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: 10/17/2022
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | Fair to Good | 12-18 inches | Bass are in post-spawn and summer patterns. In hot weather focus on fishing mornings, evenings, and nights and fish around anything that provides shade. 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 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. In the summer months focus on shady cover when fishing shallow or deeper structure. 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--63ºF CAUTION: LONGER BOAT TRAILERS MAY FALL OFF EDGE OF BOAT RAMP WHEN WATER IS LOW | |||
CEDAR BLUFF RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 1/27/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
| Black Bass | Fair | Up to 6 lbs. | Casting large swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and soft plastics around flooded brush and timber, especially on points is best for largemouth. Spotted bass and smallmouth bass can be found relating to rocky points and other rocky areas. The best bite has been on warm afternoons. |
| Bluegill | Fair | Up to 8 inches | Vertically fishing small jigs or various nightcrawler presentations over deeper, timbered or brushy drop-offs. |
| Channel Catfish | Slow | Up to 12 lbs. | Vertically fishing various prepared baits and minnows or jigging slab spoons over drop-offs associated with edges of points. |
| Crappie | Good | Up to 15 inches | Vertically fishing jigs and minnows over the fish attractors or around standing timber along edges of drop-offs. Anglers report catching good numbers of fish over 10 inches. |
| Walleye | Fair | Up to 28 inches | Trolling crankbaits or casting crankbaits and swimbaits or vertically fishing slab spoons over edges of points and shelves. |
| White Bass/Wipers | Fair/Good | Whites up to 17 inches Wipers up to 13 lbs. | Anglers report catching white bass and wipers trolling and casting crankbaits or vertically fishing slab spoons near mainlake points and other drop-offs in approximately 25 feet of water. |
| WATER TEMPERATURE-32 degrees F SURFACE ELEVATION- 2127.32 ft. above MSL-16.68 ft. below conservation pool ICE REPORT- As of 1-27-2023, the lake is approximately 85% ice covered and all boat ramps are iced in. The ice has undergone multiple melt/freeze cycles that has weakened the ice. Some of the newest ice is approximately 2.5 inches thick and some of the thicker ice is approximately 5 to 6 inches thick. Most of the ice is cloudy and much is snow covered. Thickness across the ice sheet is extremely variable. Given cloudy ice conditions and variability in thickness from spot to spot, attempting to get out on the ice may be extremely dangerous. For more information on ice fishing safety go to https://www.takemefishing.org/ice-fishing/ice-fishing-basics/ice-fishing-safety/. NEW FOR 2022: Effective January 1, 2022 Walleye harvest at Cedar Bluff Reservoir will continue to be regulated by a 21-INCH MINIMUM LENGTH LIMIT AND 5 FISH DAILY CREEL LIMIT, EXCEPT UP TO 2 WALLEYE GREATER THAN 15-INCHES BUT LESS THAN 18-INCHES MAY BE INCLUDED IN THE 5 FISH DAILY CREEL. For additional information call the Cedar Bluff Area Office at (785)-726-3212. 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. Great Kansas Fishing Derby Tagged Species - Channel Catfish, Black Bass, Crappie, White Bass/Wiper, Walleye | |||
GLEN ELDER RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 2/1/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Good | 9-15 inches | Try fishing deep brush piles and other hard structure. Use minnows or jigs, but fish slower than you would in warmer months. There are good numbers of crappie in the reservoir so success can be had year-round. |
| Trout | Fair | 10-15 inches | The last round of trout was stocked on Dec. 15th with 650 pounds of quality fish stocked in the GLEN ELDER OUTLET. By now most trout have been harvested or will likely succumb to the summer heat. The only stocking of the GLEN ELDER STATE PARK POND was in late October of 300 pounds of fish. Don't forget, ALL anglers fishing in the Glen Elder outlet ARE REQUIRED to have a trout permit through April 15th! |
| Walleye | Fair to Good | 11-25 inches | Fish can be found in deep basins in the winter months or 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. The deeper fish are often caught using jigging spoons, minnows. *KDWP stocked 5 million walleye fry in Glen Elder during the month of April. In addition, there were 245,000 walleye fingerlings stocked in mid-June. |
