Southwest 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.
BARBER STATE FISHING LAKE - LOWER - Last Updated: 11/28/2022
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Poor | Up to 12 inches | Try jigs & minnows around brush and weeds in deeper water. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair | Most in the 1 lb. size range | Fishing cut bait, frozen shrimp or stink bait lake wide. |
| Largemouth bass | Poor to Fair | Up to 4 lbs. | Casting soft plastics or jerk baits in deeper water. |
| Sunfish | Poor to Fair | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush. |
| Walleye | Poor to Fair | Up to 4 lbs | Try using large crankbaits or jigs near flats and points. |
Barber State Fishing Lake and all other public fishing waters in Pratt and Barber counties are now a part of the Cheney district. This district also includes Harper, Kingman, Reno, and Harvey counties. A Cheney District newsletter is available. Information about fishing and fisheries management throughout southcentral Kansas will be updated at least twice each year. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms and click on Cheney Fishing District.
Great Kansas Fishing Derby May 15 to Sept 15 Visit www.ksfishderby.com for more info; Tagged Fish - Channel Catfish, Black Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
CLARK STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 9/19/2022
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Slow | Up to 12 inches | Crappie should be around structure in deeper water. Target any structure or channel swings in 8 – 10 feet of water. Use minnows, small slab spoons, or jigs tipped with plastics. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Most in the 1 lb size range | Try prepared stink bait, punch bait, cut bait or liver under a bobber or on the bottom. Also try night crawlers. As water temperatures warm, these fish should become more active. Harvest regulations include a 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair | Up to 4 lbs | Look for them in shallow water near structure or cover early in the morning or late in the day. Good summer baits are topwaters early & late, squarebill crankbaits, jigs, plastics and bladed jigs. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill | Fair | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush in deeper water. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Walleye | Good | Up to 4 lbs | The fish should be should be on the flats and points in. Try small jigs with plastic swimbaits, wobble jigs tipped with worms, minnows or leaches or trolling small minnow type crank baits. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| White Bass
| Good | Up to 17 inches | Shad bodies on small jig heads have been doing ok. Vertically fishing slab spoons over the tops of fish attractors or prominent windblown main lake points and shelves. Most of the larger white bass range from 12 to 17 inches. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
Lake is 8 feet 2 inches low, south boat ramp has been closed due to a trailer getting stuck. Boats are being put on the water only at the one steep ramp on the south east side but it may be difficult to get them loaded back on the trailers. Water temperatures should be in the mid to upper 70's. Typical summer patterns for channel catfish, white bass, crappie and largemouth bass should to work.
We have received very few reports from anglers. You may call the Dodge City Regional office as 620-227-8609 to make a report.
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!
A Dodge City District newsletter is available. Information about fishing and fisheries management throughout southwest Kansas will be updated at least twice each year. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Dodge-City-Fishing-District
HORSETHIEF RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/19/2022
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 12 inches | Crappie should be around structure in deeper water. Target any structure or channel swings in 12-20 feet of water. Use minnows, small slab spoons, or jigs tipped with plastics. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Most in the 1 lb size range | Try prepared stink bait, punch bait, cut bait or liver under a bobber or on the bottom. Also try night crawlers. As water temperatures warm, these fish should become more active. Harvest regulations include a 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair | Up to 4 lbs | Look for them in shallow water near structure or cover early in the morning or late in the day. Good summer baits are topwaters early & late, squarebill crankbaits, jigs, plastics and bladed jigs. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill | No report | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush in deeper water. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Walleye | Good | Up to 8 lbs | Walleye should be on the flats and points. Try small jigs with plastic swimbaits, wobble jigs tipped with worms, minnows or leaches or trolling small minnow type crank baits. Horsethief is part of a study comparing walleye and saugeye in reservoirs, with a 50/50 mix of each being stocked the last 2 years. Harvest regulations include an aggregate 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
Lake is about 3 feet low and water temperatures should be in the mid to upper 70's. For now typical summer time patterns for channel catfish, crappie, walleye and largemouth bass should to work.
We have received very few reports from anglers. You may call the Dodge City Regional office as 620-227-8609 to make a report.
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!
