Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

Notice

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has moved to a new hunting and fishing license system.

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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: 6/23/2022

Species	Rating	Sizes Possible	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Poor	Up to 12 inches	Try jigs & minnows around brush and weeds.
Channel Catfish	Fair to Good	Most in the 1 lb. size range	Fishing cut bait, frozen shrimp or stink bait lake wide in the morning, evening, or at night.
Largemouth bass	Fair	Up to 4 lbs.	Casting soft plastics, crankbaits, or top water in the morning and evening.
Bluegill	Fair	Up to 8 inches	Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush.
Walleye	Poor	Up to 4 lbs	Try using large crankbaits or jigs near flats and points at dawn or dusk.

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

CLARK STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 6/30/2022

Species	Rating	Sizes Possible	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Slow	Up to 12 inches	Crappie are done spawning and have moved to 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. 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 still about 7 feet low, water temperatures should be in the mid to uper 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.

Boats are being put on the water only at ramps on the south east side.

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: 6/30/2022

Species	Rating	Sizes Possible	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Fair	Up to 12 inches	Crappie are done spawning and have moved to 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. 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!

Great Kansas Fishing Derby May 15 to Sept 15 Visit www.ksfishderby.com for more info; Tagged Fish - Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Walleye

MEADE STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 6/30/2022

Species	Rating	Sizes Possible	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	No report	Most of these fish are 5-7 inches with an occasional 14 incher.	Crappie should be done spawning and moving to 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	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	Water temperatures are warming, and largemouth bass are done spawning. Look for them in shallow water near structure or cover. 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 mid to 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!

Great Kansas Fishing Derby May 15 to Sept 15 - for more info visit www.ksfishderby.com Tagged fish at this location = Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Crappie

PRATT COUNTY LAKE - Last Updated: 6/23/2022

Species	Rating	Sizes Possible	Baits, Method, & Location
Crappie	Fair	4-8"	Try jigs or minnows near the shore.
Channel Catfish	Fair to Good	Most in the 1-2 lb size range but up to 7 lbs	Fishing cut bait or stink bait lake wide.
Largemouth bass	Fair to Good	Up to 18 inches	Try casting soft plastics, crankbaits, or top water lures in the morning and evening.
Bluegill	Fair to Good	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 crank baits and jigs off of wind blown points.
Wipers	Poor to Fair	Up to 18"	Jigs or crank baits around windblown main lake points, or top water lures in the morning and evening.

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: 6/30/2022

General Comments
Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method & Location
Channel Catfish	Good	Most in the 13 to 18 inch range	Fishing live and cut bluegill or worms along rocky shorelines.
Crappie	Fair	Up to 13 inches	Drifting minnows or jigs in open water of the main lake or vertically fishing the same baits around deeper brush.
Largemouth Bass	Good	Up to 5.5 lbs.	Casting soft plastics and swimbaits around shoreline brush and laydown trees.
Sunfish	Good	Up to 8 inches	Worms under a bobber along riprapped shorelines, around brush, or along the edges of cattail beds.
Saugeye	Fair	Up to 7 lbs.	Casting swimbaits and crankbaits or drifting jigs tipped with minnows over points and drop-offs.
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

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Southwest Region Fishing Reports