Kansas Fishing Report for Southeast Kansas

Help The Angler keep others informed by emailing reports to us. Include your name in the message part of your report if you'd like to receive credit for the report.

Source: Kansas Wildlife and Parks, Local marinas and bait shops, Kansas Anglers like you. Send us a report.

REGION 5
Reservoirs are listed first, then state lakes, city and local lakes and streams
Update dates are shown at the top of the report of the individual lake.
State reports last checked June 14, 2013 at 9:01 p.m.

Request for help - My name is Brenda Osterman, and I am from Wisconsin. My son, Brandon Oswald, won the TBF/SAF 2013 Murray State Open High School Bass Fishing Tournament this past March in partnership with Reid Finley from Kentucky.

My son is interested in entering the 2013 World Finals taking place in Arkansas the week of July 14th. He is in need of a partner and boat captain and boat for the World Finals. Do you hear of any high school clubs in Arkansas or Kansas who are in need of a partner? I have also sent an email to the TBF and they have been trying to keep their ears open to, but please let me know.

Thank you, and I look forward to your assistance and any help you may be able to provide.

Sincerely,

Brenda Osterman
608-487-2655

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Fair	8-10 inches	Crappie have moved offshore and can be found suspended near timber and channel edges.
Channel Catfish	Fair	14-22 inches	Look for channel catfish on the north end of the reservoir, particularly around Rea Bridge. Shad sides, worms, and livers have all been productive.
Largemouth Bass	Fair	8-18 inches	Largemouth bass can be found on the shoreline in morning and evening. During mid-day, look for fish on main lake points.
General Comments
The Mound Valley ramp and Timber Hill ramp are both usable. New District Newsletter We have created a fishing newsletter that can be sent out to all that subscribe to it. This newsletter is for fishing information for the Independence District(Montgomery, Wilson, and Labette counties) only.

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Poor	8-14 inches	Crappie have moved offshore and can be located suspended near the dam. Small jigs and patience will be the key.
Channel catfish	Fair	10-25 inches	Drifting channel edges with cutbait, liver, or stinkbait will be successful throughout summer. During periods of high water, look for fish near inflow eddies.
White bass	Fair	8-16 inches	Most white bass action will be near the Card Creek ramp. Trolling crankbaits and twirl tail grubs are both good approaches.
Outlet	Good		Anglers have success targeting blue, channel, and flathead catfish during periods of water release from the reservoir.
General Comments
The Elk City State Park boat ramp is usable. Water Level Current water levels and discharge can be viewed HERE. District Newsletter We have created a fishing newsletter that can be sent out to all that subscribe to it. This newsletter is for fishing information for the Independence District(Montgomery, Wilson, and Labette counties) only. Youth/Mentor Pond 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. See the park office for more information.

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
channel catfish	good	13% 11"-16" 33% 16"-24" 53% 24"-28" 0% >28"	Worm, stink bait, or shad sides in mouth of river.
crappie	good	70% 5"- 8" 8% 8"-10" 14% 10"-12" 8% 12"-15" 1% 15"+	Jig or minnow on gravel and rocky shorelines.
largemouth bass	poor	43% 8"-12" 22% 12"-15" 29% 15"-20" 7% >20"	The main body of the reservoir doesn't have the necessary largemouth bass habitat to support a high density bass population. However, the flooded timber and clearer water in the backwater section of the river produces a fair density bass population. There were 14 bass per hour of electrofishing around the Ladd Bridge section of the river. The ideal catch rate would be 100 bass per hour. Jig, worm, spinner or crank bait around stumps in river.
white bass	fair	11% 6"- 9" 14% 9"-12" 46% 12"-15" 29% >15"	Plastic shad, jig, spinner, or immitation shad crank bait on rocky shorelines.
General Comments
The size structure listed for largemouth bass is from May 2012 electrofishing. The size structure listed for crappie, white bass and channel catfish is from October 2011 test netting. Sign up to receive a copy of the Fall River District Fisheries Newsletter. For more information about the Fall River Fisheries District, click here to access newsletters.

The boat ramp is open at the dam. Water temp 70s. The lake is currently 3 ft. above the new conservation pool of 1041 and the release is 932 cfs.

