Perry Reservoir Fishing Information

Counties:

Jefferson

GPS:

39.1459226 -95.4862717

Surface Acres:

11,630 acres

Maximum Depth:

43 feet

Normal Lake Level:

891.5 feet

View Live Lake Information

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Perry Reservoir Fishing Report - Updated: 05/22/2020

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method & Location
Zebra Mussels	Invasive!	up to 3/4"	Since the infestation was discovered in Oct. of 2007 these mussels have spread throughout the lake. It's up to all of us to make sure these are not spread to other area lakes, Clean-Drain-Dry everything that is taken out of Perry. Mussels will start spawning as the water temperature rises to around 54 degrees. Please do not move water from Perry Reservoir.
Perry District Newsletter	Good-Excellent		We publish a newsletter for Perry and other waters in the district twice a year. If you would like the letter e-mailed to you click here and fill in the blanks.
Channel Catfish	Good	up to 10.0 lbs	Channel Catfish bite has been pretty slow, that or anglers haven't been targeting them. Some fish could be found in the creek and river channels.
Sauger	Slow	up to 2.6 lbs.	There are good numbers in the reservoir but are difficult to target. Try trolling crankbaits or lindy rigs along the dam. Casting a jig or crankbait in areas under a light may produce some fish during the night.
Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Fair Fair	up to 5.0 lbs. up to 5.0 lbs.	Lots of small 8-10 inch bass were seen all last fall. Fishing should be great as these fish continue to grow. Try casting crankbaits and spinner jigs near any of the newly fallen trees along the shoreline.
White Bass	Fair	up to 1.5 lbs.	White Bass can be caught using any bait resembling a shad or even from crappie jigs. Try casting around rocks or look for schools of fish breaking up the balls of shad. There are A LOT of 6-9 inch fish out there but some larger 14-16 inch fish can still be found.
White Crappie	Slow to Fair	up to 1.5 lbs.	MANY anglers have had success catching crappie from just about everywhere. Fish have been up shallow for a while. From the bank cast a jig or minnow set 1-3' from a bobber and slowly retrieve it.
Blue Catfish	Fair	up to 25.0 lbs.	Some fish may be found up shallow feeding or staging to spawn. Some luck may be found in areas where people are cleaning their fish. A few nice fish in the 35 inch length limit range can be taken, many fish are below the length limit, with a few blue catfish over the 35 inch minimum length limit. Remember blue cats look similar to channel catfish, so be careful with identification.
Comments
As of May 23rd, the current lake elevation is at 891.5 (at conservation pool) and dropping about a half inch a day with a release of 500 cfs. Forecasted rains may cause the reservoir to rise slightly above this reported level. For current lake conditions click here and for the lake forecast click here. All boat ramps are open with the exception of Devil's Gap. Bathrooms at all ramps are closed due to COVID-19 as well as the state park and USACE offices. Boat ramps are still open and docks are available. The private marinas may limit access or the number of anglers so contact those business if you are interested in fishing the docks. Please try to maintain at least a 6 foot distance between you and other anglers while visiting and fishing Perry Reservoir. If you would like to place habitat in Perry Reservoir or contribute to the fishing report, please contact the Fish Biologist, Nick, at 785-246-4514 to obtain a permit. 39 Georgia Cube fish habitat structures were placed in the reservoir last spring. Their locations can be found here. This is a generic report and will be updated as information becomes available.

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	18
Saugeye	5	18
White Bass
Walleye	5	18
Blue Catfish	5	35
Smallmouth Bass	5	18

* 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	Rating	3 yr avg
	(>12”)	(>15”)	(>20”)	(LBS.)		(>12”)
KIRWIN	52.94	3.53	0.00	4.00	E	18.27
LACYGNE	48.00	30.86	2.86	6.70	E	62.56
SEBELIUS	45.88	12.94	0.00	4.45	E	50.13
WEBSTER	41.18	7.19	0.00	3.60	E	16.23
WILSON	32.85	15.71	0.29	5.90	E	21.79
BIG HILL	28.37	10.73	0.00	4.08	E	22.57
GLEN ELDER	10.38	7.96	0.00	3.65	G	15.98
CEDAR BLUFF	2.72	2.17	0.00	2.39	F	11.42
MILFORD*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	G	12.64
EL DORADO*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	9.26
HILLSDALE*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	8.96
PERRY*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	7.72
CLINTON*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	6.64
MELVERN*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	4.38

* Not sampled in 2019 due to high water levels. Rating is based on biologist's current opinion of the fishery and the three-year average provides density data from past year's sampling results.

