Fishing Reports By Reservoir

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.

Last Update: 04/17/26

Region 1 - Northwest Kansas Reservoirs

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

Cedar Bluff Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Crappie	Slow/Fair	Up to 15 inches	Fish have abandoned deep winter haunts and have begun to stage prior to spawning. They can be tougher to find this time of year, but vertically fishing jigs or minnows around flooded timber in deeper water directly adjacent to spawning areas can be productive.
Largemouth Bass	Fair/Good	Up to 5 lbs.	Casting soft plastics, swimbaits, and spinnerbaits around boulders and laydown timber associated with mainlake points and secondary points in coves.
Walleye	Fair	Up to 27 inches	Fish should be about finished spawning by now. Look for fish to begin their post-spawn bite where they can be caught drifting or vertically jigging jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or casting shad imitating swimbaits and crankbaits over mainlake points and other structure possessing a hard bottom type usually in about 10 to 15 feet of water. Cedar Bluff walleye harvest is regulated by a 21" minimum length limit and 5 fish/day creel limit, except that anglers have the option to harvest up to 2 walleye 15" but less than 18" as part of the five fish daily creel limit.
White Bass/Wipers	Fair	White Bass up to 17 inches; Wipers up to 10 lbs	White bass should begin moving into the dam and adjacent shorelines to spawn soon where they can be caught casting bucktail and curlytail jigs. Wipers have been tough to come by lately. Might try drifting live sunfish over wind-swept mainlake points.

Water Temperature:	56°F
Water Level:	2120.03 ft. above MSL-23.97 ft. below conservation pool
General Comments:	Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) designated water: zebra mussel. It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas.

Glen Elder Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Black	Fair to Good	12-20 inches	No angler reports. The Marina/Kanza cove and Osage cove held the best densities of black bass last spring. Smallmouth tend to prefer harder, rockier bottoms, while Largemouth might be found on softer bottoms and weed beds. Don't overlook standing timber and brush piles. Look for areas that hold baitfish. Use a quarter ounce or an eighth ounce jig tipped with a minnow or baitfish imitation. You could also have success with hair jigs, jigging spoons, crankbaits, soft plastics, and crayfish imitations. With a 21"length limit, smallmouth bass are almost all sublegal, so please handle them with extreme care and release them immediately after catching them. 60,000 largemouth bass fingerlings were stocked in June 2025.
Catfish	Good	15-35 inches	No angler reports. I've seen local anglers catching a few channel catfish in smaller ponds in the area already. Channel catfish are opportunistic and can be caught in most areas of the lake. Targeting inflows after the rain can be very successful 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 dedicated blue catfish anglers are using cut bait or dead shad. Flatheads catfish key in on hard structure. Rip-rap or brushpiles will hold fish, or they can be found hunting live fish on nearby flats at night. There is a new creel limit on blue catfish at Glen Elder: 10 fish per day, only 1 allowed over 30 in
Crappie	Fair	9-15 inches	No recent reports. A few 10" fish came through ice here and there. One angler reported multiple limits of 12-14" fish in early December targeting trees on river channels between the bluffs and Granite Creek. Expect crappie to be headed towards spawning areas. Look for crappie to be found transitioning from deeper points, channels, drop-offs, or brushpiles to shallow and shoreline structure. Use minnows, jigs, spoons, or small crankbaits.
Trout	Good	10-20 inches	The last stocking for the season occurred Feb. 13 in the Glen Elder Reservoir outlet on the north end of the dam. 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	11-25 inches	No angler reports. Walleye should be wrapping up the spawn. Some post-spawn 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. 3 million fry were stocked in April 2025 and 3,000 fingerlings in October 2025.
White Bass/Wiper	Good to Excellent	11-18 inches	No recent reports. Game Warden Keil reported wiper and white bass being caught through the ice west of the causeway. However, success was varied with some groups getting skunked and some catching over 40. Spawn should be happening right now with White Bass headed for upstream riffles. With little to no inflow target windblown points and shorelines for spawning Whites. 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 before water temps get too low. Use a variety of jigs, spinners, or minnows to catch fish all year. 350,000 wiper fry were stocked in May 2025.

Water Temperature:	56ºF
Water Level:	4.2 feet low
General Comments:	Some boat ramps are unusable due to low water conditions. This currently includes Granite Creek, North Fork River, Carr Creek, and Walnut Creek. Boller Point ramp is very shallow but usable by shallow drafted vessels.

