Fishing Reports By Reservoir | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

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.

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 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	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 shallow flats and points
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 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 to Good	12-20 inches	The state park coves will have the best densities. Smallmouth tend to prefer harder, rockier bottoms, while Largemouth might be found on softer bottoms and weed beds. Both species should be spawning in late April and May with Smallmouth tending to wrap up earlier. Don't overlook brush piles. Look for areas 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. 60,000 largemouth bass fingerlings were stocked in June 2025.
Catfish	Good	15-35 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 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	One group caught 20 males in Kanza cove in April. These fish are getting ready to spawn. 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 shoreline structure. Use minnows, jigs, spoons, or small crankbaits.
Trout	Poor	10-20 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	11-25 inches	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. 2.8 million fry were stocked in April 2026 and 3,000 fingerlings in October 2025.
White Bass & Wiper	Good to Excellent	11-18 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: 60°F
Water Level: 4.3 feet low

General Comments: Boller Point ramp is very shallow but usable by shallow drafted vessels. Repairs to the face of the dam were completed in February 2023. Water levels should start to rise with rain.

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	Fair to 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.
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	Fish are currently up shallow spawning as we get later in the month try the deeper structure, brush piles, or the river channel with 1/16 oz. jigs and live minnows.
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.
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.

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	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	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: 64°F
Water Level: 2290.72; 13.58' feet below conservation pool; 2.34 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.

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	Been catching fish up shallow and 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 been catching fish on the flats and river channels using jigs tipped with night crawlers and/or minnows. Trolling diving lure 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: 64°F

Water Level: 1712.07; 17.18 feet below conservation pool; 4.79' lower than this time one year ago

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. 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.

Lovewell Reservoir

SPECIES	RATING	SIZE	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Catfish	Good	16 to 38 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. 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	8-15 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	16-25 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 alleye Point to the Marina. 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	7-25 inches	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. 1 million fry were stocked in April 2026.

Water Temperature: 64°F
Water Level: 1.9 feet low

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: 64°F
Water Level: 1865.82; 26.63 feet below conservation pool; 1.71 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. Discard leftover bait in a trash can.

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	12-20 inches	Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits around structure.
Bass - Striped	Fair	7-25 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.
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.
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. Harvest of smaller individuals is encouraged
Walleye	Fair	18-27 inches	Success should pick up as we head into early June. 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.

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	BAITS, METHODS, LOCATION
Bass - Largemouth & Smallmouth	Fair	Bass are coming off their annual spawn. Males may still be guarding nests and fry. Tube jigs or plastics that imitate crayfish will produce bites.
Catfish	Good	Blue Catfish can be caught near river channels and wind-blown shorelines. Cut shad is producing the most bites. Angling success may slow down as fish focus on spawning. Channel Catfish activity is increasing. Nightcrawlers or cut bait are producing the most bites. Fish can be caught near rip-rap rocks and timber as they begin to transition to spawning.
Crappie	Good	Crappie have finished spawning and have transitioned to mid-depth brush piles in 8-15ft. Minnows are the most effective technique, but small jigs and plastics will also produce bites
Sauger/Saugeye/Walleye	Very Good	Walleye fishing has been good over the past few weeks and should remain productive until the summer heat comes. Most fish are being caught with worms.
White Bass/Wipers	Good	White bass and wiper can be found along deep river channels or wind-blown shorelines. Spoons or jigs will produce bites.

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

General Comments: We are currently conducting a creel survey. You may be approached by clerks to ask about your fishing success.

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	Slow	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	Good	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	Excellent	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	Excellent	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

Water Temperature: 73°F
Water Level: 0.5-1 foot high

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	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	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.

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 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 but anglers pursuing largemouth should try the rock creek arm.
Bass - White	Fair	up to 1.5 lbs.	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 lbs.	Look for Blue Catfish on mudflats adjacent to rocky spawning areas. The shallow rock points are good places to start looking. 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.
Catfish - Channel	Good	up to 10 lbs	Channel Catfish are up shallow in the rocks right now. Try fishing a chunk of worm or cut bait shallow along a rocky shoreline.
Crappie - White	Good	up to 2.5 lbs.	Some anglers are still catching crappie shallow from the shore while others are having luck fishing deeper brush.
Sauger	Good	up to 2.6 lbs.	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.