ALERT! This lake contains Zebra Mussels please help stop the spread Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and equipment after leaving this water body. It is Illegal transport live fish, bait, and water from this lake.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Channel, blue and flathead catfish,	Good	all sizes,	Fishing is improving, Use sunfish or cutshad,worms, liver, prepared baits. The lake has big flathead and blues to catch. Trotline fishing is excellent with 2 flatheads over 65 pounds caught over the weekend.
Crappie	Slow/Good	all sizes	fish are Off/On, when they are On the fishing is good, try the tubes at the plant entrance, the outlet at the dam, center lake over the bridge, best on minnows some on jigs white/blue, most fish over 10 - 12 inches
Largemouth bass	Good/Improving	varies	bass are best along weedbeds or along the riprap, use cranks, plastic worms, lizards or spinner baits like shad imitations
white bass	Slow	varies, some 1.5 pounds	use shad imitations, silver spoons big jigs, or cut shad. best at the hot water outlet,
wiper	Slow	some up to 12 pounds	trolling with sassy shads, best at the hot water outlet area, with crankbaits, spoons, or cut shad
General Comments
Water levels are good for fishing. Recent bass sampling indicates that La Cygne produces some of the best large largemouth bass in the state. Trotline fishing is excellent with 2 flatheads over 65 pounds caught over the weekend. Boat ramps are okay to use. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Fishing at La Cygne produces a mixed bag of fish from big blue or flathead catfish, to white bass and wipers or crappie and largemouth bass. Good shoreline angler access is provided by the Linn County Park on the west side of the lake. Anglers can walk in to the hot water outlet area from the east parking lot. The location is: at 69 HWY and Ks HWY 152, go east on E.2200 Rd., turn north at Young Rd. and go West at E. 2400 Rd. to the parking lot. Unload gear and walk west down the trail to where the hot water from the power plan empties into the lake. Results from the March 10 bass tournament is:l Despite the cold rainy weather and lack of fish numbers the tournament was successful. 18 boats showed up. Most teams brought in 1 to 2 fish. A father son team brought in the biggest bag...3 fishing weighing just over 17 pounds!!! It was an awesome bag. The son also got big fish with a 7.75 and the dad came up just short of that with a 7.1! All in all it was a good day. Call the Linn County Park at 913-795-6633 for more information or camping, and cabins reservations. Get the family, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats, trailers and equipment. Don't move water from any impoundment. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! Anglers when fishing at the hot water outlet,or at the outlet gate at the dam, DO NOT GO OVER THE CABLES. FISHING IN A RESTRICTED AREA COULD GET YOU ARRESTED.

Last Updated: 6/13/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location

Fisheries Newsletter			If you would like to receive additional information about this lake a couple of times a year, sign up for the newsletter at the following link http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Lawrence-Fishing-District
Crappie	Good	0.33-1.5 lbs	On jigs and minnows around brushpiles in 10-15 feet of water. Good reports coming from Turkey point area to Sundance on north bank.
Walleye	Fair-Good	1-4 lbs	Using jig and nightcrawler on the flats.
Channel catfish	Fair-Good	1-6 lbs	Shad on windy side of lake.
Smallmouth bass	Fair-Good	0.5-2.5 lbs	Using jigs and small crankbaits off rocky banks.
Boat ramp conditions			All ramps in CORPS Parks and State Park have sufficient depth for launching.
General Comments
Lake level was 2.25' below normal, release = 20 cfs, and temperature = 71 F, June 13.Melvern Reservoir has Zebra Mussels, Remember to clean, drain, and dry your boat and fishing equipment when leaving the lake to keep from spreading them to other lakes.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
channel catfish	Good	2 - 7 pounds	Use worms or dip baits and crappie entrails or cutshad, stink/prepared baits, The fishfeeders are ON. Lakewide or stilling basin.
Walleye	Slow	varies	the walleye population is improving, tryoff windy points, crank baits or jigs tipped with nightcrawler
White bass/Wipers	Good	varies	lakewide and the windy side of the points, minnows or shad colored lures, off the COE Swim beach
Crappie	SLOW	most were 9 - 14 inches	lakewide, marina docks, over brushpiles, black and pink tube jigs, minnows.about 6 ft., most fish are over 10 inches, fish are slowly moving in
General Comments
When large releases of water occur at the stilling basin then fishing there can be better. For additional information, water temperature, release rates, please check:http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/po/daily.cfm . Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Have FUN,Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! If you can locate the schooled crappie at this time it can be very rewarding. Rangers have constructed some spawning fish habitat which should improve spring fishing success. These areas are located near North Shore Marina and the Rock Quarry and near Adams Grove and Wolf Creek Park. KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! .

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
channel catfish	good	27% 11"-16" 34% 16"-24" 37% 24"-28" 2% >28"	Worms, stink bait, or shad sides at mouth of river.
largemouth bass	poor	39% 8"-12" 26% 12"-15" 35% 15"-20" 0% >20"	The main body of the reservoir doesn't have the necessary largemouth bass habitat to support a high density bass population. However, the flooded timber and clearer water in the backwater section of Walnut Creek produces a fair density bass population. There were 17 bass per hour of electrofishing sampled in Walnut Creek. The ideal catch rate would be 100 bass per hour. Jig, spinner, worm, or crank bait around stumps in river.
white bass	good	2% 6"-9" 55% 9"-12" 27% 12"-15" 16% 15"-18"	Plastic shad, jig, spinner or immitation shad crank bait around stumps and rocky shorelines.
white crappie	good	76% 5"-8" 5% 8"-10" 8% 10"-12" 11% 12"-15" 1% 15"+	Jig or minnow on gravel and rocky shorelines in Mann's Cove, Toronto Point Cove, and north side of Duck Island.
General Comments
The size structure listed for largemouth bass is from May 2012 electrofishing. The size structure for crappie, white bass, and channel catfish is from October 2012 test netting. Sign up to receive a copy of the Fall River/Toronto District Fisheries Newsletter. For more information about the Fall River/Toronto Fisheries District, click here to access newsletters.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Black Bass	Excellent	12-18 inches	fish the shoreline, weedbeds and piers, use spinners, plastic baits, crankbaits, lakewide along cover in and around the piers,
Bluegill/redear sunffish	Good	all sizes	slow fish along the piers with jig, worm under a float for spawning trophy sunfish
Walleye	Slow	varies	try the dam on windy, cloudy days off the creek channel dropoffs, with crank baits or jigs,
Channel Catfish	Good	12-26 inches	use cut bluegill/stink baits, lakewide,
Crappie	Improving	8 - 12 inches and up	along the dam,--over brushpiles,near dropoffs, minnows, jigs ,
General Comments
The water level is great. Remember- Wear a Lifejacket and Reach - Throw - Don t Go. Buy your state fishing license and go fishing. This is a great family fishing lake with good shoreline access and bathrooms. The fish feeders are ON. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video!