+Flathead Catfish Forecast

WATERBODY	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big Fish	Rating	3 yr avg
	(>20”)	(>28”)	(>34”)	(LBS.)		(>20”)
WEBSTER	0.42	0.08	0.00	6.55	G	0.25
POMONA	0.25	0.06	0.06	10.13	F	0.14
LACYGNE	0.19	0.06	0.06	12.27	F	0.28
BIG HILL	0.10	0.00	0.00	2.40	F	0.20
TORONTO	0.10	0.00	0.00	3.17	E	0.26
WILSON	0.10	0.00	0.00	4.83	F	0.10
ELK CITY	0.08	0.00	0.00	2.10	F	0.08
COUNCIL GROVE	0.07	0.00	0.00	1.68	F	0.08
CLINTON	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	0.06
MELVERN	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	0.13
JOHN REDMOND	0.05	0.00	0.00	2.98	F	0.05
PERRY*	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.72	F	0.02

* Not sampled in 2019. Rating is based on biologist's current opinion of the fishery and the three-year average provides density data from past year's sampling results.

+Bluegill Forecast

WATERBODY	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big Fish	Rating	3 yr avg
	(>6”)	(>8”)	(>10”)	(LBS.)		(>6”)
SEBELIUS	25.00	1.20	0.00	0.62	G	12.73
GLEN ELDER	7.50	0.15	0.00	0.45	F	2.98
WEBSTER	7.19	0.13	0.00	0.48	F	11.08
KIRWIN	6.25	0.00	0.00	0.38	F	3.67
MARION	4.91	0.00	0.00	0.31	F	7.05
WILSON	3.73	0.00	0.00	0.33	F	2.24
KANOPOLIS	3.50	0.00	0.00	0.35	F	1.68
HILLSDALE	3.38	0.13	0.00	0.44	F	3.63
CEDAR BLUFF	2.94	0.06	0.00	0.42	F	1.55
BIG HILL	2.80	0.10	0.00	0.31	F	2.93
EL DORADO	2.13	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	0.91
LOVEWELL	1.63	0.00	0.00	0.31	F	3.23
POMONA	1.44	0.00	0.00	0.30	F	0.65
LACYGNE	1.25	0.06	0.06	0.26	F	1.92
PERRY	1.24	0.00	0.00	0.34	P	0.77
WOLF CREEK	1.06	0.00	0.00	0.27	P	0.72
ELK CITY	0.75	0.00	0.00	0.27	P	0.52
MELVERN	0.50	0.00	0.00	0.26	P	0.32
JOHN REDMOND	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.19	P	0.06
COUNCIL GROVE*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.09	P	0.03
TORONTO*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.09	P	0.02
CLINTON*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	P	0.90

* Not sampled in 2019. Rating is based on biologist's current opinion of the fishery and the three-year average provides density data from past year's sampling results.

