Northwest Region Fishing Reports
Fishing reports provide general angling information from KDWPT staff. The department cannot update the reports on a regular, frequent basis. Many factors determine angling success, and fishing conditions and individual fishing success may vary from the report. Anglers are responsible for deciding what species to fish for, what methods to use, and where and when to fish. You can help fellow anglers by sharing successful fishing notes at http://www.facebook.com/kdwpt.
OTTAWA STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 11/15/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | Fair to Good | 12-18 inches | Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the overhanging trees in the water. Fish can be caught use wacky worms, Senkos, Ned Rigs, spinnerbaits, roadrunners, and crankbaits. |
| Bluegill/Sunfish | Good | 5 to 7 Inches | Look for bluegill around the rocks on the piers, flat shorelines, and around any brush in the water. Worms and small jigs are a good bet. These guys can be caught throughout the year using a variety of techniques. Some anglers prefer to fly fish with small nymphs or dry flies fished on the surface. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair to Good | 12-25 inches | Fish can be caught just about anywhere on the lake. Anglers should try using shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. Targeting inflow is a popular method as the catfish will congregate there to feed. The shallow upper end is a great area to find big catfish on warm spring days. |
| Saugeye | Fair | 18-25 inches | The best number of saugeye can be found on the upper end around the jetties and other rocky areas. Jig and crawler, large shiners, crankbaits, and swim baits are all good options to use for catching saugeye now. Anglers will also find some around the brush piles and off the ends of the jetties closest to the dam. |
| Crappie | Good | 8-15 inches | Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs. Focus on deeper structure like brushpiles and rocks during summer. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level. Our recent sample indicated there are very high numbers of crappie in the lake now and anglers could have great success throughout the year. |
| General Comments | |||
| Water Temperature--52ºF CAUTION: LONGER BOAT TRAILERS MAY FALL OFF EDGE OF BOAT RAMP WHEN WATER IS LOW | |||
CEDAR BLUFF RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 11/16/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
| Black Bass | Fair/Good | Up to 6 lbs. | Soft plastics and swim baits fished over rocky points has been the most reliable pattern of late. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair | Up to 12 lbs. | Anglers report incidental catches while fishing for white bass and wipers. |
| Crappie | Good | Up to 15 inches | Vertically fishing minnows, jigs, or slab spoons over the fish attractors continues to be effective. Anglers report catching good numbers of fish in the 9 to 11 inch range. |
| Walleye | Fair | Up to 28 inches | Vertically fishing slab spoons over submerged road beds and parking lots or over edges of points and other drop-offs. Anglers reported catching a few nice 21"+ fish last week. |
| White Bass/Wipers | Fair/Good | Whites up to 17 inches Wipers up to 13.5 lbs. | Vertically fishing slab spoons over underwater humps and points in 18 to 25 feet of water has been good for white bass and a few wipers. Trolling shad imitating crankbaits along the edges of mainlake points and other structure has also been productive for white bass. Casting bucktail and other shad imitating jigs over shallow, windswept points, road beds and parking lots primarily in the evening has produced white bass and wipers. |
| WATER TEMPERATURE-48 degrees F SURFACE ELEVATION- 2124.58 ft. above MSL-19.42 ft. below conservation pool ATTENTION: An established zebra mussel population has been documented at this water making Cedar Bluff an ANS designated water. With this designation, regulations are in effect primarily aimed at discouraging water containing microscopic zebra mussel larvae from leaving the property and establishing in new waters. Any time one leaves the reservoir it is best to clean mud, vegetation, or attached zebra mussel adults off of boats and other equipment, drain any thing on a boat or other equipment that holds water, and allow boats and other equipment to dry completely before using them at another body of water. It is now illegal to use wild-caught bait from Cedar Bluff at any other water. Live fish are not to be taken off the property. And all livewells and bilges must be drained prior to leaving the property. It is illegal to release fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. So please discard any leftover bait in a trash can. | |||
GLEN ELDER RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 11/15/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Good | 9-15 inches | As the weather cools fish should be transitioning to winter holding patterns. Points and channel breaks that allow fish to easily move in between shallow and deep water can be good targets. Try fishing deep brush piles and other hard structure. Use minnows, jigs, spoons, or small crankbaits. |
| Trout | Poor | 10-15 inches | The final stocking of trout for this season occurred on March 16th with 625 pounds of quality fish stocked in the GLEN ELDER OUTLET. Only a few weeks before that another 825 pounds of trout were stocked which should equate to a substantial number of fish in the outlet going into the end of the season. As water temperatures rise the chances of finding this coldwater species surviving will lessen significantly. The only stocking of the GLEN ELDER STATE PARK POND was in late October of 300 pounds of fish. Many of these fish in the pond expired under the ice this winter due to the low water. Please note the season change, and don't forget ALL anglers fishing in the Glen Elder outlet ARE REQUIRED to have a trout permit Dec. 1 through April 15th! |