Last Updated: 6/12/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass	Excellent	10-20"	Both species are present in this lake, and offer great fishing throughout the year especially during the later and earlier parts of the year. Anglers have good success with both species in the warm water discharge during the winter and early spring months.
Walleye	Fair	up to 25"	Fair to good walleye angling can be expected with most fish ranging from 13-18" but fish over 21" are available.
Channel Catfish	Good	up to 5 lbs.	Good channel cat fishing can be expected lake wide.
Blue Catfish	Good	up to 35"	The blue catfish population is doing well, and many anglers have experienced good success with blue catfish drifting with cut bait around the warm water. Reports of fish over 20 lbs. are not uncommon, and fish over 50 lbs. have also been recorded.
White Bass	Excellent	8-16"	There is an excellent population of white bass in this lake. White bass is one of the most caught species in the lake. Anglers have success lake wide on twister tails and small jigs and spinners.
Crappie	Good	up to 15"	Crappie fishing will continue to be good. Fish 10-12" are common and fish greater than 12" are readily available.
Wipers	Fair	2-5 lbs.	Wiper fishing will be fair. A few fish around the 4-5 lb. range are available but the overall numbers are low.

Current Fishing Opportunity
largemouth bass	Fair	8 in to 18 inches	crankbaits or slow rolling spinnerbaits near the rip rap
walleye	fair	14-25 inches	trolling with crankbaits or jig tipped with nightcrawler along the flats
channel catfish	good	1/2-5 lbs	shad sides, stink bait, or worms on the flats
smallmouth bass	good	10-20 inches	plastics and jerkbaits along riprap or secondary rocky points. Drop shot or other finesse rigs in the clearer water at the lower end should be productive.
white bass	good	8-15 inches	shad imitation crank bait, road runner, or plastic shad
wipers	good	2-5 lbs	shad imitation crank bait, road runner, or plastic shad on windy points
crappie	Fair	11-15 inches	Crappie have moved back into deeper water and should be found suspended around structure around 15 ft.
General Comments
Entrance gate phone number is 620-364-2475 call for lake conditions. ZEBRA MUSSELS have been confirmed in Coffey County Lake! Please help stop the spread. Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and livewell after leaving this lake. It is illegal to transport live fish, bait, and water from this lake. For more information on waters in Anderson, Allen, Coffey, and Woodson counties click the following link to sign up for the New Strawn District Fisheries Newsletter. http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-New-Strawn-Fishing-District

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Bluegill / redear	Good	6 - 8"	Try worms or small jigs and spinners fished slowly around weedlines and structure. Some bluegill and redear are still in shallower water to spawn.
Channel catfish	Good	All sizes	Try liver, prepared baits, live bait, shad sides, or worms. The four feeders are now in operation and above average success can be expected fishing in the vacinity of one of the feeders. The timers are set to disperse feed four times daily (7:00 am,1:00pm, 7:00 pm, and 1:00am).
Crappie	Fair/Good	Mostly 7-9 inch fish.	Try minnows or small jigs near brush and structure. Many small 7-9 inch fish are available with some bigger fish mixed in. There are ten brush piles marked with fish attractor bouys that often hold fish.
Largemouth bass	Fair	All sizes	Try jigs, plastic baits, spinner baits, or crank baits fished along weedlines, drop-offs, brush piles, and other structure.
General Comments
Surface water temperature is ~78 degrees. Water level is full pool.

