Hillsdale Reservoir Fishing Information

Counties:

Miami

GPS:

N38 39.754 W94 53.422

Surface Acres:

4,580 acres

Maximum Depth:

57 feet

Normal Lake Level:

917 msl

Current Lake Level:

917.0

Lake Temperature:

View Live Lake Information

Hillsdale Reservoir Fishing Report - Updated: 08/23/2023

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method & Location
Walleye	Fair	Up to 9 lbs.	Fish sand flats and shelves. Water is warm and shad have grown to 3-4 inches. Walleye should be eating shad and baitfish throughout the water column.
Crappie	Good	Up to 13 inches	Fish near structure with a variety of small jigs.
White Bass	Fair	Up to 2 lbs.	Target white bass off wind blown points. Jigs and shad imitation lures are the best baits right now.
Largemouth Bass	Slow	Up to 4 lbs.	Target shallow water structure. Plastic baits are producing the most fish. Warm water should give some top water opportunity in the early morning and late evening. shallow running crank baits that imitate shad should be effective.
Newsletter	Good	4 pages	Click the following link to sign up for the newsletter http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-Kansas-City-Fishing-District
Channel Catfish	Fair	Up to 10 lbs.	Channel catfish can be taken on a variety of baits lakewide using prepared or live baits. Target creek mouths the day after a rain.
General Comments
WATER LEVEL: As of August 23 the water level is .59 feet below conservation pool. You can check current water conditions at http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/DistrictLakes/HillsdaleLake/DailyLakeInformation.aspx Zebra mussel infestation has been confirmed at Hillsdale Reservoir. As of 6/17/16 the lake has been designated an Aquatic Nuisance Species water. Fish may not be transported alive from ANS designated waters. Please remember to CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY your boats and equipment before using another waterbody. Dispose of all bait on dry land. Please search ksoutdoors.com for more information about zebra mussels.

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
Walleye	5	18
White Bass

* 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

+Largemouth Bass Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
LARGEMOUTH BASS
	(>12")	(>15")	(>20")	(lbs.)
	RES
SEBELIUS	219.13	75.16	1.03	5.24	E
WEBSTER	63.81	31.15	0.00	3.99	G
WILSON	61.55	41.11	0.81	5.77	G
LACYGNE	56.15	45.45	3.74	7.70	E
KIRWIN	44.99	35.36	0.00	3.72	G
BIG HILL	38.85	19.20	1.24	5.43	G
CEDAR BLUFF	11.93	4.98	0.04	5.83	G
KANOPOLIS	11.43	1.78	0.26	4.85	F
GLEN ELDER	9.93	6.23	0.12	5.38	G
TORONTO	9.80	5.23	0.00	3.52	F
MILFORD	8.70	2.92	0.00	4.68	F
EL DORADO	5.20	2.45	0.15	3.47	F
CLINTON	3.67	1.67	0.00	4.02	F
WOLF CREEK	3.63	2.73	0.00	3.93	F
MELVERN	3.44	0.86	0.00	2.68	F
LOVEWELL	2.65	2.35	0.00	4.56	P
HILLSDALE	2.38	1.60	0.11	5.16	P
PERRY	1.68	0.83	0.15	6.00	P

+Walleye Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
WALLEYE
	(>15")	(>20")	(>25")	(lbs.)
	RES
WILSON	4.92	2.18	0.28	8.52	G
KIRWIN	4.67	0.56	0.11	8.46	G
MARION	3.33	0.22	0.00	4.65	G
CEDAR BLUFF	2.88	0.50	0.01	7.93	G
WEBSTER	2.75	0.83	0.14	6.60	G
EL DORADO	2.69	1.11	0.13	7.94	G
MILFORD	2.67	0.23	0.02	6.17	G
GLEN ELDER	2.50	0.32	0.01	6.61	G
CHENEY	1.38	0.89	0.13	7.54	F
LOVEWELL	1.35	0.54	0.02	8.16	G
HILLSDALE	0.81	0.08	0.03	5.74	G
WOLF CREEK	0.59	0.20	0.02	5.99	F
MELVERN	0.50	0.06	0.00	4.59	F
CLINTON	0.45	0.00	0.00	2.91	F
POMONA	0.37	0.06	0.00	4.58	F
KANOPOLIS	0.07	0.00	0.00	1.94	P
BIG HILL	0.03	0.00	0.00	1.17	P
COUNCIL GROVE	0.02	0.02	0.00	2.80	P
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.30	P
SEBELIUS	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.51	F