General Comments: We are currently conducting a creel survey. You may be approached by clerks to ask about your fishing success.

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	Slow to Fari	1 to 5 lbs.	Most of the lake has few largemouth bass but the McIntyre Cove has a decent population of mid-sized fish.
Bass - White	Slow to Fair	up to 16"	White bass numbers are still low at Tuttle Creek but have improved some the last few years.
Catfish - Blue	Good	Most 20" to 30"	Good fishing in the upper end of the lake on cut bait or shad. Stockdale point has been a good shore fishing spot.
Catfish - Channel	Good	24" to 28"	Channels have been shallow and feeding up lately.
Crappie	Fair to Good	1/2 to 2 lbs.	Crappie are moving into their summer pattern and can be found around 10 deep near trees or brush. Great population right now.
Saugeye	Good	Up to 6 pounds	Good numbers of saugeye over 18" in Tuttle Creek this year. Right now can be found on rocky points using crankbaits or swimbaits.

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.

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

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.

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

Bone Creek Reservoir

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.

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	15-32 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	Good	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	Fair	18-26"	Saugeye reports have been limited but a few anglers have reported catching saugeye 24-26 inches this month along the dam on the east end of the reservoir using jigs, lindy rigs, and trolling. Fishing at night near access areas and boat ramps has also yielded saugeye this month.
Sunfish - Bluegill, Green, Longear & Redear	Good	4-9 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 target are near the handicapped access area, mouths of coves, and north south corners of the dam. Recent sampling indicated a prominent and record year class of redear sunfish and bluegill.

Water Temperature: 72ºF

Water Level: Full pool

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	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

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
Catfish - Blue	Fair/Good	up to 35 inches	Fresh cut baits on breaks off of points and along main lake river channels
Crappie	Fair/Good	Up to 15 inches	A few fish are still being caught shallow. Better success is being had in brush or trees in 8 to 15 ft of water
Walleye	Fair	up to 25 inch	Drifting crawlers or crawler and spinner along mud flats off of main lake points
White Perch	Fair	4-7 inches	Small live bait presentations or small artificials near rocky breaks or old roads
White Bass & Wiper	Good	11-25 inches	Windy points and flats on crankbaits, spinners, and jig and plastics

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	10-14"	The white bass fishing remains fair. White bass can be found near the dam or on any windy points. Swim baits or hair jigs typically work best.
Catfish - Blue & Channel	Good	18-30"	Catfishing has been good. Look for fish to be near the river mouth with inflowing water and in the shallows of the wind blown shoreline. Some Blue Catfish have been found on the flats near the river channel.
Crappie	Fair	8-14"	Crappie fishing has been hit or miss. Fluctuating temps and lake levels have made crappie fishing sporadic. Some fish have been caught shallow as they will be spawing anytime. Minnows and jigs under a bobber have been working best.

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.	Fish are done spawning and returning to the main reservoir. Use a jig and spinner on windy shoreline. Some fish are also hanging on structure in the reiver
Catfish - Channel	Fair	26% - 16 to 24 in. 53% - 24 to 28 in. 30% - 28 to 36 in.	Channel catfish are spawning in rock cavities. Use cut bait, shad sides, or worms on rocky shorelines.
Crappie	Good	61% - 5 to 8 in. 14% - 8 to 10 in. 11% - 10 to 12 in. 13% - 12 to 15 in.	Fish are spawning in shallow water over gravel beds. Use a jig or minnow on brush piles around South Rock Ridge & Engineer Bay and on rocky shorelines.