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Bluegill & Redear	good	46% 4-7" 39% 7-9" 15% 9-11"	Bluegill and redear sunfish are most easily caught on 2-6 pound test line, a number eight hook baited with a worm, grasshopper, or cricket, a single split shot for weight, and a small bobber or simply tight line. They can be caught around rocks on jetties, brush piles, and over aquatic vegetation. Dry flies and poppers over spawning beds are also effective.
Channel Catfish	good	84% 11-16" 12% 16-24" 2% 24-28" 2% 28-36"	Channel catfish are typically caught on or near the bottom on worms, shad sides, or stink bait work. They can be caught in coves around feeders and along the weed line. Channel catfish congregate at the inlet when rain water is running into the lake.
Largemouth Bass	good	39% 8-12" 58% 12-15" 2% 15-20" 1% >20"	Artificial baits such a spinners, jigs, beetle spins, plastic worms, and surface lures work very well for largemouth bass. Natural baits such as minnows, worms, crayfish, and grasshoppers are also excellent choices. Bass can be caught around rock jetties, brush piles, and edges of aquatic vegetation. Big bass will hit any of the above baits but not as readily as smaller fish. Technique is important if you want to catch big bass.
Crappie	good	30% 5-8" 22% 8-10" 11% 10-12" 37% 12-15"	Due to very clear water in Lyon SFL, crappie are most easily caught on light line. Small jigs or minnows are best fished around brush piles and aquatic vegetation edges. Due to clear water, fish spook easily so be stealthy.
General Comments
Size structure listed for largemouth bass is from May 2012 electrofishing. The size structures listed for crappie, bluegill, redear, and channel catfish are from and October 2012 test netting. The American Pond Weed and Sago Pond Weed form dense mats that make fishing difficult in shallow water during summer. Use top water baits, weedless hooks, or fish the edges. For more information about the Fall River/Toronto Fisheries District, click here to access newsletters.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Bluegill / Redear	Good	All sizes	Try worms or small jigs and spinners fished slowly along weedlines and around structure. Some bluegill and redear are still in shallow water to spawn.
Channel Catfish	Good	All sizes	Try shad sides, liver, live bait, worms or prepared baits. 14,000 channel catfish are stocked in the Mined Land Wildlife every October. These fish are 8-16 inches in length and average 1/3 pound each.
Crappie	Fair	All sizes	Try minnows, small jigs or small spinners fished around brush and structure.
Largemouth Bass	Fair/Good	All sizes	Try jigs, worms, spinner baits, or crankbaits fished around brush, structure, or along weedlines.
Rainbow trout	Good	10 - 15"	Try power bait, small spinners, spoons, flies, small crankbaits, worms, or corn. Bi-weekly stockings of 935 fish have been made since October 2012. The last spring stocking was made on May 20, 2013. Most rainbows are 10 inches in length when stocked, and average 1/2 lb. each. Five percent of each stocking is comprised of 14-inch or larger fish. Trout can live year-around in this unique strip-mined lake, so fish in the 3-5 pound range are occassionally caught.
General Comments
Surface water temperatures are ranging from 76 to 80 degrees. Water levels some lakes are still a few feet low. Use extreme caution wen launching your boat. Trout Anglers - Youth 15 and younger are not required to purchase a trout permit, but their daily creel limit is 2 trout/day. All anglers 16 and older are required to have a trout stamp to fish in the trout lake in Area # 30. Brown trout less than 20-inches in length must be returned to the water immediately. The creel limit for browns is one fish per day. This regulation is being implemented to improve the quality of fishing, and hopefully, a trophy fishery can some day be established. Browns were first stocked in October 2008, with additional stockings of 7 to 10-inch fish in 2010 and 2011.

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Channel Catfish	Good	15-22 inches	Anglers are catching nice fish off the jetties using chicken liver or shad sides. Morning has been the most productive. During periods of inflow, look for fish feeding in inflow eddies.
Largemouth Bass	Fair	8-20 inches	Catch has been good in mornings and evenings. Try spinnerbaits around water willow or bouncing a crankbait off rocks.
Crappie	Poor	8-10 inches	Look for crappie suspended during the day or cruising shallows during morning and evening..
Bluegill/Redear Sunfish	Excellent	6-10 inches	Nightcrawlers fished a few feet below a bobber is the most effective technique for targeting sunfish. Fishing around the rocks on the fishing jetties is a great place to start. Fish will spawn along shallow shorelines all summer. These species support a great opportunity to get novice anglers on fish.
General Comments
Anglers should note that there are no alcoholic beverages allowed on the area. The maintained boat ramp at Montgomery State Fishing Lake is usable. A bathymetric map of Montgomery State Fishing Lake is available. Contact Ben Neely (ben.neely@ksoutdoors.com) to receive a copy via email. District Newsletter We have created a fishing newsletter that can be sent out to all that subscribe to it. This newsletter is for fishing information for the Independence District (Montgomery, Wilson, and Labette counties) only. To subscribe, click HERE.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Bluegill / redear	Good	All sizes	Try worms or small jigs fished slowly along weedlines and structure. Some bluegill and redear are still in shallow to spawn.
Channel catfish	Good	All sizes	Try liver, prepared baits, minnows, worms, shad sides, or shrimp fished near the bottom. The three feeders are in operation and better than average success can be expected fishing in the vacinity of one of the feeders.
Crappie	Fair	7 -12 inches	Try minnows or small 1/64 oz. jigs fished around structure and brush. Many 7 to 10-inch fish are available, with some quality fish mixed in.
Largemouth bass	Fair/Good	All sizes	Try jigs, plastic baits, spinner baits, or crank baits fished around brush, structure, or along weedlines.
General Comments
Surface water temperature is ~78 degrees. Lake is at full pool.