+Black Crappie Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
BLACK CRAPPIE
	(>8")	(>10")	(>12")	(lbs.)
	RES
SEBELIUS	29.67	15.60	1.47	1.64	G
CEDAR BLUFF	22.55	2.24	0.06	1.29	G
KIRWIN	12.02	11.19	5.92	2.06	G
WEBSTER	5.17	2.02	0.02	1.40	G
LOVEWELL	4.33	0.38	0.07	1.43	G
KANOPOLIS	3.50	2.39	0.44	1.43	G
MILFORD	2.77	0.81	0.02	1.63	F
GLEN ELDER	1.94	1.55	0.17	1.26	G
HILLSDALE	1.33	0.29	0.06	1.36	G
CLINTON	1.30	0.93	0.04	1.10	P
MARION	1.25	0.50	0.25	1.31	P
BIG HILL	0.63	0.13	0.07	0.92	P
WILSON	0.62	0.22	0.11	1.68	P
JOHN REDMOND	0.48	0.10	0.03	1.29	P
PERRY	0.35	0.11	0.00	0.81	P
TORONTO	0.28	0.15	0.04	1.19	P
WOLF CREEK	0.17	0.06	0.06	1.39	P
EL DORADO	0.14	0.07	0.02	1.19	P
FALL RIVER	0.10	0.08	0.02	1.14	P
POMONA	0.10	0.06	0.00	0.66	P
TUTTLE CREEK	0.04	0.02	0.02	1.17	P
CHENEY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.20	P
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.13	P

+Bluegill Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
BLUEGILL
	(>6")	(>8")	(>10")	(lbs.)
	RES
SEBELIUS	56.50	6.07	0.00	0.63	G
CEDAR BLUFF	23.14	0.20	0.00	0.41	G
KANOPOLIS	8.00	0.00	0.00	0.39	G
WILSON	7.00	0.04	0.00	0.34	G
WEBSTER	5.29	0.25	0.00	0.50	G
HILLSDALE	4.92	0.04	0.00	0.46	G
BIG HILL	3.00	0.00	0.00	0.34	F
LOVEWELL	2.98	0.00	0.00	0.32	F
LACYGNE	2.29	0.02	0.02	0.35	G
CLINTON	2.17	0.02	0.02	0.34	F
PERRY	1.39	0.00	0.00	0.34	F
KIRWIN	1.10	0.06	0.00	0.59	F
GLEN ELDER	1.03	0.20	0.06	0.70	F
MILFORD	0.96	0.13	0.00	0.47	F
MELVERN	0.80	0.05	0.02	0.37	P
FALL RIVER	0.48	0.00	0.00	0.27	P
POMONA	0.46	0.02	0.02	0.43	G
CHENEY	0.40	0.00	0.00	0.22	P
EL DORADO	0.34	0.00	0.00	0.23	P
WOLF CREEK	0.30	0.00	0.00	0.18	P
COUNCIL GROVE	0.17	0.00	0.00	0.21	P
TORONTO	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.23	P
TUTTLE CREEK	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.35	P
JOHN REDMOND	0.08	0.00	0.00	0.18	P
ELK CITY	0.02	0.00	0.00	0.16	P

