Clinton Reservoir Fishing Information

Counties:

Douglas

GPS:

N38 56.516 W095 21.263

Surface Acres:

7,000 acres

Maximum Depth:

55 feet

Normal Lake Level:

875.5 msl

Current Lake Level:

875.74

Lake Temperature:

View Live Lake Information

5 miles west of Lawrence on K-10

Clinton Reservoir Fishing Report - Updated: 05/20/2025

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, and Location
Clinton Reservoir Fishing Report
Current Fishing Conditions
Catfish	Good	Up to 40 lbs	Blue Catfish can be caught near river channels and wind-blown shorelines. Cut bait is producing the most bites. Channel Catfish are spawning and can be found on rocky shorelines, creeks, and timber. Nightcrawlers produce bites.
Walleye/Saugeye/Sauger	Good	15-18 inches	Walleye can be found on mudflats near channel edges in 10-15ft. Slow trolling night crawlers or casting jigs are effective techniques.
Crappie	Good	up to 15 inches	Crappie are done spawning but some fish can still be found in the shallows. Most crappie will concentrate around brush piles in 10-20ft. Jigs and/or minnows with a slip bobber are very effective.
White bass/Wiper	Fair	0.5-10 lbs	White Bass and Wiper can be found in schools near drop-offs and river channel edges. Spoons, crankbaits, or jigs will produce bites.
Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass	Good	1-5 lbs	Bass are preparing to spawn by making spawning beds in shallows near structure. Tube jigs or plastics that imitate crayfish will produce bites.
General Comments
Spring-Summer Fishing Summary: Many sport fish species have completed their annual spawn. Species such as catfish and bass will continue to display spawning activity in the coming weeks. Shore fishing should remain good until water temperatures reach summer peak, when fish typically move to deeper off-shore structure. Raising water levels and high inflows can have mixed effect on fishing conditions. Fish may concentrate on creeks and river mouths where inflows enter the lake. Fish can be found in the shallows taking advantage of newly submerged terrestrial habitat. NEW BLUE CATFISH REGULATIONS 10 fish daily creel limit, only 1 fish 30" or longer Fisheries biologists continue to study Kansas blue catfish and the research is showing reservoirs with lower population densities exhibit the best growth rates which equates to greater numbers of larger fish available to anglers. Growth rates of blue catfish are variable across Kansas. Time required for a blue catfish to reach 30 inches is as short as 8 years at Tuttle Creek Reservoir to as long as 14 years at El Dorado Reservoir. Due to the time required to grow to larger sizes, these older and larger fish are quite valuable. Angler harvest is necessary to provide desired densities and harvest should be focused upon smaller blue catfish, especially those in the 18 to 25 inch range while releasing the larger fish to fight again. NEW RESEARCH RESULTS Saugeye were introduced in 2021 as part of a four year study. Equal numbers of Walleye and Saugeye were stocked to provide an equitable comparison. Saugeye outperformed Walleye nearly 10 to 1. The success of Saugeye provided a great return on stocking investment and increased angler success. Blue catfish tagging revealed the population is greater than 6000 individuals and continues to grow. Fish stockings in 2025: Saugeye, Sauger, Wiper, Smallmouth Bass Water Level and Discharge: The most recent water level conditions can be found at the following website: https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes/Clinton-Lake/Daily-Lake-Info-2/ Invasive Species: Be sure to Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat when you leave to prevent the spread of Zebra mussels. Do not transport live bait captured from Clinton Reservoir. Fish Habitat: Several brush piles were placed at Clinton State Park near Boat ramp 3. Contact Information: If you would like to contribute to future fishing reports or have questions about the fish populations, please email the Fisheries Biologist at: jim.miazga@ks.gov

Creel Length/Limits

Fishing Population	Creel Limit	Min Length Limit
Bluegill
Channel Catfish	10
Crappie	20	10
Flathead Catfish	5
Green Sunfish
Largemouth Bass	5	18
Sauger	5	15
Smallmouth Bass	5	18
Walleye	5	15
White Bass
Wiper	2	18
Blue Catfish	10	Only 1 fish 30-inches or longer
Saugeye	5	15

* Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Bass in Combination
** Striped Bass or Wiper in Combination
*** Walleye, Sauger or Saugeye in Combination