Last Updated: 6/13/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location

Fisheries Newsletter			If you want to receive additional information about this lake (including GPS coordinates to any newly placed brush piles) a couple of times during the year, sign up to receive a newsletter using this link http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Lawrence-Fishing-District
Channel catfish	Fair	1-5 lbs	Using shad sides, nightcrawlers, minnows and sunfish. Feeders started running May 7, so these should be good places to try.
Crappie	Fair	0.4-1 lbs	Using jigs and minnows in 4-12 feet of water.
Bluegill	Fair-Good	Up to 0.33 lb	Using small spinners, jigs, and worms.
Largemouth bass	Fair-Good	0.5-2.5 lbs	Using jigs and crankbaits.
General Comments

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

General Comments
Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Channel Catfish	Fair	16-24 inches	Some anglers are having luck on warmer days with chicken livers or stinkbait on the bottom. Warmer weather should make fish more active.
Largemouth and Spotted Bass	Fair	10-22 inches	Fish are cruising the shallows on in early morning and evening. Try spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rocky banks and near water willow.
Crappie	Poor	8-14 inches	Crappie have moved offshore. Look for fish suspended near channel borders and rocky ledges.
Both maintained boat ramps are currently usable. A bathymetric map is available for Wilson State Fishing Lake. Contact Ben Neely (ben.neely@ksoutdoors.com) to receive one via email or visit www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/content/download/33395/238994/file/WLSL_email.pdf to download. New District Newsletter We have created a fishing newsletter that can be sent out to all that subscribe to it. This newsletter is for fishing information for the Independence District(Montgomery, Wilson, and Labette counties) only.

Last Updated: 6/12/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Methods, and Location
Largemouth Bass	Good	up to 5 lbs.	Sampling from previous years shows the largemouth bass population is on the rise and should provide fair to good angling opportunities.
Channel Catfish	Good	up to 12 lbs.	Channel catfish and flathead catfish are both present in the lake, and the opportunity to catch a trophy of each species is available for the lucky angler.
Crappie	Fair	up to 12 inches	Sampling efforts indicate a large population of crappie with the majority in the 6-8" range, however, larger individuals up to 12" are available.
Wipers	Fair	up to 5 lbs.	A moderate population of wipers is present in the lake and should provide fair to good angling opportunities. The largest wiper sampled was 5 pounds.

Current fishing Opportunity

Largemouth Bass	Good	8-18"	Spinnerbaits or crankbaits around rocky points or water willow. Might want to try topwater morning and evening
Channel Catfish	Good	up to 12lbs.	Shad sides and cut baits around channel breaks or upper end when water is coming in. The feeders have been turned on and should produce fish as well.
Crappie	Fair	up to 12"	Fish have moved back off of the bank into deeper water and are suspended 8-10 ft of water around brush
Wipers	Fair-Good	up to 5lbs.	Shad imitations in open water or windy points, vertical jigging with spoons

Anglers please do your part to stop the spread of aquatic nuisance species (ANS). Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and livewell after leaving a water body and do not transfer live fish or bait between water bodies.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Bluegill / Redear	Good	6-10"	Try worms, small jigs and spinners fished slowly along weedlines and structure. Some bluegill and redear are still in shallower water to spawn.
Channel catfish	Good	15-24"	Try shad sides, liver, prepared baits, live bait or worms fished on or near the bottom. The four fish feeders are now in operation. Fishing in the vacinity of one of the feeders often increases success. KDWPT fish samplings have shown that there is a very good channel catfish fishery. Many 2-5 pound fish are available.
Crappie	Fair	8-14 inches	Try minnows or small jigs and spinners fished near trees and structure. Bone Creek supports a good crappie population, with some quality-size fish available.
Largemouth bass	Fair/Good	Mostly 8-16 inch fish.	Try jigs, plastic baits, stick baits or spinners around weedlines and deep-water structure.
General Comments
The surface water temperature is ~78 degrees. Water level is full pool.

BOURBON COUNTY - ELM CREEK -

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species

Rating

Size

Baits, Method, & Location

Channel catfish

Excellent

varies

The fish feeders are ON, 3-4 pounders are the most common, caught off dam on bluegill chunks, or cut shad, Lakewide,

Largemouth/Smallmouth bass

Good

varies

lakewide, fish are in shallow, use silver crank and spinner baits, or dark jigs.

Bullheads

Good

varies

use worms,or liver lake wide

Bluegill

Good

varies

small baits and worms under floats, along weedbeds around fish attractors

Walleye

Slow

lots of fish over and under the length limit

also try the dam and rocky structure in the south half of the lake with jigs or minnows

Crappie

Fair

lots of small fish with 50 limit

along dam, brushpiles on the windy side, use minnows and dark jigs

Comments

Water levels have improved. The boat ramp is safe to use. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms.