| Walleye | Fair to Good | 11-25 inches | Fish can be found in shallower flats and bays that hold schools of baitfish like in Walnut Creek. Anglers have been having success along the river channel bends in Schoen's Cove, or off of Gibbs Point. The deeper fish are often caught using jigging spoons, minnows. Some fish can be found on rocky/gravel shorelines or under lights at night. |
| Black Bass | Good | 12-20 inches | Bass tend to feed heavily in fall and can be found anywhere from midlake humps and brushpiles, vegetation beds, to rocky points and shorelines. Bass patterns can change from day to day or even throughout the day. Dawn and dusk often have a hot bite while midday can be quite slow. Some have had success chasing the nocturnal topwater bite. 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 baitfish or crayfish imitation. You could also have success with hair jigs and jigging spoons. With a 21 inch length limit Smallmouth Bass are almost all sublegal so please handle them with extreme care and release them immediately after catching them. |
| Catfish | Fair to Good | 15-35 inches | Channel Cats can be found almost anywhere in the lake. Targeting inflows can be successful after rains. Blue Cats tend to prefer deeper structure or windblown flats. Try river channel bends, old road beds, and submerged bridges. Fall sampling indicated good numbers of blues and channel catfish in the reservoir now. Best baits to use include cut bait, stinkbait, shad sides, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Remember, there is a 35 inch length limit on blue catfish at Glen Elder. |
| White Bass | Good to Excellent | 11-18 inches | White Bass and Wipers can be found chasing shad near brushpiles, river channels, drop offs, and other structure. Windblown points and shorelines can also attract fish this time of year. Using a variety of jigs, spinners, or minnows can catch fish all year. |
|
Anglers can now find GPS locations for each of the brush piles located in the reservoir. Simply click on this link Good Fishing Spots and select the individual brush pile. As we enhance these brush piles throughout the year, we'll make a note under each individual location. Current Water Temperature: 52ºF Current Water Level: 5.5 feet low 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. Repairs to the face of the dam were completed in February. Water levels should start to rise with rain. | |||
JEWELL STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 11/15/2023
KANOPOLIS RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 10/12/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel/Blue Catfish | 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 deeper structure, brush piles, or the river channel with 1/16 oz. jigs and live minnows. |
| Trout | Good | First stocking for the season will occur between December 1-15. A more accurate date will be updated once more information is known. | |
| Saugeye | Good | 14 - 22" | Wind blown points and flats in the middle and lower ends of the reservoir are best. Also try shallow shoreline areas first thing in the morning. Shad imitating swimbaits and jigs tipped with minnows or worms can be productive baits. 2.2 million saugeye fry were stocked in April. |
| White Bass | Fair | 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. |
| Wiper | Fair | All sizes | Similar locations and baits as those used for white bass. |
| General Comment | |||
| Currently the south shore boat ramp is the only ramp in the water but will be unusable soon with the decreasing water levels. Current lake elevation and water temperature is available on the location page linked to this fishing report. It is updated daily by the Corps of Engineers. | |||
KEITH SEBELIUS RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/21/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Fair | 7 to 16 inches | Did have reports of crappies being caught around the artificial brush piles under private boat slips, and the fish attractor structures close to the public fishing dock using jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. Would also be looking for them in the shallows and coves. |
| Saugeye/Walleye | Fair | 13 to 27 inches | Have had a few reports of fish being caught out in front of the Dam, Marsh Dike and along the south roadbed using worms on the bottom. An 18" minimum length limit is in effect. |
| Wiper | Good | 10 to 28 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught around the mouth of Concrete cove using jigs and casting diving lures. Would also look for them surfacing on shad as they are feeding. |
| Catfish | Fair | 10 to 30 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught up to the west end as new water has been coming down the river using shad, shrimp, cut bait and stink bait on the bottom. Would also try fishing in the shallow areas using shad, shrimp, stink bait or worms on the bottom. |
| Largemouth/Spotted Bass | Good | 10 to 20 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught in Schoen's Cove, Leota Cove and outlet area using crankbaits and plastics. |
| General Comments | |||
| WATER TEMPERATURE- 71° SURFACE ELEVATION- 2294.26 ---- 10.04 feet below conservation pool Currently, the water level is 3.03 feet higher than it was one year ago, at this time. All boat ramps are open at this time. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. Please discard leftover bait in a trash can. | |||