Fishing Forecast Information

View Fishing Forecast definitions

+Saugeye Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>14")	(>18")	(>22")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	9.17	3.57	0.57	6.41	G
COUNCIL GROVE	3.16	2.02	0.36	6.87	G
POMONA	1.75	0.38	0.00	3.39	G
KANOPOLIS	1.62	0.72	0.17	6.78	G
MELVERN	1.41	0.04	0.00	2.09	F
CLINTON	1.35	0.08	0.00	2.26	G
TUTTLE CREEK	0.91	0.25	0.02	4.81	F
WEBSTER	0.15	0.15	0.09	4.48	F
ELK CITY	0.03	0.00	0.00	1.11	F

+Flathead Catfish Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>20")	(>28")	(>34")	(lbs.)	BR
KIRWIN	39.73	19.71	12.95	48.41	G
SEBELIUS	34.44	27.66	22.47	65.42	G
LOVEWELL	23.90	15.64	8.70	56.83	G
GLEN ELDER	23.56	10.10	5.07	65.29	G
HILLSDALE	21.54	15.38	5.38	51.76	F
WEBSTER	21.34	11.27	4.98	37.67	F
WILSON	15.79	9.19	2.64	46.26	G
KANOPOLIS	11.02	5.63	0.62	30.29	G
CHENEY	8.70	6.52	3.17	66.74	F
TORONTO	5.40	1.79	0.45	41.59	G
FALL RIVER	3.32	1.56	0.78	32.62	G
CLINTON	0.26	0.16	0.16	66.08	F

+Largemouth Bass Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>12")	(>15")	(>20")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	230.02	77.82	0.62	5.24	G
WILSON	42.91	33.66	0.32	5.63	G
WEBSTER	30.51	22.88	0.00	3.80	F
BIG HILL	28.78	10.71	0.89	6.81	G
CEDAR BLUFF	24.79	8.51	0.24	6.52	G
KIRWIN	21.48	18.47	0.00	3.72	G
LACYGNE	16.98	12.54	1.80	7.91	G
MILFORD	8.73	2.29	0.00	4.21	F
GLEN ELDER	7.59	6.51	0.07	3.70	F
MELVERN	7.04	1.43	0.00	2.03	P
WOLF CREEK	6.94	4.78	0.58	5.49	P
EL DORADO	6.23	3.43	0.20	4.42	P
CLINTON	5.52	2.11	0.00	4.75	P
PERRY	4.09	2.12	0.30	6.00	P
HILLSDALE	1.91	1.47	0.00	2.99	P
TORONTO	1.50	1.50	0.00	3.71	P

+Walleye Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>15")	(>20")	(>25")	(lbs.)	BR
MARION	3.54	0.46	0.00	4.65	G
KIRWIN	2.92	0.44	0.03	6.44	G
EL DORADO	2.65	1.10	0.08	7.08	G
WEBSTER	2.59	0.88	0.06	6.32	G
CEDAR BLUFF	2.53	0.55	0.02	6.13	G
MILFORD	2.20	0.42	0.00	5.34	G
WILSON	1.98	1.03	0.04	6.41	G
GLEN ELDER	1.86	0.27	0.03	6.61	F
HILLSDALE	1.19	0.40	0.10	7.06	G
CHENEY	1.05	0.55	0.10	6.79	P
WOLF CREEK	0.81	0.31	0.04	6.56	F
LOVEWELL	0.76	0.38	0.00	5.56	F
POMONA	0.40	0.13	0.00	4.16	F
MELVERN	0.37	0.02	0.00	4.45	F
CLINTON	0.37	0.06	0.02	8.37	F
BIG HILL	0.20	0.03	0.00	4.85	F
KANOPOLIS	0.08	0.02	0.00	5.83	P

+Black Crappie Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>8")	(>10")	(>12")	(lbs.)	BR
CEDAR BLUFF	14.18	5.02	0.12	1.29	G
SEBELIUS	8.87	6.40	1.23	1.33	G
KIRWIN	3.27	3.19	1.81	1.94	G
KANOPOLIS	3.00	2.47	0.58	1.27	G
WEBSTER	2.95	1.50	0.02	1.40	G
MARION	2.62	0.85	0.08	1.09	F
LOVEWELL	1.51	0.76	0.07	1.43	F
HILLSDALE	1.36	0.23	0.00	0.56	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.33	0.08	0.08	1.29	P
MILFORD	1.15	0.90	0.06	2.07	F
BIG HILL	0.73	0.13	0.00	0.53	F
CLINTON	0.71	0.51	0.02	0.93	F
GLEN ELDER	0.52	0.30	0.07	1.11	F
TORONTO	0.38	0.19	0.06	1.26	P
WOLF CREEK	0.33	0.00	0.00	0.39	P
POMONA	0.30	0.13	0.05	1.44	P
PERRY	0.25	0.13	0.03	1.60	P
WILSON	0.22	0.20	0.07	1.68	P
LACYGNE	0.21	0.12	0.00	0.93	P
FALL RIVER	0.08	0.08	0.02	1.14	P
TUTTLE CREEK	0.07	0.05	0.02	1.09	P
EL DORADO	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.31	P
MELVERN	0.04	0.02	0.00	0.63	P
COUNCIL GROVE	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.07	P
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.05	P