The fish feeders are ON. This lake has a high density of channel catfish that really increases angling opportunity. Buy your license and go fishing. The water level is great for fishing.

This is a great family fishing lake with good shoreline access and bathrooms. Remember the special length/creel limits.

Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats, trailers and equipment.

Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today!

KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video!

With questions about this lake call Donald George, Fisheries Biologist, at 913-795-2218, or Bourbon County at 620-223-3800.

CEDAR CREEK LAKE, BOURBON COUNTY -

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

species	ratings	size	baits,methods, locations
Crappie	Good	8 to 12 inches	water levels have enhanced fishing. good reports for crappie in cover, try jigs, minnows.
Channel catfish	Slow	varies,	along dam and shoreline, cut shad, worms, prepared baits,
Largemouth bass	Good	most bass in the 14 to 18 inch range	good reports of bass in 5 - 10 ft deep water-shoreline, spinners, plugs, most about 13-16 inches, around structure,
General Comments
Water levels are perfect. Either ramp is open for use. The east parking will be refitted to a larger size to accommodate the tuesday bass tournament anglers. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! NO special permits required, this is a Community Fisheries Assistance Program Lake. Use caution, this lake has quantities of standing and submerged trees and limited shoreline access. This is a 220 acre lake with approximately 180 acres of standing trees. Fishing only lake. The lake has a boat ramp, parking lot, security light, floating dock, and vault toilet on the east side of the lake and a boat ramp and parking on the west side..

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Largemouth Bass	Good	13 to 18 inches	work the trees, some larger fish available up to 6 pounds, best luck with dark colored jipnpigs, plastic worms, about 8-10 ft deep, close to structure, recently some anglers are having 80-100 bass days.
Smallmouth Bass	Slow	13 to 15"	jigs, spinners, along the dam and rocky shorelines
Channel Catfish	Excellent	12" to 8 pounds	the fish feeder is ON, cut shad, worms, liver, prepared baits, spinners, lakewide
Crappie	Slow	any size	scattered reports, hard to find in timber, minnows and jigs, lakewide
Walleye	Fair	most between 15 to 17 inches	jigs tipped with worms, spinners, dam and upper creek channel
General Comments
Lake level is good. The boat ramp is good.. Water levels are normal but fine for fishing. Caution - quantities of trees in this lake. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. This lake opened to fishing on August 24th. of 2011, with great reviews. Critzer Lake offers limited shoreline angling that is enhanced with 2 fishing piers and a fish feeder. There is a double lane boatramp and the lake is primarily a boat lake. This 220 acre lake offers 180 acres of standing timber so there is a no-wake limit. Lake brochures are available at the Linn County Courthouse, in KDWPT's Information Display Case or online at www.linncountyks.com or contact Fisheries Biologist, Don George at 913-795-2218. Also check out Brent Chapman's videos of this lake at this web site www.linncountyks.com. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats,trailers and equipment. KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video!

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
black bass	Good	varies	motor oil colored jigs, soft plastic baits, up against the banks/along the weed beds, in trees/fish attractors and dropoffs,
channel catfish	Excellent	varies	The fish feeders are ON for the season. High populations of channel catfish improves success. lakewide, use cut shad, sponge baits, worms,
walleye	Slow	varies	jigs, minnows along the dropoffs.
white crappie	Fair/Good	varies, many over 11 inches	crappie have been ON and OFF depends daily, when they are ON nice fish are caught over 10 inches, some good fish in deeper water over the new brushpiles, with black&white, blue&white jigs, fish are in nice condition and slowing moving in
bluegill	Good	varies	use small baits, such as worms, jigs suspended under a float, in deeper water
General Comments
Lake level is good. The boat ramp is usable.. Water levels are fine for fishing. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Fish for crappie in deeper water over brushpiles for good success. Recent tree/habitat placements will improve angler success for bass and crappie. Most of the trees that KDWPT sank are visible above the surface. The fish feeders are ON. Remember- Wear a Lifejacket and Reach - Throw - Don t Go. Buy your state fishing license and have fun. Remember the special length/creel limits. Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats, trailers and equipment. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! This is a Community Fisheries Assistance Lake Cooperator,no city permits for fishing and boating while fishing. City permit required for recreational boating.

Last Updated: 6/12/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Fair	8-14 inches	The crappie have moved off of the banks and now should be found suspended along channel breaks or other structure 10-20 ft. deep try using jig tipped with minnow.
Channel catfish	Good	8-30 inches	Shad sides or other prepared baits lakewide and by the feeder
Largemouth Bass	Good	up to 6 lbs.	Slow rolling spinnerbaits or finesse plastics around structure.
Wipers	Good		Livers around feeders or shad imitating lures lakewide.
Walleye	Fair		Some walleye are in shallower water feeding on baitfish try small jigs or twister tails, or trolling with crankbaits
General Comments
Please remember to help STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS! CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY your boat and livewell when leaving water bodies. DO NOT MOVE FISH OR BAIT TO DIFFERENT WATERS! For more information on waters in Woodson, Coffey, Anderson, and Allen counties, click the following link to sign up for the New Strawn District Fisheries Newsletter.http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-New-Strawn-Fishing-District