+Black Crappie Forecast

WATERBODY	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big Fish	Rating	3 yr avg
BLACK CRAPPIE
	(>8”)	(>10”)	(>12”)	(LBS.)		(>8”)
	RES
SEBELIUS	25.50	14.70	1.40	1.58	G	12.50
GLEN ELDER	16.85	3.65	0.05	1.30	G	5.68
KIRWIN	14.75	13.13	0.75	1.75	G	16.79
KANOPOLIS	11.75	1.83	0.17	1.12	G	4.26
WEBSTER	7.25	2.56	0.38	1.45	G	5.38
LOVEWELL	5.38	2.88	0.25	1.23	F	3.09
MARION	3.82	3.18	1.36	1.43	F	2.71
WILSON	2.47	1.87	0.47	1.68	F	0.93
CEDAR BLUFF	1.56	0.94	0.50	1.15	F	2.48
JOHN REDMOND	1.38	1.13	0.19	1.57	P	1.38
WOLF CREEK	0.75	0.63	0.63	1.46	P	0.52
HILLSDALE	0.44	0.19	0.06	1.59	P	0.67
BIG HILL	0.40	0.00	0.00	0.41	P	0.63
EL DORADO	0.19	0.06	0.00	0.85	P	0.31
ELK CITY	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.53	P	0.06
LACYGNE	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.28	P	0.09
PERRY	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.25	P	0.06
CLINTON*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	P	0.33

* Not sampled in 2019. Rating is based on biologist's current opinion of the fishery and the three-year average provides density data from past year's sampling results.

+White Bass Forecast

WATERBODY	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big Fish	Rating	3 yr avg
	(>9”)	(>12”)	(>15”)	(LBS.)		(>9”)
KANOPOLIS	25.24	19.06	3.35	3.66	E	13.60
GLEN ELDER	18.11	16.72	4.67	3.06	E	18.01
MARION	13.13	10.93	0.27	1.98	G	8.33
ELK CITY	10.50	8.25	1.42	2.91	E	7.29
MELVERN	9.88	8.75	2.31	2.42	G	5.19
WEBSTER	9.33	8.08	0.00	1.50	G	5.58
JOHN REDMOND	8.65	2.75	0.35	2.82	G	6.44
LOVEWELL	7.58	4.58	0.08	1.73	G	5.58
CLINTON	4.94	4.31	0.88	2.76	G	6.13
LACYGNE	4.88	2.06	0.25	1.83	G	3.40
CEDAR BLUFF	4.25	3.71	0.21	1.50	F	11.29
EL DORADO	3.07	2.27	0.73	2.56	F	3.04
BIG HILL	3.00	2.70	0.70	2.27	F	2.20
KIRWIN	2.20	2.20	0.13	2.52	G	2.94
CHENEY	2.15	2.05	0.40	2.20	F	2.13
WILSON	2.07	1.97	1.27	3.75	F	2.33
PERRY	1.48	1.00	0.10	1.57	F	2.33
HILLSDALE	1.33	1.08	0.17	1.78	F	1.69
WOLF CREEK	1.28	1.11	0.39	1.93	F	2.23
COUNCIL GROVE	1.13	0.80	0.00	1.38	F	1.62
POMONA	0.56	0.13	0.00	1.61	F	1.74
TORONTO	0.50	0.20	0.20	2.23	F	4.47
MILFORD*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	2.12

* Not sampled in 2019. Rating is based on biologist's current opinion of the fishery and the three-year average provides density data from past year's sampling results.

+Channel Catfish Forecast

WATERBODY	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big Fish	Rating	3 yr avg
	(>16”)	(>24”)	(>28”)	(LBS.)		(>16”)
LOVEWELL	9.75	1.17	0.25	10.03	G	5.68
BIG HILL	8.40	0.50	0.10	7.43	G	6.03
KANOPOLIS	7.06	0.24	0.00	6.96	G	4.03
MELVERN	3.94	0.19	0.06	9.00	G	3.90
HILLSDALE	3.50	0.33	0.00	9.92	G	4.22
MARION	3.07	0.53	0.40	19.88	G	3.62
TORONTO	2.90	1.70	0.70	11.90	G	2.11
POMONA	2.88	0.13	0.00	5.69	G	2.65
WILSON	2.87	0.47	0.03	9.27	G	2.83
GLEN ELDER	2.22	0.61	0.06	13.41	G	1.99
CLINTON	1.56	0.19	0.00	4.93	G	4.04
CHENEY	1.30	0.20	0.00	7.65	G	1.00
COUNCIL GROVE	1.27	0.13	0.00	8.77	G	1.38
ELK CITY	1.25	0.25	0.00	6.03	G	2.94
LACYGNE	1.25	0.13	0.00	4.52	G	1.39
JOHN REDMOND	1.05	0.40	0.25	14.02	G	1.02
PERRY	1.05	0.14	0.10	8.82	G	1.65
WEBSTER	0.92	0.17	0.00	6.15	G	1.22
KIRWIN	0.73	0.27	0.07	8.75	G	0.82
WOLF CREEK	0.72	0.00	0.00	2.48	F	0.99
EL DORADO	0.27	0.00	0.00	2.46	F	0.31
CEDAR BLUFF	0.21	0.00	0.00	4.87	F	0.27
SEBELIUS	0.10	0.00	0.00	3.23	F	0.20
CLINTON*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	G	5.48
MILFORD*	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	F	0.80