| Black Bass | Good | 12-20 inches | When targeting black bass in the winter make sure you are fishing smaller, slower, and deeper than you would at other times of the year. Smallmouth tend to prefer harder, rockier bottoms, while Largemouth might be found on softer bottoms and weed beds. Don't overlook standing timber and brush piles. Look for areas that hold baitfish. Use a quarter ounce or an eighth ounce jig tipped with a minnow or baitfish imitation. You could also have success with hair jigs and jigging spoons. With a 21 inch length limit these fish 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 | Catfish seek deep holes in winter. Finding these congregations will be the key to having success with either Blue Cats or Channel Cats. Try river channel bends, old road beds, and submerged bridges. Fall sampling indicated very high numbers of channel catfish are 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 | Fish have moved to deeper water humps, ridges, and channels. Look for deep schools of baitfish. Using a variety of jigs or minnows can catch fish this time of 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: Frozen Current Water Level: 5.0 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 shallow but usable by shallow drafted vessels. As water levels continue to drop, more ramps may become unusable. Ice Conditions: 2/1/2023: Game Warden Cleveland reported anglers fishing on 9" of ice near the Cheyenne campground point, but bad ice near shore that had probably thawed recently. Areas that didn't thaw in the recent warm temps are probably safe for ice fishing. Boller Point area has a lot of open water. | |||
JEWELL STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 10/17/2022
KANOPOLIS RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 10/6/2022
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 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. |
| 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 | No reports from the seep stream | |
| Saugeye | Fair | 14 - 22" | Wind blown points 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 can be productive baits. |
| 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 | |||
| Buzzard Bay boat ramp is currently being repaired and is out of service for the time being. 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: 12/27/2022
| 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. |
| Saugeye/Walleye | Fair | 13 to 27 inches | Have not had any reports of fish being caught. An 18" minimum length limit is in effect. |
| Wiper | Good | 10 to 28 inches | Have not had any reports of fish being caught. |
| Catfish | Fair | 10 to 30 inches | Have not had any reports of fish being caught. |
| Largemouth/Spotted Bass | Good | 10 to 20 inches | Have not had any reports of fish being caught. |
| General Comments | |||
| WATER TEMPERATURE- 32° SURFACE ELEVATION- 2290.58 ---- 13.72 feet below conservation pool Currently, the water level is 4.31 feet lower than it was one year ago, at this time. Started releasing water out of the irrigation canal on 7-4-2022 and shut it off on 7-19-2022. All boat ramps are iced in at this time and the reservoir has approx. 5-inches of ice cover. If venturing out on the ice, use extreme caution and always fish with a buddy. 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. Now Available: A Webster District newsletter that includes fisheries related information about Webster, Kirwin and Keith Sebelius Reservoirs is available. If you would like to subscribe to this spring and fall newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. | |||
KIRWIN RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 12/27/2022
| 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. |
| Walleye | Fair | 10 to 29 inches | Did not hear of any walleye being caught. However, would try fishing the outsides of the fish attractors using jigs tipped with minnows. |
| White Bass/ Wiper | Good | 10 to 28 inches | Have had reports of fish being caught around the fish attractors using jigs and slab spoons. |
| Catfish | Fair | 10 to 30 inches | Have not had any reports of fish being caught. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | 12 to 22 inches | Have not had any reports of fish being caught. |
| General Comments | |||
| WATER TEMPERATURE- 32° SURFACE ELEVATION- 1723.23 ---- 6.02' below conservation pool Currently, the water level is 3.36' lower than it was one year ago, at this time. Started releasing water out the irrigation canal on 6-21-2022 and shut it off on 8-31-2022. The fish cleaning station is closed for the winter. All boat ramps are iced in at this time and the reservoir has approx. 5-inches of ice cover. If venturing out on the ice, use extreme caution and always fish with a buddy. 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. Now Available: A Webster District newsletter that includes fisheries related information about Webster, Kirwin and Keith Sebelius Reservoirs is available. If you would like to subscribe to this spring and fall newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. | |||
LOVEWELL RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 2/1/2023
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fair to Good | 16-25 inches | Fish can be found in deep basins in the winter months or 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. The deeper fish are often caught using jigging spoons, minnows, or brightly colored lures. *KDWP stocked 2 million walleye fry into Lovewell during the month of April and over 3,000 7+" fish in November. |
| White Bass/Wipers | Good | 7-14 inches 15-25 inches | Fish have moved to deeper water humps, ridges, and channels. Look for deep schools of baitfish. Using a variety of jigs or minnows can all catch fish this time of year. *600,000 wiper fry will be stocked into Lovewell in May with fingerlings also requested later this summer |