Last Updated: 6/12/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Methods, and Location
Largemouth Bass	Excellent	up to 6 lbs.	This lake has an excellent bass population. Previous sampling efforts show fish up to 6 and 7 pounds. Look for this excellent fishing to continue.
Bluegill	Excellent	up to 8"	This lake has an excellent bluegill population. A total of 387 bluegill were caught in 2 nets and over of the bluegill caught were 6-8" in length.
Channel Catfish	Good	8-30"	A nice population of quality sized fish is available with most fish ranging from 2-4 lbs.
Crappie	Fair	up to 13"	The crappie population seems to be comprised mainly of sub legal fish but there are some larger fish available.

Current Fishing Opportunity

Largemouth Bass	Fair-Good	up to 7lbs.	Slow rolling spinnerbaits or finesse plastics around the shoreline structure. Topwater morning and evening should produce some nice fish.
Bluegill	Good	up to 8 inches	Worms under a bobber along shoreline vegetation and structure
Channel Catfish	Good	8-30 inches	Shad sides or other prepared stink bait lakewide
Crappie	Slow-Fair	6-10 inches	Fish have moved back off of the shoreline and are suspended in deeper water. Try using minnows under a bobber around structure.
Wiper	Fair	up to 15lbs!	A 15lb. wiper was sampled during spring electrofishing. Try using any type of shad imitating lures and even chicken liver will produce some fish.

Comments:

Please remember to CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY your boats and livewells to help stop the spread of ANS species. For more information on this lake and other lakes in Anderson, Allen, Coffey, and Woodson Counties, click on the following link to subscribe to the New Strawn District Fisheries Newsletter.

http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-New-Strawn-Fishing-District

Last Updated: 11/9/2012

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Channel Catfish	Good	varies most legal size, with some large fish	some nice 3 - 8 pound catfish caught on chunks of bluegill in 5 ft or deeper, also try chicken liver, cut shad or chunks of sunfish, lakewide or downwind of the fish feeders
Bluegill/Redear Sunfish	Slow	varies	use small baits, jigs or small worm under a float set for shallow water
Crappie	Slow	8 to 14inches some larger	Lots of very good reports here. white jigs and minnows, mid depth to deeper along the south tree line or structure and dropoffs along the creek channel. lots of good fish...
Largemouth Bass	Good	varies	bass are in or close to deeper water structure, with plastics, jig and Pig, slabs
General Comments
Lets GO FISHING. Grab the kids, call a friend and go to the local lake. The water level is great for fishing. Go have fun. Remember- Wear a Lifejacket and Reach - Throw - Don't Go. Use caution with the low water levels. Recent sampling indicates that this lake provides good populations of largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish.. Fishing is good, buy your state fishing license and have fun. Remember the special length/creel limits. This is a Community Fisheries Lake Cooperator, no special permits. Sign up for the Mound City District Newsletter today! KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats, trailers and equipment.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Wipers	Slow	size varies,	lake wide trolling with sassy shads, from the bank and boat, with crankbaits, spoons,.
Channel catfish	EXCELLENT	All sizes,	The fish feeders are ON, best baits are chicken liver or use stink baits, shrimp, worms, prepared baits, lakewide, Fish the south end creek after a rain.
largemouth bass	GOOD	varies	TOPWATER fishing has really improved, good results along the dam and weedbed edge, silver or blue crank baits or soft baits
walleye, saugeye	Slow	18-24 inches	fish the flats, use jigs tipped with a worm
white crappie	Slow	8-14 inches	good numbers of nice crappie, fish around the floating dock, and drop offs, fish are not in real shallow.Try over the brushpiles, use dark jigs,minnows
General Comment
The water level is fine,for fishing. The fish feeders are ON. The floating dock is out of service for repair. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. Don't move water from any impoundment. KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! This lake is enrolled into the Community Fisheries Assistance Program. A city fishing permit is no longer required.Remember- Wear a Lifejacket and Reach - Throw - Don t Go.

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
channel catfish	EXCELLENT	Size varies, 4 pounds and up	The fish feeders are ON.. use cut shad, (best on chicken liver), shrimp, worms, prepared baits, along dam, a 19 pounder caught recently on cut shad
crappie	Good	All sizes	Fish are nice size and the density is good, fish are along the dam, south east pier, and in the brushpiles fish with jigs, blue /white, minnows,
largemouth bass	Good	12-22 inches	dam, the brushpiles with crank baits or spinners,
bluegill	Good	varies	use a small worm or jig under a float.
General Comments
Water levels are good. This Lake has produced some nice stringers of crappie and should continue to do so. Fish the creek channel over the brush piles with minnows or jigs. Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. Don't move water from any impoundments. Overall the fishing has really improved in the last couple of weeks and it is expected to continue to improve and the water warms. Feeders are ON! KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video! This lake has a high density of channel catfish that increases angling opportunity. Remember- Wear a Lifejacket and Reach - Throw - Don t Go.This is a Community Fisheries Assistance Program Lake, no fishing permits required.