+Channel Catfish Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
CHANNEL CATFISH
	(>16")	(>24")	(>28")	(lbs.)
	RES
LOVEWELL	6.11	0.96	0.13	13.83	G
HILLSDALE	5.81	0.22	0.06	10.62	G
BIG HILL	5.47	0.63	0.03	8.60	G
MARION	5.36	0.20	0.02	5.48	G
TORONTO	3.75	2.36	0.53	12.78	G
KANOPOLIS	3.70	0.48	0.00	6.54	G
ELK CITY	3.11	0.47	0.03	8.42	G
WILSON	2.76	0.48	0.03	10.11	G
PERRY	2.54	0.65	0.14	12.70	G
MELVERN	2.46	0.30	0.06	11.45	G
CLINTON	2.45	0.09	0.00	6.06	G
CHENEY	2.29	0.51	0.09	14.81	G
LACYGNE	2.27	0.02	0.00	7.26	G
GLEN ELDER	1.94	0.45	0.17	16.60	G
POMONA	1.51	0.09	0.06	11.96	G
FALL RIVER	1.43	1.06	0.37	14.53	G
WEBSTER	1.28	0.08	0.03	10.64	F
KIRWIN	1.22	0.33	0.08	11.23	F
COUNCIL GROVE	1.18	0.20	0.04	7.59	F
JOHN REDMOND	0.98	0.24	0.10	14.02	F
CEDAR BLUFF	0.90	0.12	0.04	14.15	F
WOLF CREEK	0.81	0.00	0.00	4.16	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.75	0.12	0.07	14.31	F
EL DORADO	0.67	0.02	0.00	5.39	F
MILFORD	0.30	0.03	0.02	9.23	F
SEBELIUS	0.17	0.10	0.10	22.56	F

+White Bass Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
WHITE BASS
	(>9")	(>12")	(>15")	(lbs.)
	RES
GLEN ELDER	19.40	15.73	3.22	3.49	E
MARION	15.40	9.84	0.40	1.87	E
KANOPOLIS	10.74	5.05	0.49	2.86	G
CEDAR BLUFF	8.56	7.87	2.47	2.49	G
PERRY	8.42	4.26	0.33	2.51	G
CLINTON	8.00	7.17	0.83	2.31	G
WEBSTER	6.39	4.19	0.11	2.73	G
POMONA	6.26	3.31	0.14	1.88	G
JOHN REDMOND	5.75	4.85	1.19	3.12	G
HILLSDALE	4.75	2.03	0.08	1.66	G
MILFORD	4.50	2.73	0.17	1.91	G
TORONTO	4.36	3.44	1.36	2.85	G
KIRWIN	3.94	3.39	0.72	2.64	G
FALL RIVER	3.94	2.77	1.00	3.29	G
LOVEWELL	3.46	2.09	0.37	2.15	G
EL DORADO	3.27	1.42	0.38	2.01	G
BIG HILL	2.87	2.43	0.27	2.35	G
MELVERN	2.82	2.28	0.32	2.34	G
WOLF CREEK	2.78	2.13	0.43	1.72	F
LACYGNE	2.75	1.66	0.39	2.88	G
WILSON	2.72	2.22	0.88	2.96	F
COUNCIL GROVE	2.16	1.33	0.18	2.23	F
CHENEY	1.67	1.45	0.59	2.58	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.27	0.07	0.03	2.96	F
ELK CITY	0.25	0.17	0.03	1.94	F

+Black Bass Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Sebelius Reservoir	92.35	32.94	0.00	72.41	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	84.21	49.85	2.32	52.41	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	73.53	21.18	0.00	40.74	Reservoir	Good
LaCygne Reservoir	55.42	33.13	6.02	51.34	Reservoir	Excellent
Big Hill Reservoir	54.62	25.21	2.52	32.28	Reservoir	Good
Kirwin Reservoir	42.35	34.71	0.00	32.39	Reservoir	Good
Glen Elder Reservoir	42.21	25.61	5.36	46.53	Reservoir	Good
El Dorado Reservoir	28.24	12.94	1.18	24.12	Reservoir	Fair
Wolf Creek Reservoir	20.77	18.46	5.38	34.21	Reservoir	Fair
Melvern Reservoir	12.75	5.29	1.57	19.85	Reservoir	Fair
Toronto Reservoir	10.46	5.88	0.00	10.46	Reservoir	Poor
Milford Reservoir	9.63	6.19	1.38	17.42	Reservoir	Fair
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	7.37	4.32	0.00	9.92	Reservoir	Fair
Kanopolis Reservoir	6.34	1.46	0.00	9.80	Reservoir	Poor
Clinton Reservoir	5.69	2.91	0.24	6.68	Reservoir	Fair
Perry Reservoir	5.11	2.84	0.57	14.43	Reservoir	Fair
Hillsdale Reservoir	3.96	2.64	0.22	5.58	Reservoir	Fair
Lovewell Reservoir	1.24	1.24	0.00	1.24	Reservoir	Poor