Kanopolis Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Good	All sizes - 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. Look for fish to begin spawning runs up the river, especially if we get an increase in river levels.
Catfish - Channel & Blue	Good	16 - 21"	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. Look for fish starting to stage prior to spawning.
Saugeye	Fair	14 - 22"	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.
Trout			The third and final trout stocking of the season for the seep stream occurred on 2-13-26.
Wiper	Fair	All sizes	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.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:

Keith Sebelius Reservoir (Norton)

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Spotted	Good	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	Fish are being caught lake wide using shad, gizzards, shrimp, night crawlers or stink bait on the bottom.
Crappie	Fair	7 to 16 inches	Starting to get 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 usingjigs under a bobber and jigs tipped with minnows.
Saugeye & Walleye	Fair	13 to 27 inches	I would recommend fishing 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	I would recommend fishing 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:	61° F
Water Level:	2290.89; 13.41' feet below conservation pool; 2.29 feet lower than this time last year
General Comments:	The fish cleaning station should be opening soon. A boat cleaning station (CD3) can be found next to the fish cleaning station and should also be opening soon.

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	Fish are being caught lake wide with shrimp, cut bait, stink bait, night crawlers or shad off the bottom.
Crappie	Fair	7 to 17 inches	Starting to get reports of fish moving up shallow and being caught around Crappie Point, the four maintained fish attractors, and both river channels using jigs under a bobber andjigs tipped with minnows.Could also possibly catch some off the Dam and around the outlet.
Walleye	Fair	10 to 29 inches	The spawn is winding down, and late spawners may be caught off the dam during twilight hours using casting crankbaits, jigs, or swimbaits. The fish that are done spawning are returning to the river channel and flats and can be caught using jigs, minnows, and nightcrawlers.
White Bass/Wiper	Good	10 to 28 inches	I would recommend fishing lake wide using casting jigs and roadrunners from the bank. Trolling diving lures along the dam, river channels, and breaks is also producing fish.

Water Temperature:	61° F
Water Level:	1712.25; 17 feet below conservation pool; 4.94 feet lower than this time last year.
General Comments:	The entire reservoir has been opened back up to boats as of April 1st. The North lane of the South Shore ramp and the Bow Creek ramp are the only usable boat ramps at this time. The fish cleaning station should be opening soon. A boat cleaning station (CD3) can be found next to the fish cleaning station and is usable at this time.

Lovewell Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish	Good	16 to 38 inches	No recent angler reports. 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. When conditions are right blue catfish can be found in shallow vegetation chasing baitfish. Blues and flatheads tend to focus on hard structure like rocks, brush piles, and river channels. Catfish will congregate in deep holes during winter. Finding these will be key to success in cold water. There is a new blue catfish regulation of 10 fish per day with only 1 fish greater than 30 inches allowed.
Crappie	Good	8-14 inches	No recent angler reports. Good numbers of big crappie were being caught this fall and winter. One angler caught a limit fishing drop offs between Walleye Point and the Marina. The crappie should be headed towards spawning areas. 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	16-25 inches	No angler reports. Walleye should be wrapping up with spawning. Look for post-spawn 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. Try using jigging spoons, minnows, brightly colored lures, or nightcrawlers. Trolling nightcrawlers or crankbaits is a common tactic. 5,000 intermediates were stocked in November 2025
White Bass/Wiper	Good	7-14 inches for white bass; 15-25 inches for wiper	No angler reports. White Bass and Wipers will suspend on river channels, drop-offs, and deep brushpiles. 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. 300,000 wiper fry were stocked in May 2024.

Water Temperature:	56° F
Water Level:	2.7 feet low
General Comments:

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	The spawn is winding down, and late spawners may be caught off the dam during twilight hours using casting crankbaits, jigs, or swimbaits. The fish that are done spawning are returning to the river channel and flats and can be caught using jigs, minnows, and nightcrawlers.
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:	61° F
Water Level:	1866.07; 26.38 feet below conservation pool; 1.14 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 should be opening soon. A boat cleaning station (CD3) has been added by the fish cleaning station and is usable at this time.

