the dam during low to moderate releases is a good way to catch multiple species of fish.

La Cygne Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Good	16 to 20 inches	Fish are in a summer pattern. Do not fish too close to the hot water outlet. Target vegetation edges with swimbait or plastic creature bait. Topwater bite in low-light conditions early-morning and late-evening. For extra fun fish topwater plugs after dark.
Carp	Fair		Dough balls with strawberry flavoring
Catfish - Blue, Channel & Flathead	Good		Good reports using cut bait like bluegill, chicken livers. Good reports on trotlines in the northen part of the lake. With the heat night time fishing has been good.
Crappie	Fair	9 to 12 inches	Jigs/minnows near structure
White Bass & Wiper	Good	White Bass: 1/2 to 2 pounds Wipers: up to 8+ pounds	There has been some good action on wipers and it should improve in the coming weeks. Look for surfacing feeding activity early and late in the day and use baits that resemble gizzard shad. Both white bass and wipers can be found on windy points and shorelines where shad are concentrating. Look for areas where the wind has been blowing in and start fishing shallow and work deeper.

Water Temperature: 80°s+, it warms up closer to the hot water outflow
Water Level: full pool

General Comments: Send questions and fishing reports to don.george@ks.gov

Marion Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish - Channel	Good	up to 9 pounds	Worms and fresh cut bait fished on wind blown points and shorelines has been productive. Nighttime fishing has been best. Boaters also catching fish drifting along breaks and windy areas.
Crappie - White	Fair	up to 13 inches	Jigs fished in brush piles in the main lake area in 8 to 12 ft of water. Best activity is at dusk and dawn.
Walleye	Fair	up to 24 inches	Trolling crankbaits along windy shorelines early and late in the day. Jig and nightcrawlers still a good bait this time of year.
White Bass & Wiper	Good	up to 23 inches	Anglers have been doing well on white bass and wipers. Watch for surface feeding activity early and late in the day. Jig and plastics/swimbaits and crankbaits work well for casting. Trolling crankbaits is good for finding active fish. Whites and wipers move around a lot chasing shad so keep an eye on the wind and where it is pushing bait.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Melvern Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

>It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Good	up to 5 pounds and 20 inches; most range 12-16 inches	Largemouth can be found in up-river tributaries or on structure (marina, standing timber). Smallmouth are typically caught on rocky shorelines in the lower end of the reservoir. Crayfish imitations produce bites from both species. Dawn and dusk are the best feeding windows when fish move into the shallows.
Bass - White	Very Good	up to 16 inches	White Bass fishing can be very good during the summer, particularly in the morning and evening. These fish form schools and feed aggressively on the abundant baitfish. Look for schools breaking the surface, cast in, and hold on!
Catfish - Channel & Blue	Good	Channel: up to 10 pounds Blue: up to 35 pounds	Summer is a great time to run limbs lines and trot lines allowing anglers to capitalize on the night bite. Blue Catfish are being caught by drifting deeper flats ~20ft adjacent to river channels. Drifting allows anglers to cover water and find active fish. The best fishing has occurred at night.
Crappie	Fair	up to 14 inches	Crappie can be found on deeper brush piles and standing timber. Minnows are the most effective for producing bites, but small plastics can work, too.
Sauger/Saugeye/Walleye	Fair	14-16 inches are common, up to 25 inches	Walleye fishing has slowed down due to warm summer temperature and high abundance of bait fish. Slow trolling crankbaits or bottom bouncers can still produce bites.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Pomona Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Slow		Slow moving finesse baits over deep cover
Catfish - Blue, Channel & Flathead	Fair		Worms, dipbait, and cutbait and drifting along the flats, good results in the spillway also.
Crappie	Fair	8 to 12 inches	Jigs/minnows near deeper brush ans drop offs
Walleye & Saugeye	Good		Vertical jigging, bottom bouncers with crawler harness on flats, or trolling crankbaits are all producing fish. A good bite is being reported in the spillway as well.
White Bass & Wipers	Fair		There has been some good action on wipers and it should improve in the coming weeks. Look for surfacing feeding activity early and late in the day and use baits that resemble gizzard shad. Both white bass and wipers can be found on windy points and shorelines where shad are concentrating. Look for areas where the wind has been blowing in and start fishing shallow and work deeper.

Water Level: As of 08/14/26, the water level is 0.5 feet above pool

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Toronto Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Good	42% - 6 to 8 inches 25% - 9 to 11 inches 13% - 12 to 14 inches 21% - 15 to 18 inches	White bass are feeding on young-of-the-year gizzard shad on mudflats. Use a plastic shad with spinner or immitation shad crank bait. Troll mudflats, fish windy shoreline, or watch for surfacing fish to locate schools.
Catfish - Channel	Good	16% - 11 to 15 inches 40% - 16 to 23 inches 40% - 24 to 27 inches 4% - 28 to 35 inches	Use stink bait, shad sides, or cut bait. Fish the channel breaks and windy shoreline. Channel catfish often follow behing white bass feeding frenzie to clean up.
Crappie - White	Good	47% - 5 to 7 inches 19% - 8 to 9 inches 13% - 10 to 11 inches 20% - 12 to 15 inches	Crappie are feeding on small shad. Fish the windy shoreline or structure in Toronto Cove, Mann's Cove, Woodson Cove, and north side of Duck Island.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Region 4 - Southwest Kansas Reservoirs

Cheney, Horsethief

Cheney Reservoir

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Designated Water: zebra mussel and white perch

It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat before you leave the boat ramp.

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish - Blue	Fair	up to 50 pounds	Fish with live bait or cut bait near deep channels and drop offs.
Catfish - Channel	Good	up to 20 pounds	Try fishing cut bait or stink bait near windblown areas and drop offs at night
Crappie	Fair	up to 17 inches	Try using jigs or minnows near structure.
Walleye & Saugeye	Poor Fair	up to 27 inches	Jigs and live bait near points and drop offs during the day or flats at night.
White Bass/Wiper	Fair to Good	up to 27 inches	Crank baits, live bait, and swimbaits near points and drop offs
White Perch	Good	up to 12 inches	White perch can be caught in similar areas as white bass and wipers using smaller lures. Most white perch are 5"-9" White perch cannot be used as live bait, but they do make good cut bait. All white perch in your possession must be dead. It is illegal to posses live white perch.

View water temperature data from the U.S. Geological Survey here.

View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.

Horsethief Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair to Good	up to 4 pounds	Fish are in a postspawn/ summertime pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the brush piles or main channel swings.
Catfish - Channel	Good	most in the 1 pound range	Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. If it ever rains, target areas of inflow. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the daily limit to help with stunting.
Crappie	Fair to Good	up to 12 inches	Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs where pre-spawn crappie might stage. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level.
Sunfish - Bluegill & Redear	Fair	up to 8 inches	Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush in deeper water.
Walleye/Saugeye	Fair	up to 4 lbs	Jig and night crawler should really work on the points and flats right now. Also try casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water.

Water Temperature: upper 70s to 80s°F

General Comments: As we get into the hotter days of summer expect best success to be at dawn, dusk or night