+Percids Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Sebelius Reservoir	12.40	2.50	0.00	9.43	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	8.70	3.97	0.70	6.72	Reservoir	Excellent
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	4.04	0.54	0.00	4.00	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir	3.96	0.65	0.22	2.25	Reservoir	Excellent
Kirwin Reservoir	2.92	0.67	0.25	2.97	Reservoir	Good
Milford Reservoir	2.60	0.45	0.05	2.05	Reservoir	Fair
El Dorado Reservoir	2.53	1.40	0.13	2.22	Reservoir	Good
Marion Reservoir	2.40	0.07	0.00	1.73	Reservoir	Good
Glen Elder Reservoir	2.04	0.42	0.00	3.15	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	2.00	0.67	0.25	2.03	Reservoir	Good
Council Grove Reservoir	1.93	1.71	0.50	1.82	Reservoir	Fair
Clinton Reservoir	1.75	0.88	0.13	1.29	Reservoir	Fair
Cheney Reservoir	1.70	1.19	0.11	1.31	Reservoir	Fair
Kanopolis Reservoir	1.43	0.48	0.19	3.74	Reservoir	Fair
Lovewell Reservoir	1.15	0.30	0.05	0.83	Reservoir	Fair
Melvern Reservoir	1.10	0.45	0.10	0.95	Reservoir	Fair
Horsethief Reservoir	0.80	0.60	0.00	1.23	Reservoir	Fair
Wolf Creek Reservoir	0.70	0.30	0.00	0.53	Reservoir	Fair
Hillsdale Reservoir	0.33	0.08	0.00	0.42	Reservoir	Good
Pomona Reservoir	0.29	0.14	0.00	0.18	Reservoir	Fair
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.05	0.00	0.00	0.05	Reservoir	Poor
Big Hill Reservoir	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	Reservoir	Poor

+Temperate Basses Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Glen Elder Reservoir	22.83	15.33	3.38	20.35	Reservoir	Excellent
Webster Reservoir	17.08	5.42	0.17	11.31	Reservoir	Good
Clinton Reservoir	16.38	12.13	1.31	10.56	Reservoir	Good
Kanopolis Reservoir	15.19	3.33	0.76	16.19	Reservoir	Good
Marion Reservoir	11.60	3.60	0.20	11.84	Reservoir	Good
John Redmond Reservoir	10.00	8.57	0.95	7.92	Reservoir	Good
Hillsdale Reservoir	9.42	2.08	0.17	3.89	Reservoir	Good
Milford Reservoir	8.35	1.50	0.10	7.78	Reservoir	Good
Sebelius Reservoir	7.80	0.80	0.10	7.03	Reservoir	Good
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	7.71	7.58	2.63	8.74	Reservoir	Good
Cheney Reservoir	6.00	4.63	1.15	6.27	Reservoir	Good
El Dorado Reservoir	5.47	3.93	0.47	5.49	Reservoir	Good
Pomona Reservoir	5.29	2.43	0.00	3.49	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir	5.17	1.57	0.35	2.97	Reservoir	Good
Kirwin Reservoir	5.00	2.17	0.75	5.96	Reservoir	Good
Big Hill Reservoir	4.30	3.90	0.60	3.33	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	4.13	2.73	1.20	2.74	Reservoir	Good
Toronto Reservoir	2.58	2.42	0.25	2.37	Reservoir	Fair
Wolf Creek Reservoir	2.50	2.30	0.50	2.26	Reservoir	Good
Lovewell Reservoir	2.15	1.45	0.35	5.66	Reservoir	Fair
Fall River Reservoir	1.92	1.42	0.75	5.29	Reservoir	Fair
LaCygne Reservoir	0.57	0.50	0.21	3.08	Reservoir	Good
Melvern Reservoir	0.50	0.50	0.10	4.06	Reservoir	Fair
Council Grove Reservoir	0.29	0.14	0.00	1.72	Reservoir	Poor
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05	Reservoir	Poor
Elk City Reservoir	0.00	0.00	0.00	4.54	Reservoir	Fair