Wilson Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Black	Good	12-20 inches	Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits around structure.
Bass - Striped	Fair	7-25 pounds	No Reports. Try trolling crankbaits, casting/jigging large bucktail jigs, or drifting live shad or sunfish along channel breaks.
Bass - White	Fair	12-18 inches, up to 3 pounds	Casting shad imitating swimbaits and bucktail jigs over windblown points and using slab spoons along the river channel. Look for fish to make a run up the river if we get inflow. Currently the river is not connected to the reservoir due to low water.
Catfish - Blue & Channel	Good	2-30+ 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.
Walleye	Fair	18-27 inches	The walleye spawn is wrapping up, look for fish to move towards the flats to start feeding. Trolling or casting crankbaits and swimbaits over main lake points or the flats early morning or late evening are your best bets.
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.

Water Temperature:
Water Level:	5.47 feet below conservation pool
General Comments:	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.

Region 2 - Northeast Kansas Reservoirs

Clinton, Hillsdale, Milford, Perry, Tuttle Creek

Clinton Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Good	1-5 lbs	Bass are pre-spawn and will transition to spawning by early May. Tube jigs or plastics that imitate crayfish will produce bites.
Catfish	Good	Up to 40 lbs	Blue Catfish: can be caught near river channels and wind-blown shorelines. Cut shad is producing the most bites. Channel Catfish: activity is increasing. Nightcrawlers or cut bait are producing the most bites early in the season.
Crappie	Good	up to 15 inches	Crappie are preparing to spawn.Spawning begins when water temperature reach 60 degrees.Crappie can be caught in the shallows during the early morning and evening when they move in shallow.Minnows under a bobber is the most effective technique.
Sauger/Saugeye/Walleye	Good	15-18 inches	Walleye are finishing their spawning period. Fish will transition from shallow rocky shorelines to main-lake mudflats.Trolling night crawlers or crankbaits are effective techniques.
White Bass/Wipers	Good	0.5-10 lbs	White Bass are Wiper will run up rivers and creeks to spawn. They also spawn along the dam. White twister tail jigs will produce bites.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	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.

Hillsdale Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair	Up to lbs.	Target medium depth structure and rocky structure.Finesse plastics and crawdad presentations should produce fish. With wind try a swimming bait like a spinner bait or a chatter bait
Bass - White	Fair	Up to 2 lbs.	Target white bass off wind blown points and rocky banks. As they begin to spawn, target shallow creeks at the upper ends of the lake. Jigs and shad imitation lures are the best baits right now.
Catfish - Channel	Fair	Up to 10 lbs.	Channel catfish can be taken on a variety of baits lakewide using prepared or live baits. Target creek mouths the day after a rain.
Crappie	Good	Up to 13 inches	The crappie are moving into shallower water as we get close to the spawn.Target 2-8 feet of water using live minnows or small plastic jigs under a bobber
Walleye	Fair	Up to 9 lbs.	Walleye should be moving off the dam post-spawn and beginning spring time feeding patterns. Slow moving worm rigs with bottom bouncers may produce bites.
White Bass/Wipers	Fair	Up to 2 lbs.	Target white bass off wind blown points and rocky banks. As they begin to spawn, target shallow creeks at the upper ends of the lake.Jigs and shad imitation lures are the best baits right now.

Water Temperature:	60° F; view live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	1.5-2 feet below conservation pool; view live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	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.

Milford Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair
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	Fair/Good	10-20ft deep suspended near points, flooded brush, and ledges on jigs w/ minnows and crankbaits.
Walleye	Fair/Good	10-20ft deep suspended near points, flooded brush, and ledges on jigs w/ minnows and crankbaits.
White Bass/Wipers	Fair	Target deeper water with live shad or artificial baits (spoons, swimbaits, etc.). Some fish may be found on wind swept banks and points.

Water Temperature:
Water Level:
General Comments:	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.

Perry Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair	up to 5.0 lbs	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 can be caught focusing on larger rocky areas
Bass - White	Fair	up to 1.5 lbs.	White Bass can be caught using any bait resembling a shad or even from crappie jigs. These fish can be caught near shore or up river this time of year.
Catfish - Blue	Fair	up to 25.0 lbs.	Effective July 25, 2025, the length and creel limit for blue catfish will change to allow anglers to harvest 10 blue catfish of any size but only one of those fish may be greater than 30 inches. For example, you may harvest ten 24" fish or nine 18" fish and one 30" fish. Harvest of smaller fish is encouraged to help thin down and prevent possible stunting. Blue catfish were being caught relatively shallow but may start moving to slightly deepr water. Look for them in 10-15 foot mudflats.
Catfish - Channel	Good	up to 10.0 lbs	Try targeting larger rocky shorelines or adjacent mudflats with nightcrawlers and cutbait.
Crappie - White
Sauger	Slow	up to 2.6 lbs.	There are good numbers in the reservoir but few are above the protective 18" minimum length limit. Try trolling crankbaits or lindy rigs 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.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	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.