A Dodge City District newsletter is available. Information about fishing and fisheries management throughout southwest Kansas will be updated at least twice each year. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Dodge-City-Fishing-District
MEADE STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 9/19/2022
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | No report | Most of these fish are 5-7 inches with an occasional 14 incher. | Crappie are around brush in the deepest part of the lake. Target any structure or channel swings in 8 – 10 feet of water. Use minnows, small slab spoons, or jigs tipped with plastics. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | No report | Most in the 1 lb size range | Try prepared stink bait, punch bait, cut bait or liver under a bobber or on the bottom. Also try night crawlers. As water temperatures continue to warm, these fish should become more active. Harvest regulations include a 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | No report | Up to 6 lbs | Look for them in shallow water near structure or cover early in the morning or late in the day. Good summer baits are topwaters early & late, squarebill crankbaits, jigs, plastics and bladed jigs. Harvest regulations include a 13-18 inch slot length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | No report | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush in deeper water. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Saugeye | No report | Up to 16 inches | Saugeye should be on the flats and points in. Try small jigs with plastic swimbaits, wobble jigs tipped with worms, minnows or leaches or trolling small minnow type crank baits. This is a new species in the lake and a few have made it to the minimum length limit of 18-inches. There will is a 2/day creel limit. |
Lake is about 3 feet low, water temperatures should be in the upper 70's. For now typical summer time patterns for channel catfish, crappie and largemouth bass should to work.
We have not received any reports from anglers. You may call the Dodge City Regional office as 620-227-8609 to make a report.
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!
A Dodge City District newsletter is available. Information about fishing and fisheries management throughout southwest Kansas will be updated at least twice each year. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Dodge-City-Fishing-District
PRATT COUNTY LAKE - Last Updated: 11/28/2022
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Poor to Fair | 4-8" | Try jigs or minnows near the shore. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair | Most in the 1-2 lb size range but up to 7 lbs | Fishing cut bait or stink bait lake wide. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair | Up to 18 inches | Try using soft plastics or jerk baits. |
| Bluegill | Poor to Fair | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush and rocks. |
| Walleye | Poor to Fair | Up to 19" | Try large jigs and jerk baits off of wind blown points. |
| Wipers | Poor to Fair | Up to 18" | Jigs or spoons around windblown main lake points. |
Pratt County Lake and all other public fishing waters in Pratt and Barber counties are now a part of the Cheney district. This district also includes Harper, Kingman, Reno, and Harvey counties. A Cheney District newsletter is available. Information about fishing and fisheries management throughout southcentral Kansas will be updated at least twice each year. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter you can go to the following link to get on the mailing list. https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms and click on Cheney Fishing District.
Great Kansas Fishing Derby May 15 to Sept 15 Visit www.ksfishderby.com for more info; Tagged Fish - Channel Catfish, Black Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, White Bass/Wiper
SCOTT STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 11/23/2022
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method & Location |
| Channel Catfish | Fair/Good | Most in the 13 to 18 inch range | No Report. Still fishing cut, cast net-caught gizzard shad lake-wide has been best. |
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 13 inches | No Report. Drifting minnows or jigs in open water of the main lake or vertically fishing the same baits around deeper brush. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair | Up to 5.5 lbs. | No Report. Casting large, gizzard shad imitating swimbaits around shoreline brush and laydown trees. |
| Sunfish | Fair/Good | Up to 8 inches | No Report. Vertically fishing worms around deeper brush and along rip rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. |
| Saugeye | Slow | Up to 7 lbs. | No Report. Try casting large, gizzard shad imitating swimbaits over points and along rip-rapped shorelines especially early and late. |
| Rainbow Trout | Fair/Good | Up to 3.5 lbs. | We stocked approximately 800 trout on November 23, 2022. Anglers still-fishing various baits like power bait, worms, marshmallows, and corn alone or in combination can be effective. Spin-cast anglers throwing small in-line spinners and spoons often do well. And fly anglers casting prince and hare's ear nymphs under a strike indicator can be successful too. Anglers report catching limits of nice fish in the 1 to 2.5 lb. range here and there. The most recent stocking should increase angling success. |
| General Comments | |||
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| Release all saugeye less than 18 inches and largemouth bass less than 15 inches. 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! 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 Great Kansas Fishing Derby May 15 to Sept 15 Visit www.ksfishderby.com for more info; Tagged Fish - Channel Catfish, Black Bass, Crappie, Saugeye | |||