+Crappie Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Pomona Reservoir	23.83	6.83	1.89	19.80	Reservoir	Excellent
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	20.22	2.17	0.00	9.11	Reservoir	Good
Marion Reservoir	17.13	4.13	1.50	12.84	Reservoir	Good
Lovewell Reservoir	14.00	2.50	0.36	33.17	Reservoir	Good
Kirwin Reservoir	13.88	12.00	3.88	18.81	Reservoir	Good
Hillsdale Reservoir	12.56	7.88	1.31	20.98	Reservoir	Good
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	11.81	10.25	1.25	11.81	Reservoir	Excellent
Sebelius Reservoir	11.60	6.20	0.40	14.87	Reservoir	Good
Melvern Reservoir	9.94	6.75	0.63	11.60	Reservoir	Good
El Dorado Reservoir	9.88	8.63	3.63	7.51	Reservoir	Good
Glen Elder Reservoir	7.79	4.08	0.54	9.93	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	7.38	2.31	0.00	9.02	Reservoir	Good
Toronto Reservoir	6.38	2.50	0.81	8.15	Reservoir	Good
Big Hill Reservoir	5.70	2.60	0.70	5.00	Reservoir	Good
Milford Reservoir	5.56	4.13	1.38	5.56	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir	5.50	4.56	0.67	13.59	Reservoir
Wolf Creek Reservoir	5.00	2.29	0.41	4.94	Reservoir	Fair
Horsethief Reservoir	4.40	0.00	0.00	6.80	Reservoir	Fair
Fall River Reservoir	4.19	0.81	0.63	5.47	Reservoir	Good
Council Grove Reservoir	3.62	2.62	0.92	5.07	Reservoir	Good
Kanopolis Reservoir	2.92	1.58	0.17	7.56	Reservoir	Good
Clinton Reservoir	2.75	1.94	0.25	18.31	Reservoir	Fair
Cheney Reservoir	2.40	1.40	0.00	2.40	Reservoir	Fair
LaCygne Reservoir	1.62	0.94	0.31	3.10	Reservoir	Good
John Redmond Reservoir	1.44	1.13	0.13	4.13	Reservoir	Fair
Elk City Reservoir	1.00	0.44	0.44	7.16	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	0.53	0.53	0.20	1.09	Reservoir	Fair

Stocking Records Information

+Largemouth Bass Stocking

Water	Water Type	Stocking Date	Number Stocked
Bone Creek Lake	COML	6/15/2021	6663
Bone Creek Lake	COML	6/15/2021	6886
Bone Creek Lake Sum			13549
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	RESV	6/3/2021	3202
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	RESV	6/9/2021	12711
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	RESV	6/9/2021	9630
Cedar Bluff Reservoir Sum			25543
CRAWFORD STATE FISHING LAKE	SFLS	6/15/2021	899
CRAWFORD STATE FISHING LAKE	SFLS	6/15/2021	2880
CRAWFORD STATE FISHING LAKE	SFLS	6/14/2021	60
CRAWFORD STATE FISHING LAKE Sum			3839
El Dorado Reservoir	RESV	6/22/2021	10358
El Dorado Reservoir	RESV	6/22/2021	8047
El Dorado Reservoir	RESV	6/22/2021	14006
El Dorado Reservoir	RESV	6/22/2021	17095
El Dorado Reservoir	RESV	6/23/2021	7508
El Dorado Reservoir	RESV	6/23/2021	3025
El Dorado Reservoir Sum			60039
Hillsdale Reservoir	RESV	6/23/2021	4502
Hillsdale Reservoir	RESV	6/23/2021	1241
Hillsdale Reservoir Sum			5743
Horsethief Reservoir	RESV	6/30/2021	18823
Horsethief Reservoir Sum			18823
Melvern Reservoir	RESV	6/16/2021	9941
Melvern Reservoir	RESV	6/16/2021	8625
Melvern Reservoir	RESV	6/16/2021	12918
Melvern Reservoir	RESV	6/16/2021	18144
Melvern Reservoir Sum			49628
Wilson Reservoir	RESV	6/9/2021	11947
Wilson Reservoir	RESV	6/9/2021	3167
Wilson Reservoir	RESV	6/9/2021	6565
Wilson Reservoir Sum			21679
		Grand Total	198843

Main Menu

Hillsdale Reservoir Fishing Information