Tuttle Creek Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth
Bass - White	Slow to Fair	1/2 to2 pounds	White bass numbers have been struggling due to limited spawning success for most of the last decade. This has improved some in recent years but the population is still well below the good fishery the lake has produced in the past.
Catfish - Blue	Fair to Good	Good numbers of nice eater size fish from 20 to 30 inches with a few fish over 40 pounds	The blue catfish population at Tuttle Creek has modest numbers when compared to other KS lakes but has maintained an excellent size structure due to good growth rates. Sampling in June 2025 showed that 46% of the blue catfish were between 20 to 25 inches, 24% were from 25 to 30 inches, and 20% were over 30 inches. Fresh cut bait or fresh shad are usually good baits. The upper end of the lake is the most consistent area to find blues.Blue catfish harvest regulations are a 10 fish daily creel limit which may include only one fish 30 inches or longer.
Catfish - Channel	Fair	Fair numbers of bigger fish over 28 inches.	The lake and the connected river system has maintained a good channel catfishpopulation through the history of the lake and has been one of the best places around to catch channel cats over 8 pounds. The 2025 sample recorded that channel catfish numbers are slightly above normal with 9% of the fish collected were over 24 inches. Fishing in the upper end of the lake and the river tends to be the most consistent spots for channel cats.
Crappie	Good	1/2 to 2 pounds	The lake has been providing good crappie fishing the last six years due to good spawning success and robust growth rates during this time. The 2025 fall sample shows that this good trend continues as the number of crappie was almost double the 20-year average for the lake. Size structure of the crappie population should be appealing to anglers as last fall 32% were 10" to 12" and 4% were over 12" with almost every fish being fat and healthy. No recent reports but fishing should start picking up here soon as the water temps climb.
Saugeye	Fair	Up to 6 pounds	The saugeye population has been doing very well the last few years due to stable water conditions. From the 2025 fall fish sampling, numbers of saugeye were slightly elevated over the 10-year norm. The saugeye size structure was very appealing with 29% of the fish were over 18 inches. Since saugeye like to leave Tuttle Creek through the dam downstream during large releases, some of the best opportunities to harvest saugeye is in the River Pond or Rocky Ford or at the "tubes". Great shoreline access at all of these spots and fish are regularly being caught year-round.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	K-State is conducting a study to track fish movements and there are a few saugeye with a purple tag in their back - please release all fish with a purple tag. 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.

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	12-20"	Largemouth bass fishing has been fair. Look for fish to begin to move shallow to feed on warm days and as the water warms. Also look around weedline edges and shallow brush piles.
Catfish - Channel	Fair	16-24"	Catfishing has been fair. Look for fish to be on the windward side of the lake near any windy points or shorelines. Worms have been the preferred bait.
Crappie	Good	6-12"	Crappie fishing has been good. Look for fish by Rea Bridge as well as staging near spawning areas as they prepare to spawn in the coming weeks.
Sunfish - Bluegill & Redear	Fair	5-7"	Bluegill and redear fishing has been fair. Look for them to start to move shallow as water warms in the coming weeks. Working deer weeds or brush can produce some fish.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:

