Southwest Region Fishing Reports
Fishing reports provide general angling information from KDWP 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 https://www.facebook.com/KDWPFisheries.
BARBER STATE FISHING LAKE - LOWER - Last Updated: 7/11/2025
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Poor | Up to 12 inches | Try jigs & minnows around brush and weeds near structure and the shore. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair | Most in the 1 lb. size range | Fishing cut bait or stink bait lake wide morning, evening, and night. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair to Good | Up to 5 lbs. | Try using soft plastics, crank baits, or spinner baits near structure in the morning or evening. |
| Sunfish | 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 rocks and points. |
CLARK STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 4/18/2025
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair to Good | Up to 12 inches | Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair to Good | Most in the 1 lb size range | Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. Harvest regulations is 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Good | Up to 4 lbs | Fish are in typical spring pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around any cover in the water. Focus on submerged wood in the vegetation. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | Fair | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Walleye | Fair | Up to 4 lbs | Jig and night crawler should really work on the points and flats right now. Also try casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| White Bass | Fair to Good | Whites up to 17 inches | Trolling crankbaits or 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. |
Water temperature should be in the upper 50 to low 60 range. We have received no reports from anglers & these are seasonal guidelines. 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!
HORSETHIEF RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 4/18/2025
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair to Good | Up to 12 inches | Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs where pre-spawn crappie might stage. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Most in the 1 lb size range | Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. If it ever rains, target areas of inflow. Harvest regulations are 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair to Good | Up to 4 lbs | Fish are in typical spring pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the brush piles. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | 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/saugeye | Fair | Up to 4 lbs | Jig and night crawler should really work on the points and flats right now. Also try casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
Water temps should be in the upper 50 to low 60 range. 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!
MEADE STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 4/18/2025
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair to Good | Up to 12 inches | Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs where pre-spawn crappie might stage. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair | Most in the 1 - 2 lb size range | Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. Harvest regulations are 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Good | Up to 4 lbs | Fish are in typical spring pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around any cover in the water. Focus on submerged wood in the vegetation. Harvest regulations include a 13 - 18 inch slot length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | 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. |
| Saugeye | Fair | Up to 5 lbs | Casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
Water temperature should be in the upper 50-low 60 range. Rainbow trout have been stocked several times this winter and can now be harvested without a trout permit although a valid fishing license is always required, if applicable. We have received no reports from anglers & these are seasonal guidelines. 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!
PRATT COUNTY LAKE - Last Updated: 7/11/2025
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Poor | Up to 11" | Try jigs or minnows near structure. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair to Good | Most in the 2 lb size range but up to 7 lbs | Fishing cut bait or stink bait lake wide morning, evening, and night. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair to Good | Up to 19 inches | Try using soft plastics or topwater near rocks and structure in the morning or evening |
| Bluegill | Good | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush and rocks. |
| Walleye | Poor | Up to 23" | Try large jigs, jerk baits, and crank baits near rocks at night. |
| Wipers | Poor to Fair | Up to 23" | Jigs, spoons, and crank baits around windblown points. |
| General Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
SCOTT STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 7/10/2025
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method & Location |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Up to 7 lbs. | Fishing various prepared and cut-baits along rocky shorelines and up in the creek. Anglers report catching fish of all sizes up to 8 lbs. |
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 15 inches | Minnows under a bobber up in the creek or along deeper, rocky shorelines early and late. Anglers report catching a handful of nice fish on a productive outing. |
| Largemouth Bass | Fair/Good | Up to 5.5 lbs. | Casting soft plastics, swimbaits and spinner baits around laydown trees and overhanging brush along the shorelines is best. |
| Sunfish | Good | Up to 8 inches | Nightcrawler pieces fished under a bobber over shallow areas possessing gravel bottoms. |
| Saugeye | Fair | Up to 7 lbs. | Casting shad-imitating swimbaits along deeper, rip rapped shorelines or over areas possessing rapid depth changes to the bottom. |
| General Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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! | |||