KIRWIN RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/21/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Fair | 7 to 17 inches | Anglers have been catching fish around the north and south shore fish attractors using jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. Also been catching fish off the main channel drop-offs of the North Fork Solomon and Bow Creek. |
| Walleye | Fair | 10 to 29 inches | Did hear of some walleye being caught along the Dam, drop offs and along the river channels. Would also get those night crawlers out and fish the river channels and up onto the flats where these fish are feeding. Trolling the Dam with diving lures could also be productive. |
| White Bass/ Wiper | Good | 10 to 28 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught around the fish attractors using jigs and slab spoons. These fish can also be caught lake wide using jigs with a minnow under a bobber or casting small spinners. Would also look for these fish as they feed on shad and push them up to the surface. |
| Catfish | Fair | 10 to 30 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught up in the shallows using shad on the bottom. Would also fish for them up in the rivers using shrimp, cut bait, stink bait and shad on the bottom. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | 12 to 22 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught up in the coves and shallow areas with stick up in them using jigs with minnows, small spinners, and plastics. |
| General Comments | |||
| WATER TEMPERATURE- 71° SURFACE ELEVATION- 1720.43 ---- 8.82' below conservation pool Currently, the water level is 3.29' lower than it was one year ago, at this time. Started releasing water for irrigation on June 26, 2023, and shut it off on August 31, 2023. The fish cleaning station is currently open. The North boat ramps have been closed due to the low water conditions. If you have any questions regarding Kirwin Reservoir and the surrounding public lands, contact the USFWS at 785-543-6673. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. Please discard leftover bait in a trash can. | |||
LOVEWELL RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 11/15/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fair to Good | 16-25 inches | Fish can be found in shallower flats and bays that hold schools of baitfish. You might find fish patrolling lake flats. 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 trolling worms. *KDWP stocked 3 million Walleye fry into Lovewell in April. |
| White Bass/Wipers | Good | 7-14 inches 15-25 inches | Look for windblown points and rocky shorelines in the main lake. Fish can also be caught near brushpiles or along river channels and drop offs looking for shad. A variety of jigs, spoons, spinners, or minnows can catch fish all year. *600,000 wiper fry were stocked into Lovewell in May |
| Crappie | Good | 8-14 inches | Look for crappie on deep structure, river, channels, and drop-offs especially those holding schools of baitfish. Some fish can be found hiding in shallow structure or vegetation. A variety of jigs or minnows are popular with crappie fishing. There are very good numbers of crappie in the reservoir now so success can be had throughout the year. |
| Catfish | Good | 16 to 35 inches | Fall sampling indicated very high numbers of Channel Catfish and good numbers of quality Blue Catfish in the reservoir now. Channels can be targeted throughout the reservoir. Best baits to use include stinkbait, shad gizzards, shad sides, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Dead or cut bait can be very effective on windblown shorelines. Blue Catfish can be found on river channels and deep structure near Walleye Point, the marina, and Cedar Point. Remember there is a 35 inch minimum length limit on blue catfish in Lovewell. All blue catfish less than 35 inches must be released immediately. |
| Comments | |||
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Anglers can now find GPS coordinates, descriptions, and histories of some of the major brush piles in Lovewell. Simply follow this link Good Fishing Spots and select the individual brush pile to find out more information. More Georgia Cubes were added in April 2020! Current water temperature: 50ºF Current water level: 4.4 feet low Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water! | |||
ROOKS STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 9/21/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| CURRENT FISHING | |||
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | 6-21 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught lake wide using crankbaits and artificial baits. |
| Bluegill | Fair | 3-9 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught lake wide using worms under a bobber. |
| Catfish | Fair | 10-25 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught lake wide using shrimp, liver and shad on the bottom. |
| Black Crappie | Fair | 5-12 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught lake wide using spinners and jigs under a bobber with minnow or worm. |
| General Comments | |||
| Water Temp. 70 Degrees Lake is approx. six to seven feet low. Boat ramp is open at this time. | |||
SHERIDAN STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 11/16/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 13 inches | Vertically fishing white 1/16th oz. jigs off the dam and around the deeper fish attractors. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | Up to 5 lbs. | Casting soft plastics along rocky shorelines and around laydown trees and brushpiles. |
| Saugeye | Fair | Up to 3 lbs. | Casting smaller sassy shads and other shad imitations along creek channel edges and along the face of the dam has been good for a few fish. |