Bone Creek Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Good	43% - 8 to 12 in. 22% - 12 to 15 in. 31% - 15 to 20 in. 4% - over 20 in.	Anglers have reported catching largemouth bass in coves, along vegetation edges, and along the shoreline with spinner baits, bladed jigs, and swimbaits. Common sizes being reported are 12-15", 15-17", 18-20" and a few above 20". Bone Creek filled to full pool week of 3/30, prior to the spawn, which should provide ample habitat for another strong year class to be spawned. Week of 4/6, males beginning to form nests and nesting activity was observed, so spawning will occur in the coming weeks.
Catfish - Channel	Good	15-36 inches	Anglers have reported channel catfish being caught in the coves, main lake drop offs, and creek arms. Anglers from the shoreline should focus on the coves, both the north and south side of the dam, west end, and the handicap access on the south side of the lake near the boat ramp. Prepared baits, worms, cut or live bait will be good baits to try. Anglers from boats should focus on flats and near rock habitat.
Crappie - Black	Fair	8-14 inches	Recent angler reports of catching crappie near shore at handicap access, west end, and from boat in 8-14'. Anglers are reporting catching multiple year classes from 4-14-inches. Anglers should focus on submerged trees that are in 15-20' that are in close proximity to depth changes, or creek channels, during all times of the year. Live minnows under a bobber, spinners, or 1/8-1/16 ounch jigs with twister tails will all be good options. Fall sampling indicated a successful spawn and strong 2023 year class of Age-0 (2-3"), another 2022 year class of Age-1 crappie (9-9.5"), as well as crappie up to 14". Black Crappie are growing to 9.5 inches at the end of their second growing season, whereas in 2012, it took 6 years to reach 10-inches in Bone Creek.
Saugeye
Sunfish - Bluegill & Redear	Good	2-9 inches	Anglers should focus their efforts along the shoreline in depths less than 6' deep near submerged trees and edges of aquatic vegetation. Areas to pursue will be on the north and south ends of the dam, coves, and rocky habitats. A bobber and worm, fly rod with small flies, and 1/16 ounce jig with a twister tail will be good baits to try. Recent sampling indicated a prominent and record year class of redear sunfish and bluegill that are less than 4-inches. Redear, bluegill, green sunfish and longear sunfish all provide important forage for other sportfish species in the lake, as well as provide a fishing opportunity for anglers.

Water Temperature:
Water Level:
General Comments:	Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) designated water: Eurasian watermilfoil. It is illegal to transport live fish from AIS Designated Waters in Kansas. Clean, drain, and dry your boat and inspect your livewells and bait buckets before you leave the boat ramp.

Council Grove Reservoir

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

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	Outlet fishing is slow/fair for catfish, white bass, and saugeye. 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.

El Dorado Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish - Blue	Good	up to 40 inches, with a lot of 18 to 24 inch "eater" sized fish.	Shallow windblown points or shorelines are producing good catches of blue catfish. Fresh cut bait fished on the bottom with an incoming wind has been productive. Harvest of legal length blue catfish is encouraged, especially blues in the 18 to 26 inch range. The creel limit has been increased from 5/day to 10/day to allow anglers to harvest more blue catfish.No more than 1 blue catfish can be 30 inches or over.
Crappie	Fair	Up to 15+ inches	Crappie are being caught on brush piles in deeper water 8 to 15 feet deep. Shallow activity has been very slow, but it's still a little early so action will be improving in the near future. Crappie jigs or minnows near shallow cover. The creeks have been producing a few crappie this week. Main lake crappies are being caught in brush or timber in 9 to 14 ft of water.
Walleye	Fair	up to 26 inch	The spawn continues as fish remain on the dam and other spawning areas. Earlier spawning walleye have moved off the dam and a few have even been caught on the flats. Walleye action will improve as the spawn ends and the flats bite takes off. The jig and crawler combo is tough to beat for the early flats bite although white perch can be a huge nuisance. Jig and plastic combos are more durable and still catch walleye if white perch are stripping crawlers faster than you can put them on. Look for shallow, windswept areas with deeper water nearby.
White Perch			White perch can usually be found on mainlake breaks and rocky areas. Small hooks and worms are always productive. Most white perch at El Dorado are on the smaller side at 4 to 6 inches.
White Bass & Wiper	Fair to Good	17-25 inch	Wiper and whites can be found on shallow windblown points in early spring taking advantage of the warmer water. Creek action has been slow, but if timely inflows occur spawning fish will be making a run upstream. Wiper have been on the face of dam as the water temps continued to warm. If inflows are scarce, fish will seek out rock areas such as the dam and causeways to spawn on. Whites and wipers will hit a variety of lures. Jig and plastics, lipless crankbaits, and inline spinners are all good choices.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	0.1 feet above normal pool, releasing 256 CFS.
General Comments:	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.