* Not sampled in 2019. Rating is based on biologist's current opinion of the fishery and the three-year average provides density data from past year's sampling results.

+Black Bass Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Kirwin Reservoir	52.94	3.53	0.00	18.27	Reservoir	Excellent
Glen Elder Reservoir	52.25	34.60	4.15	43.38	Reservoir	Good
Sebelius Reservoir	51.76	17.65	0.00	59.22	Reservoir	Excellent
Lacygne Reservoir	48.00	30.86	2.86	62.56	Reservoir	Excellent
Webster Reservoir	41.18	7.19	0.00	16.23	Reservoir	Excellent
Wilson Reservoir	36.60	18.44	1.30	30.47	Reservoir	Excellent
Wolf Creek Reservoir	31.39	22.63	2.92	40.26	Reservoir	Fair
Big Hill Reservoir	29.41	11.07	0.00	23.63	Reservoir	Excellent
Horsethief Reservoir	15.32	5.65	0.00	23.47	Reservoir	Fair
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	8.02	3.40	0.00	14.85	Reservoir	Fair
Clinton Reservoir				8.07	Reservoir	Fair
El Dorado Reservoir				31.68	Reservoir	Fair
Hillsdale Reservoir				9.00	Reservoir	Fair
Melvern Reservoir				21.20	Reservoir	Fair
Milford Reservoir				22.36	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir				12.81	Reservoir	Fair

+Percids Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Sebelius Reservoir	6.50	1.30	0.20	6.30	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	5.90	4.80	0.33	5.42	Reservoir	Good
Glen Elder Reservoir	4.33	0.94	0.06	4.47	Reservoir	Good
Kirwin Reservoir	3.80	0.53	0.00	2.89	Reservoir	Good
Kanopolis Reservoir	2.12	1.94	0.18	4.86	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	2.08	0.58	0.00	2.50	Reservoir	Good
Council Grove Reservoir	2.07	0.73	0.00	2.19	Reservoir	Fair
Marion Reservoir	2.00	0.13	0.07	2.24	Reservoir	Fair
Cheney Reservoir	1.80	1.25	0.05	1.35	Reservoir	Fair
Horsethief Reservoir	1.63	0.13	0.00	1.08	Reservoir	Fair
El Dorado Reservoir	1.60	0.87	0.00	3.07	Reservoir	Good
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	1.58	0.04	0.00	4.48	Reservoir	Good
Melvern Reservoir	1.31	0.50	0.00	0.77	Reservoir	Fair
Clinton Reservoir	1.19	0.94	0.56	1.35	Reservoir	Fair
Perry Reservoir	1.10	1.05	0.43	1.87	Reservoir	Good
Lovewell Reservoir	0.83	0.25	0.00	0.96	Reservoir	Fair
Hillsdale Reservoir	0.75	0.17	0.08	0.67	Reservoir	Good
Wolf Creek Reservoir	0.39	0.11	0.06	0.44	Reservoir	Fair
Milford Reservoir				2.50	Reservoir	Good