+Bluegill Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>6")	(>8")	(>10")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	27.13	8.40	0.00	0.64	G
CEDAR BLUFF	8.82	0.12	0.00	0.40	F
HILLSDALE	4.75	0.02	0.00	0.34	G
LACYGNE	4.47	0.00	0.00	0.31	P
BIG HILL	4.23	0.10	0.00	0.36	G
KANOPOLIS	3.42	0.03	0.00	0.39	G
WEBSTER	2.69	0.57	0.00	0.60	F
MILFORD	2.31	0.44	0.00	0.52	F
CLINTON	1.83	0.10	0.00	0.52	F
LOVEWELL	1.17	0.05	0.00	0.43	P
WILSON	0.96	0.00	0.00	0.28	G
PERRY	0.88	0.00	0.00	0.32	F
MARION	0.62	0.00	0.00	0.39	P
WOLF CREEK	0.60	0.00	0.00	0.18	P
EL DORADO	0.56	0.00	0.00	0.23	P
MELVERN	0.40	0.02	0.00	0.37	P
TUTTLE CREEK	0.36	0.00	0.00	0.25	P
POMONA	0.35	0.00	0.00	0.22	P
GLEN ELDER	0.34	0.14	0.00	0.70	P
KIRWIN	0.33	0.04	0.00	0.52	F
FALL RIVER	0.19	0.00	0.00	0.25	P
COUNCIL GROVE	0.17	0.00	0.00	0.22	F
TORONTO	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.23	P
ELK CITY	0.03	0.00	0.00	0.22	P

+Channel Catfish Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>16")	(>24")	(>28")	(lbs.)	BR
BIG HILL	8.07	0.77	0.10	9.05	G
LOVEWELL	6.36	1.05	0.11	11.81	G
HILLSDALE	5.74	0.64	0.07	11.01	G
KANOPOLIS	4.00	0.43	0.02	9.93	G
MARION	3.69	0.23	0.06	18.72	G
WILSON	3.40	0.48	0.02	10.11	G
CHENEY	2.70	0.50	0.10	14.81	G
TORONTO	2.69	1.86	0.47	11.33	G
FALL RIVER	2.10	1.58	0.68	11.21	G
PERRY	1.94	0.41	0.04	7.93	G
MELVERN	1.87	0.11	0.02	6.48	G
GLEN ELDER	1.86	0.47	0.16	16.60	G
LACYGNE	1.78	0.00	0.00	4.52	G
POMONA	1.65	0.03	0.03	11.96	G
COUNCIL GROVE	1.53	0.20	0.09	9.41	F
CEDAR BLUFF	1.50	0.35	0.05	14.15	G
CLINTON	1.29	0.17	0.00	5.86	G
WEBSTER	1.21	0.21	0.00	8.39	F
KIRWIN	1.19	0.22	0.03	10.72	G
ELK CITY	1.17	0.10	0.00	5.37	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.13	0.33	0.05	9.59	G
EL DORADO	0.70	0.00	0.00	3.84	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.47	0.13	0.04	8.59	F
MILFORD	0.45	0.05	0.00	5.21	F
WOLF CREEK	0.38	0.00	0.00	3.50	G
SEBELIUS	0.37	0.23	0.17	22.56	G

+White Bass Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>9")	(>12")	(>15")	(lbs.)	BR
MARION	20.74	11.60	0.43	1.87	E
GLEN ELDER	16.05	13.77	3.38	3.07	E
CEDAR BLUFF	14.66	14.16	3.66	2.25	E
WEBSTER	10.50	7.29	0.09	2.73	G
POMONA	9.18	6.30	0.80	2.20	G
KANOPOLIS	6.87	5.80	0.37	2.47	G
PERRY	6.78	4.45	0.18	2.20	G
TORONTO	6.39	4.14	1.58	2.69	G
KIRWIN	6.25	5.25	0.64	2.18	G
WOLF CREEK	5.62	2.73	0.17	1.98	G
CLINTON	5.54	3.56	0.85	2.32	G
MILFORD	5.22	4.47	0.58	2.13	G
FALL RIVER	4.26	3.00	1.13	3.02	G
LOVEWELL	3.80	2.38	0.25	2.26	F
BIG HILL	3.50	2.10	0.00	1.73	G
MELVERN	2.98	2.50	0.37	2.38	G
COUNCIL GROVE	2.98	1.62	0.18	2.23	G
WILSON	2.64	2.52	1.52	2.96	G
JOHN REDMOND	2.63	1.70	0.82	3.24	G
HILLSDALE	2.52	1.95	0.10	1.43	G
LACYGNE	2.49	0.27	0.12	1.81	G
EL DORADO	2.05	1.60	0.33	2.47	F
ELK CITY	1.90	1.33	0.23	2.80	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.31	0.18	0.02	1.96	P
CHENEY	0.20	0.20	0.10	2.09	P