Elk City Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Fair	10-14"	The white bass fishing remains fair. White bass just started to run the river when the river came up. It should get better when river conditions improve.
Catfish - Blue & Channel	Fair	18-30"	Catfishing has been hit or miss. Look for fish to be near the river mouth with inflowing water and in the shallows of the wind blown shoreline.
Crappie	Fair	8-14"	Crappie fishing has been hit or miss. Fluctuating temps and lake levels have made crappie fishing sporadic. Look for fish to be staging for spawning and moving into the shallows to spawn in the coming weeks.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	Outlet fishing has been fair. Some channel andblue catfish have been caught down on cutbait and worms since the gates have been open. The Elk City State Park Youth/Mentor pond is now open. The pond is open to anglers 15 and younger as well as their mentor. A mentor may take more than one youth fishing, but only one mentor may fish per youth they accompany. Two channel catfish can be harvested daily, but largemouth bass are catch and release only.

Fall River Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Fair	28% - 6 to 9 in. 22% - 9 to 12 in. 33% - 12 to 15 in. 17% - 15 to 18 in.	Use a jig, spinner, or imitation shad on channel breaks and deep holes in river. Watch for water inflow to trigger spawn in riffles.
Catfish - Channel	Fair	26% - 16 to 24 in. 53% - 24 to 28 in. 30% - 28 to 36 in.	Use a worm, stink bait, or shad sides in channels.
Crappie	Good	61% - 5 to 8 in. 14% - 8 to 10 in. 11% - 10 to 12 in. 13% - 12 to 15 in.	Use a jig or minnow on brush piles and rocky shorelines. Crappie won't move to shallow water to spawn until it's in the low 60's.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:

John Redmond Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	up to 3lbs.	Fair-Good	Fish should be thinking about spawning up in the river and creeks, find the shallow riffle areas and throw small spinners, roadrunners, or swimbaits.
Catfish - Blue	up to 30 lbs.	Good	Fresh cut carp or shad drifted along the dredged area or near windblown shorelines. Fishing near the upper end by the river mouth may also be productive
Catfish - Channel	up to 20lbs.	Fair-Good	Drifting various prepared baits along windblown shorelines. Some fish can be caught in the flooded trees or up near the river mouth
Crappie	up to 15"	Fair-Good	Some crappie are being caught up in Otter Creek folks are using jigs and minnows under bobbers around structure.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	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.

La Cygne Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair to Good	varies but 16 to 20 inches is common	Bass fishing has been good close to the hot water.Use surface plugs or plastic worms along the rip rap and shoreline along shaded areas.
Bass - White	Fair	varies, some almost 2 pounds	Use shad imitations, silver spoons. Most of the fish caught in the area of the hot water outlet have been the 1to2 pound range.
Carp	Slow		Shoreline cover using dough baits
Catfish - Blue, Channel & Flathead	Fair		This lake supports good fishing for big blue cats, good channel and flatheads. Good baits are worm, frozen shad or liver, sunfish or cut shad, prepared baits.Fishing at the hot water is always the best place, move away until you find favorable water temperatures.Lots of fish collect there. Some blue catfish have been caught that are over 80 pounds.Catfishing can be very good just about anywhere along the shoreline.
Crappie	Fair	9- 12 inches	Sampling and angler reports indicate that there are still alot of good crappie here, most in the 10-12 inch range. Best lures to use arejigs/minnows,near structure.
Wiper	Slow	some up to 12 pounds	Most fish are in the 4-6 pound range with a few larger.Find surface gizzard shad and fish close to the shad.

Water Temperature:
Water Level:
General Comments:	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.

Marion Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish - Channel	Fair to Good	14 to 24 inches	Cats are being caught on windy points and shorelines. Fresh cut bait and night crawlers are good baits for channel catfish.
Crappie - White	Fair	up to 13 inches	Crappie are being caught from main lake brush piles in water 9 to 15 feet deep on jigs and minnows.A few crappie have been caught shallow, but the shallow bite has been very sporadic. Spawning activity will increase in the next couple of weeks and shallow action will improve.
Walleye	Fair	up to 23 inches	The spawn is winding down and some fish remain along the dam and other spawning areas. Walleye will be moving to the main lake flats and points in the next few weeks. Drifting nightcrawler tipped jigs is a great spring tactic for post spawn walleye.
White Bass & Wiper	Good	up to 14 inch	Points, humps, and windblown shorelines on grubs, spinners, or spoons. Also trolling crankbaits along the dam. A few whites have been caught in the creeks. Timely inflows with enough duration could pull spawning white bass upriver for some great fishing action.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	0.30 feet below normal pool; view live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	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.