+Crappie Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Lovewell Reservoir	69.88	29.63	12.13	35.56	Reservoir	Good
Pomona Reservoir	28.56	18.56	3.38	15.81	Reservoir	Excellent
Sebelius Reservoir	26.50	15.10	1.60	13.13	Reservoir	Good
Glen Elder Reservoir	19.85	5.45	0.45	8.07	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir	17.59	9.00	1.00	20.32	Reservoir	Excellent
Kirwin Reservoir	15.50	13.56	1.00	21.33	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	15.19	3.44	0.56	8.90	Reservoir	Good
Hillsdale Reservoir	14.81	8.81	0.63	26.13	Reservoir	Good
Kanopolis Reservoir	12.67	2.75	0.17	9.43	Reservoir	Good
Melvern Reservoir	10.06	6.31	0.13	8.97	Reservoir	Good
Marion Reservoir	8.55	6.73	2.00	13.87	Reservoir	Fair
El Dorado Reservoir	8.19	5.19	1.06	8.33	Reservoir	Good
John Redmond Reservoir	6.81	5.44	0.38	7.81	Reservoir	Fair
Council Grove Reservoir	6.75	4.92	1.50	4.57	Reservoir	Good
Big Hill Reservoir	5.70	3.70	0.30	4.27	Reservoir	Good
Lacygne Reservoir	5.56	1.94	0.13	4.58	Reservoir	Good
Wolf Creek Reservoir	5.13	1.31	1.13	7.20	Reservoir	Fair
Elk City Reservoir	3.75	3.63	0.94	10.47	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	2.53	1.93	0.47	0.96	Reservoir	Fair
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	1.83	1.11	0.61	3.07	Reservoir	Fair
Toronto Reservoir	1.50	0.67	0.17	9.08	Reservoir	Good
Horsethief Reservoir	1.00	0.38	0.00	7.21	Reservoir	Fair
Clinton Reservoir				24.67	Reservoir	Good

+Temperate Basses Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Kanopolis Reservoir	25.82	19.65	3.41	14.22	Reservoir	Excellent
Glen Elder Reservoir	19.67	18.22	5.00	20.04	Reservoir	Excellent
Marion Reservoir	13.73	11.13	0.27	12.13	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	12.33	8.50	0.08	7.86	Reservoir	Good
Elk City Reservoir	10.50	8.25	1.42	7.29	Reservoir	Excellent
Lovewell Reservoir	10.17	4.58	0.08	6.59	Reservoir	Good
Melvern Reservoir	9.88	8.75	2.31	5.19	Reservoir	Good
John Redmond Reservoir	8.65	2.75	0.35	6.47	Reservoir	Good
Cheney Reservoir	6.55	3.75	0.45	7.20	Reservoir	Good
Clinton Reservoir	6.19	4.81	0.88	7.29	Reservoir	Good
Kirwin Reservoir	6.00	2.47	0.20	5.73	Reservoir	Good
Lacygne Reservoir	5.50	2.31	0.25	4.06	Reservoir	Good
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	5.17	3.92	0.25	12.60	Reservoir	Fair
El Dorado Reservoir	3.73	2.93	0.73	6.47	Reservoir	Good
Big Hill Reservoir	3.00	2.70	0.70	2.20	Reservoir	Fair
Pomona Reservoir	2.44	0.44	0.00	3.09	Reservoir	Fair
Sebelius Reservoir	2.30	0.70	0.00	7.63	Reservoir	Good
Wilson Reservoir	2.07	1.97	1.27	2.34	Reservoir	Good
Council Grove Reservoir	1.53	1.20	0.20	1.96	Reservoir	Fair
Perry Reservoir	1.48	1.00	0.10	2.33	Reservoir	Fair
Wolf Creek Reservoir	1.39	1.22	0.39	2.34	Reservoir	Fair
Hillsdale Reservoir	1.33	1.08	0.17	1.69	Reservoir	Fair
Toronto Reservoir	0.60	0.30	0.20	4.51	Reservoir	Poor
Milford Reservoir				8.17	Reservoir	Good

Stocking Records Information

+Sauger Stocking

Water	Water type	Stocking date	Number stocked
HOLTON - BANNER CREEK LAKE	COML	4/18/2019	600000
Perry Reservoir	RESV	4/18/2019	1000000
Clinton Reservoir	RESV	4/18/2019	400000
Melvern Reservoir	RESV	4/18/2019	400000
			2400000

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Perry Reservoir Fishing Information