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	14% - 6 to 9 in. 2% - 9 to 12 in. 28% - 12 to 15 in. 51% - 15-18 in.	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.
Catfish - Blue	Good	9% - 12-20 in. 64% - 20-30 in. 26% - 30-35 in.	Any type of fresh cut bait should produce some fish. Most anglers have been using shad, carp, or white bass. Fish may be found up shallow for the next few weeks, and will also move near the river mouth with inflowing water.
Catfish - Channel	Good	Fair-Good	Channel catfish will be up shallow near rocky or woody structure for spawning activities for the next few weeks. Various types of prepared stinkbait or doughbait, worms, or livers should work.
Crappie	Fair-Good	Fair-Good	Crappie will be wrapping up spawning activities through late May. Some fish may still be caught shallow along the dam face or the rocky areas around the boat ramp. Dipping jigs around the flooded timber may also produce some fish. Crappie will move to deeper water post-spawn and start schooling up around structure.

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

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	Fair to Good	16 to 20 inches	Topwater lures and plastic creature baits
Bass - White	Fair	1/2 to 2 lbs.	Spinners, spoons, topwaters
Carp	Slow/Fair		Dough balls
Catfish - Blue, Channel & Flathead	Fair		Cut bait
Crappie	Fair	9- 12 inches	Jigs/minnows near structure
Wiper	Slow	4 to 12 s	Topwater near surfacing shad

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	Fair	15 to 26 inches	Night crawlers and cut bail along rocky areas and along the dam
Crappie - White	Fair	up to 13 inches	Minnow or jigs near shoreline cover. Fish are moving off the bank and back out to deeper water and can be caught in the brush piles and along the dam.
Walleye	Fair	up to 20 inches	Anglers have reported slow to fair walleye action recently. Drifting night crawlers along points and windblown shorelines is a good springtime walleye tactic.
White Bass & Wiper	Good	up to inch	There has been good white bass and wiper activity in the mail lake over the past several weeks. Fish are being caught on jib and plastic and a few on crankbaits. Look for white bass and wipers on the windy shorelines, points, and the ends of the dam.

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	14 to 20 inches	Bass are coming off their annual spawn. Males may still be guarding nests and fry. Tube jigs or plastics that imitate crayfish will produce bites.
Bass - White	Good	up to 16 inches	White bass can be found along deep river channels or wind-blown shorelines. Spoons or jigs will produce bites.
Catfish	Good	up to 40 lbs.	Blue catfish can be caught near river channels and wind-blown shorelines. Angling success may slow down as fish focus on spawning. Channel catfish activity is increasing. Fish can be caught near rip-rap rocks and timber as they begin to transition to spawning.
Crappie	Good	10 to 14 inches	Crappie have finished spawning and have transitioned to mid-depth brush piles in 8-15ft. Minnows are the most effective technique, but small jigs and plastics will also produce bites
Sauger/Saugeye/Walleye	Very Good	14 to 18 inches	Walleye fishing has been good over the past few weeks and should remain productive until the summer heat comes. Most fish are being caught on worms.

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	Fair		Topwater and spinnerbaits near brush
Catfish - Blue, Channel & Flathead	Good		worms/dipbait/cutbait
Crappie	Fair to Good	8 to 12 inches	jigs/minnows near deeper brush
Walleye & Saugeye	Fair		jigs/worms near edges of flats
White Bass & Wipers	Good		live bait, spinners, and shad imitation lures

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	6"-8" 42% 9"-11" 25% 12"-14" 13% 15"-18" 21%	Fish are done spawning and returning to the main reservoir. Use a jig and spinner on windy shoreline. Some fish are also hanging on structure in the river and Walnut Creek.
Catfish - Channel	Good	11"-15" 16% 16"-23" 40% 24"-27" 40% 28"-35" 4%	Fish are spawning in rock cavities. Use cut bait, shad sides, or worms around rocky shorelines.
Crappie - White	Very good	5"-7" 47% 8"-9" 19% 10"-11" 13% 12"-15" 20%	Crappie are spawning on gravel shorelines. Use jig or minnow around brush piles and structure in Toronto Point Cove, Mann's Cove, Woodson Cove, 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 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	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.

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

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.

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: 60s to 70s°F