+Black Bass Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Sebelius Reservoir	267.22	82.69	1.03	5.24	Reservoir	G
Wilson Reservoir	62.91	44.38	0.39	5.63	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	45.72	29.11	0.00	3.80	Reservoir	F
Big Hill Reservoir	38.62	16.46	0.64	6.81	Reservoir	G
Kirwin Reservoir	37.30	28.81	0.00	3.72	Reservoir	F
LaCygne Reservoir	35.01	26.89	1.96	7.70	Reservoir	G
Melvern Reservoir	25.37	6.34	0.00	2.86	Reservoir	G
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	22.06	7.49	0.09	5.83	Reservoir	G
Glen Elder Reservoir	20.90	11.69	0.07	4.92	Reservoir	G
Kanopolis Reservoir	17.03	2.14	0.53	4.85	Reservoir	F
Milford Reservoir	15.89	3.94	0.00	4.21	Reservoir	F
El Dorado Reservoir	12.86	5.36	0.21	3.94	Reservoir	F
Wolf Creek Reservoir	12.44	9.42	0.79	5.49	Reservoir	F
Clinton Reservoir	9.56	3.75	0.00	4.75	Reservoir	F
Perry Reservoir	4.74	2.70	0.27	6.00	Reservoir	P
Lovewell Reservoir	2.94	2.35	0.00	4.56	Reservoir	P
Hillsdale Reservoir	1.77	1.35	0.00	3.01	Reservoir	P
Toronto Reservoir	1.50	1.50	0.00	3.71	Reservoir	P

+Crappie Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Melvern Reservoir	34.23	14.91	1.41	1.61	Reservoir	E
Sebelius Reservoir	28.53	15.00	1.83	1.54	Reservoir	G
Lovewell Reservoir	26.88	10.54	1.02	2.50	Reservoir	G
Hillsdale Reservoir	25.52	11.45	1.52	1.29	Reservoir	E
Perry Reservoir	25.45	14.03	0.38	1.42	Reservoir	G
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	24.71	5.51	0.43	1.80	Reservoir	G
Toronto Reservoir	18.51	5.83	1.91	2.40	Reservoir	G
Elk City Reservoir	15.49	5.57	1.35	2.40	Reservoir	G
LaCygne Reservoir	15.07	5.95	0.45	2.30	Reservoir	G
Clinton Reservoir	10.61	3.46	0.24	1.37	Reservoir	G
Kirwin Reservoir	10.31	9.56	6.06	2.06	Reservoir	G
Wolf Creek Reservoir	8.93	3.27	0.57	1.64	Reservoir	F
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	7.57	4.68	1.05	1.69	Reservoir	G
Pomona Reservoir	7.41	3.11	0.18	1.73	Reservoir	G
Big Hill Reservoir	7.40	3.43	0.27	1.19	Reservoir	G
Marion Reservoir	6.67	2.67	0.33	1.09	Reservoir	G
Milford Reservoir	6.54	3.75	0.58	1.90	Reservoir	G
Fall River Reservoir	6.06	1.85	0.44	2.58	Reservoir	G
El Dorado Reservoir	5.93	2.29	0.82	1.59	Reservoir	G
Council Grove Reservoir	5.89	3.22	1.33	1.87	Reservoir	F
Kanopolis Reservoir	5.67	3.58	0.50	1.43	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	5.38	2.90	0.17	1.79	Reservoir	G
Glen Elder Reservoir	3.33	1.38	0.46	1.91	Reservoir	F
John Redmond Reservoir	1.71	0.79	0.25	3.04	Reservoir	F
Wilson Reservoir	0.73	0.31	0.13	1.68	Reservoir	P