| Bluegill | Fair/Good | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber around shallow brush and rock structure. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair/Good | Up to 18 inches. | Still-fishing cut bait, shrimp, and prepared baits along edges of the old creek channel. |
| Wiper | Fair | Up to 2 lbs. | Vertically fishing small slab spoons. |
| Comments | |||
| The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has issued Sheridan State Fishing Lake be opened to public fish salvage effective 11/6/2023. The order is posted on signs around the lake. It allows the public to collect fish by any legal methods as well as by hand, dip net, throw net, minnow trap or seine, snagging, gig, speargun, bow and arrow or crossbow with a barbed head and line attached from bow/crossbow to arrow per regulation 115-7-1. This fish salvage order also removes all daily creel limits and size limits per regulation 115-25-14. This public fish salvage will remain in effect until posted notice signage on site is removed. For more information contact Dave Spalsbury, District Fisheries Biologist at 785-726-3212. | |||
WEBSTER RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/21/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Fair | 7 to 17 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught around the north and south shore breakwaters and fish attractors using jigs, slab spoons and jigs with minnows. Have just finished placing new cedar trees around all 4 maintained fish attractors. |
| Walleye | Fair | 14 to 28 inches | Have heard of walleye being caught along the Dam and around the Little Sahara swim beach using night crawlers. Would also work the Flats and river channels where the walleye will be feeding. Fish can also still be caught along the Dam trolling diving lures. |
| White Bass/Wiper | Fair | 8 to 28 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught around the north and south shore fish attractors and breakwaters using jigs and jigs tipped with minnow. Trolling diving lures can also be productive. Fish can probably be caught lake wide and would definitely fish into the wind. Would also look for them surfacing on shad around the reservoir as they feed. It's also a good time to fish under the lights at night using jigs and minnows. |
| Catfish | Fair | 12 to 30 inches | Have had reports of catfish being caught off Goose Flats and point south out the old Methodist Camp. Would try fishing in the shallow areas using shad, shrimp, stink bait and worms off the bottom. Also, would try fishing up to the west end of the Reservoir. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | 12 to 22 inches | Have had reports of bass being caught in Old Marina Cove, Rock Point Cove and along the bluffs. Would be fishing in the coves and along the rocky areas using plastics and crank baits. |
| General Comments | |||
| WATER TEMPERATURE- 71° SURFACE ELEVATION- 1877.33 ---- 15.12' below conservation pool The water level is 6.04' lower than it was one year ago at this time. Started releasing water for irrigation on June 27, 2023, and shut off releases on August 25, 2023. All boat ramps are open at this time, except Morel which is high and dry. Also, the Old Marina Ramp is getting really shallow, therefore would use caution while unloading off that ramp. Fish cleaning station is currently open. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. Please discard leftover bait in a trash can. | |||
WILSON RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 10/12/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Striped Bass | Fair | 7-25 pounds | Larger fish are relating to deeper water near Lucas campground, mouth of Marshall Cove, Hell Creek and towards the dam. Try trolling crankbaits, casting/jigging large bucktail jigs, or drifting live shad or sunfish along channel breaks. 1.45 million Striped Bass fry were stocked in May. |
| Walleye | Good | 18-27 inches | Trolling or casting crankbaits and swimbaits over main lake points early morning or late evening are your best bets. |
| Blue/Channel Catfish | Good | 2-20 pounds | Channel Catfish) Fish can be found from shallow to moderate depths. Try cut bait or dough 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. Some reports of fish caught in the upper end of the reservoir. Release all Blue Catfish between 32 - 40 inches. Two can be kept outside this range but only one can be kept over 40 inches. |
| White Bass | 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. |
| Black Bass | Good | 12-20 inches | Reports of soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits producing fish around structure. |
| White Perch | Poor | 4 to 12 inches | - IT IS ILLEGAL TO HAVE A WHITE PERCH ALIVE IN YOUR POSSESSION - IF YOU CATCH IT AND WANT TO KEEP IT - IT HAS TO BE DEAD IN A COOLER OR LIVEWELL. THEY ARE NO LONGER LEGAL AS LIVE BAIT FOR STRIPERS OR OTHER FISH!!!!! |
| General Comments | |||
| Lake Elevation = 2.55 feet below conservation pool. BOAT RAMP UPDATE: All boat ramps are currently open. WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS and be courteous at boat ramps! We have two Aquatic Nuisance Species - white perch and zebra mussels and have joined Cheney and El Dorado as lakes with both species. The law now says that if anyone leaves the lake with water in your livewell or boat, you are subject to a ticket for transporting Zebra Mussels since they will spawn and the microscopic little mussels will probably be in every drop of water in the lake. Make sure you drain all water from the boat before you leave the boat ramp area!!! We have been taking veliger samples and the samples were high so be sure to drain and dry everything!!!!!! | |||