| Crappie | Fair to Good | 8-14 inches | Try fishing deep brush piles and other hard structure. Use minnows or jigs, but fish slower than you would in warmer months. 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 | Catfish seek deep holes in winter. Fall sampling indicated very high numbers of channel catfish are in the reservoir now. Best baits to use include stinkbait, shad gizzards, shad sides, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Anglers often report good spring catches of blue catfish 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: Frozen Current water level: 2.7 feet low Ice conditions as of 2/1/23: An angler reported 7" of ice in one spot. Hovever, be careful as temps have been above freezing and many areas have thawed recently. These areas will not have safe ice. One angler fell through the ice last week, but thankfully survived. 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: 12/27/2022
| 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. 32 Degrees Lake is approx. four to five feet low. Boat ramp is iced in at this time and lake has approx. 5-inches on ice cover on it. Now Available: A Webster District newsletter that will include Webster, Kirwin and Keith Sebelius Reservoir's will be coming out soon. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. The link is: http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Webster-Reservoir-Fishing-District | |||
SHERIDAN STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 10/14/2022
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 13 inches | Vertically fishing jigs and minnows around the deeper fish attractors and along the face of the dam. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair/Good | Up to 5 lbs. | Casting swimbaits and soft plastics around shoreline brushpiles, along the dam, around the fishing piers, and around laydown trees. |
| Saugeye | Fair | Up to 3 lbs. | Casting swimbaits and crankbaits around the fishing piers and along well defined creek channel breaks. |
| Bluegill | Fair/Good | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber around brush and rock structure. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair/Good | Up to 19 lbs. | Still-fishing shrimp or cut bait off the bottom. |
| Wiper | Fair | Up to 2 lbs. | Casting or trolling small shad imitating crankbaits, spoons, or jigs. |
| Comments | |||
| It is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water, so please discard any unused bait in a trash can. Cedar Bluff District Newsletter: A biannual newsletter detailing fishing related projects and activities in the Cedar Bluff District, which includes such waters as Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Sheridan and Scott State Fishing Lakes, Antelope Lake, and other public fishing waters in northwest Kansas are available. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. The link is: http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Cedar-Bluff-Fishing-District | |||
WEBSTER RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 12/27/2022
| 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. |
| Walleye | Fair | 14 to 28 inches | Have not heard of any walleye being caught. However, would try fishing around the outsides of the fish attractors using jigs tipped with minnows |
| 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. |
| Catfish | Fair | 12 to 30 inches | Have not had any reports of catfish being caught. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | 12 to 22 inches | Have not had any reports of bass being caught. |
| Rainbow Trout | Poor | Stilling Basin is still DRY; therefore, NO trout will be stocked this season. | |
| General Comments | |||
| WATER TEMPERATURE- 32° SURFACE ELEVATION- 1882.56 ---- 9.89' below conservation pool The water level is 5.96' lower than it was one year ago at this time. Started releasing water out the irrigation canal on 6-26-2022 and shut it off on 8-25-2022. All boat ramps are iced in at this time and the fish attractors have approx. 5-inches of ice cover on them. If venturing out on the ice, use extreme caution and always fish with a buddy. 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. Now Available: A Webster District newsletter which includes informative fisheries information about Webster, Kirwin and Keith Sebelius Reservoirs is currently available. If you would like to subscribe to this spring and fall newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. | |||
WILSON RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 10/6/2022
| 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, and towards the dam. Try trolling crankbaits, casting/jigging large bucktail jigs, or drifting live shad or sunfish along channel breaks. |
| Walleye | Good | 18-25 inches | Trolling or casting crankbaits and swimbaits over mainlake 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. NEW REGULATION FOR 2020: 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 = 1.17 feet below conservation pool. BOAT RAMP UPDATE: All boat ramps are 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!!!!!! | |||