Trout Stocking Information

View Trout Stocking Program Information

+Stocking Schedule Stocking

Department-owned Waters - Trout stockings by KDWP

Southeast Region	Kings Lake Emporia State University	Mined Land WA - Unit #30
1st Stocking	Nov. 18	Nov. 19
2nd Stocking	Dec. 27	Dec. 26
3rd Stocking	Feb. 4	Feb. 3
		Feb. 27

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season	1,785 trout	5,100 trout

Community Lake Stockings - Please contact local/city offices for dates of stockings if not listed below

Southeast Region	Garnett Crystal Lake	Cherryvale, Tanko	Coffeyville, LeClere Lake	Fort Scott, Fern Lake
1st Stocking	Nov. 18	Dec. 12	Nov. 20	Nov. 18
2nd Stocking	Dec. 12		Jan. 14	Dec. 26
3rd Stocking	Feb. 26			Feb. 4, Feb. 26
Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season	trout	trout	trout	trout

+Stocking Schedule Stocking

Northeast Region	Fort Riley Moon Lake	Fort Riley Cameron Springs	Tuttle Creek Willow Lake	Eisenhower State Park Pond	Clinton State Park Lake Henry
1st Stocking Dec.	Nov. 19	Nov. 19	Nov. 19	Nov. 19	Nov. 19
2nd Stocking Jan.	Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Jan. 16
3rd Stocking Feb.	Feb. 26	Feb. 26	Feb. 25	Feb. 25	Feb. 25

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-2025 Season	4,743 trout	3,825 trout	4,743 trout	765 trout	2,142 trout

Northeast Region	Herington Father Padilla Pond 785-258-2271	Shawnee County Lake Shawnee 785-251-6800	Holton Elkhorn Lake 785-364-2721	Atchison City Lake #1 913-367-5500	Johnson County Kill Creek Park Lake	Johnson County Shawnee Mission Park Lake
1st Stocking	Dec. 12	Nov. 22	Nov. 22	Nov. 22	Dec. 3	Dec. 3
	Feb. 28	Jan. 24	Feb. 28	Feb. 28	Feb. 25	Feb. 25

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season

Southwest Region	Meade State Fishing Lake	Scott State Park Barrel Springs	Cimarron Grassland Pits	Pratt Centennial Pond	Garden City Finney Co. Wildwood Park
1st Stocking	Nov. 25	Nov. 25	Nov. 25	Nov. 25	Dry
2nd Stocking	Jan. 15	Jan. 16	Jan. 15	Jan. 15	Fish will be
3rd Stocking	Feb.27	Feb. 26	Feb. 27	Feb. 27	Stocked in Dodge City
					Lake Charles
Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season	4,131 trout	2,882 trout	2,219 trout	2,219 trout	trout

Southwest Region	Great Bend Vets Park 620-793-4160	Dodge City Lake Charles 620-227-9323	Syracuse Sam's Pond 620-384-7818
1st Stocking	Nov. 27	Nov. 25	Dec. 2
2nd Stocking	Jan. 14	Jan. 15
3rd Stocking	Feb. 10	Feb. 27


Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season

Northwest Region	Webster Reservoir Stilling Basin	Glen Elder State Park Pond	Kanopolis Seep Stream	Sherman County Smoky Gardens
1st Stocking	Nov. 26	Will not be stocked This year	Nov. 27	Nov. 25
2nd Stocking	Jan. 14		Jan. 14	Jan. 16
3rd Stocking	Feb. 26		Feb. 10	Feb. 26

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season	6273 Trout	0 Trout	5,355 trout	1,020 trout

Northwest Region	Colby Villa High 785-460-4400	Salina Lakewood Lake 785-826-7275
1st Stocking	Nov. 25	Nov. 27
2nd Stocking		Jan. 14
3rd Stocking	Feb. 26	Feb. 10


Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season

South Central Region	El Dorado St Park River Area (no stocking due to repairs)	Wichita O.J. Watson Park Pond
1st Stocking		Nov. 18
2nd Stocking		Dec. 27
3rd Stocking		Feb. 4


Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-2025 Season		2,550 trout

South Central Region	Sedgwick County Park Vic’s Lake 316-660-1780	Sedgwick County Slough Creek 316-660-1780	Hutchinson Carey Park Pond New location 620-694-1905
1st Stocking	Nov. 18, Dec. 3(make up for die off on initial stocking)		Nov. 18
2nd Stocking	Dec. 12	Dec. 12	Dec. 12
3rd Stocking	Dec. 27, Jan. 15		Dec. 27
	Feb. 4	Feb. 27	Feb. 4, Feb. 27

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season

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Clinton Reservoir Fishing Information