Last Updated: 6/12/2013

Species	Size	Rating	Baits, Method, and Location
Redear and Bluegill	up to 11"	Good	A good population of redear and bluegill is present in this lake. Redear up to 11" are not uncommon and are usually caught around the weedbeds using worms or small jigs.
Largemouth Bass	8-21"	Good	Sampling from previous years shows a moderate density of largemouth bass which should provide anglers with some good fishing. Many anglers have had success fishing along the abundant milfoil beds.
Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish	up to 10 lbs.	Good	Both channel catfish and blue catfish are present in this lake, however, the blue catfish population is fairly new so the fish have not reached large sizes yet. The largest blue cat sampled was just over 3 lbs. The channel catfish population continues to show good numbers and will provide good angling.
Wipers	up to 5.5 lbs.	Fair-Good	A moderate population of wipers exist in this lake comprised of multiple size classes. Anglers can expect to catch 2-3 pound fish, but fish larger than 5 pounds are available.
Crappie	up to 12"	Fair	Sampling efforts show a low to moderate abundance of crappie. Crappie up to 12" are available but fish in the 6-9" range are the most common.

Current Fishing Opportunity

Redear and Bluegill	up to 10"	Good	Worms under bobber near vegetation or small lures
Largemouth Bass	8-21"	Good	Spinnerbaits or crankbaits along the weedbeds or defined dropoffs. Plastics around timber and weed clumps. Topwater plugs early and late can also be productive
Catfish	up to 10lbs.	fair-good	Shad sides and other prepared bait lakewide and around feeders
Wipers	8-18"	good	Livers or shad imitations in open water or windy points
Crappie	up to 12"	Fair	Crappie have moved off of the bank and should now be around 10 ft of water suspended around brush. Try jig tipped with minnow.
Walleye	15-24"	slow	Trolling crankbaits or jig and nightcrawler along flats.

The city of Yates Center has signed up for the CFAP program. A city permit is no longer required.

The boat ramp is usable. The lake level is full, but submerged stumps are still a hazard. Surface water temp upper 70s

This lake contains Eurasian Watermilfoil. Please remember to help stop the spread of Aquatic Nuisance Species Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and equipment when leaving water bodies.

Last Updated: 6/12/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
Largemouth bass	Fair-Good	1-5 lbs	Dark colored spinnerbaits or crankbaits along water willow or rocky structure. Topwater lures can also be productive along the water willow
Wipers	Fair		mostly on liver, can be caught using various shad imitating lures
channel catfish	Good	1/2-15 lbs	shad sides and other prepared bait. Many nice catfish were seen up shallow during electrofishing.
Walleye	Fair	1-6 pounds	Drifting along the flats with a jig and nightcrawler
crappie	Good	1/2-2 lbs.	Crappie spawn should be over and the crappie should be found in deeper water around channel breaks or other structure try using jigs tipped with a minnow.
General Comments
The city of Yates Center has signed up for the CFAP program. A city permit is no longer required. The lake is full and the water temp is in the upper 70s. STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS! CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY your boat and livewell before leaving an area. DO NOT MOVE FISH OR BAIT between waters. District Fisheries Newsletter. http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-New-Strawn-Fishing-District

Last Updated: 6/14/2013

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, & Location
blue, channel catfish	Good	varies	The river is at normal level, fish are concentrated below riffles, stink baits, cut shad, liver, worms
walleye	Poor	varies	use minnows, jigs, work the pools below riffles
white bass/wipers	Poor	varies	minnows, jigs, work the pools below the rifles,

General Comments
The river and streams on the state wildlife area are open to fishing. The river is a great place to float and fish. Most of the wildlife area pools are drained. Access to the river is at the Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Area and along stateline road bridge. For additional opportunities call 913-352-8941 for accurate information on wildlife pool drainage. Get the kids, get your friends and Go Fishing. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. Sign up for the Mound City Fishing District Newsletter today! KDWPT will be releasing the recently completed “Kansas Crappie Bonanza” video on February 17, 2012. This 25-minute video covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter with tips and tactics to make you a better crappie angler. Visit the KDWPT homepageon February 17th and click on the Kansas Crappie Bonanza link to view the video!

Last Updated: 6/3/2013

Species

Rating

Size

Baits, Method, & Location

Paddlefish

CLOSED

Paddlefish season is closed.

General Comments

THE SNAGGING SEASON OPENS MARCH 15 AND RUNS THROUGH MAY 15TH.

•Catch and release is allowed on the Neosho River

•A fish must be kept if placed on a stringer. Culling is not allowed.

•A state-issued permit is required. Two paddlefish may be harvested daily and six may be harvested in a season.

•Barbless hooks are required at Chetopa.

The best fishing occurs at river flows of 10-15,000 cubic feet per second. The following link will take you to the Kansas Water Watch website. Click HERE for river flow data.