Melvern Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Good	1-5 lb	Bass are pre-spawn. Spawning will begin by early May. Crayfish imitations will produce bites.
Bass - White	Good	up to 16 inches	White bass run up rivers and creek to spawn.They will also spawn along the dam.Twister tail jigs will produce bites.
Catfish	Good	up to 40lbs.	Blue Catfish can be caught near river channels and wind-blown shorelines. Cut bait produces the most bites.
Crappie	Good	up to 15 inches	Crappies are preparing to spawn.Spawning begins when water temperatures reach 60 degrees.Crappie will move into the shallows during early morning and evening.Minnows under a bobber is the most effective technique.
Sauger/Saugeye/Walleye	Good	15-20 inches	Walleye are finishing their spawning period. Fish will transition to mid-lake mud flats to feed. Trolling nightcrawlers or crankbaits are effective techniques.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	Spring is an excellent time of year to go fishing in Kansas. As fish complete their annual spawn, they begin feeding heavily. Fish move in shallow to take advantage of rising water temperature, providing great opportunities for shore anglers. Afternoons/evenings are often the best time to go fishing. 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.

Pomona Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth
Catfish - Blue, Channel & Flathead	Excellent		Fishing reports are very good using baits like worms or dip baits and cut sunfish or cutshad.Many great shorelines for family from the bank fishing. The Rock Quarry is a good place for shore fishing. The outlet can be very good when releasing larger amounts of water.There is the occasional harvest of a blue catfish. Channel catfish are in great shape, many in the 2-to-4-pound range.Lots of catfish caught in the spillway on worms or cut bait.
Crappie	Slow	variesbut range 8-12 inches	Shallow windy shorelines and points are good places for crappie feeding on gizzard shad. Best baits aredark jigs and/or minnows.When releasing high volume of water the outlet/spillway is fantastic.
Walleye & Saugeye	Fair	varies	Try crank baits or jigs tipped with night crawlers along the dam or rocky areas
White Bass & Wipers	Good	varies	There are good white bass up to 2 pounds and good wipers up to the 5–7-pound pounds. Good baits are minnows/live baits, cut bait, sometimes for wipers use liver and shadimitation lures.Look for where shad are schooled up.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:	The stilling basin can produce some fantastic fishing especially when large water releases occur. 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.

Toronto Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - White	Fair	42% - 6 to 9 in. 25% - 9 to 12 in. 13% - 12 to 15 in. 21% - 15 to 18 in.	Use a jig, spinner, or imitation shad on channel breaks and deep holes in river and Walnut Creek. Watch for water inflow to trigger spawn on riffles.
Catfish - Channel	Fair	16% - 11 to 16 in. 40% - 16 to 24 in. 40% - 24 to 28 in. 4% - 28 to 36 in.	Use a worm, stink bait, or shad in channels.
Crappie - White	Good	47% - 5 to 8 in. 19% - 8 to 10 in. 13% - 10 to 12 in. 20% - 12 to 15 in.	Use a jig or minnow around brush piles and standing timber in Toronto Point Cove, north side of Duck Island, and Manns Cove. Crappie won't move to shallow water until it in the low 60's.

Water Temperature:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
Water Level:	View live lake information available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.
General Comments:

Region 4 - Southwest Kansas Reservoirs

Cheney, Horsethief

Cheney Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish - Blue	Fair to Good	Up to 50lbs	Fish with live bait or cut bait near windblown flats and channels.
Catfish - Channel	Good	Up to 20lbs	Try fishing cut bait or stink bait near windblown areas.
Crappie	Fair to Good	Up to 17"	Try using jigs or minnows near shallow structure on warmer days.
Walleye & Saugeye	Fair	Up to 27"	Large crank baits and jigs near the dam and rocks.
White Bass/Wiper	Fair	Up to 27"	Crank baits, live bait, and swimbaits near shallow points.
White Perch	Good	Up to 12"	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.

Water Temperature:
Water Level:
General Comments:	The lake is above conservation pool and most boat ramps are unusable (fish cove boat ramp is covered by cattails). Flooded vegetation may cause boating hazards. Use caution. 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.

Horsethief Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth	Fair to Good	Up to 4 lbs	Fish are in a prespawn pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the brush piles.
Catfish - Channel	Good	Most in the 1 lb size 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.
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 50s to lower 60s° F
Water Level:
General Comments:

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