Tuttle Creek Reservoir Fishing Information
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, and Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Slow | 1/2 to 2 pounds | High water, dropping water and muddy water has greatly hampered the normally good winter crappie fishing. Hoping for a good spring. |
| White Bass | Slow | 1/2 to 2 pounds | White bass numbers continue to be low due to poor spawning success the last six years. |
| Catfish | Slow to Fair | Up to 40 pounds | The lake and the connected river system maintains a good channel catfish population and is one of the best places around to catch channel over 8 pounds. The blue catfish population is finally starting to get established. The vast majority of the fish are below 28 inches and not sexually mature yet. To protect these fish until they have a chance to spawn, a new 35-inch minimum length limit is in place starting January 1, 2018. The plan is to only have a length limit on blue catfish for a few years until the population can sustain itself through natural reproduction. Please check any blue catfish for a yellow tag in its back as we have been tagging some to collect more information on the species in Tuttle Creek Lake. It is up to you if you wish to release the fish or harvest it (if legally applicable), but please report the tag number and the general location of the catch to (785) 539-7941 or ely.sprenkle@ks.gov A big THANK YOU to all who report their catch! |
| Largemouth Bass | Slow | 1 to 5 pounds | Coves in southern third of the Reservoir have some locally good largemouth bass populations. The McIntyre Cove area tends to produce the best fishing. |
| Saugeye | Fair | Up to 6 pounds | The high release rates have been moving fish from the Reservoir downstream which has led to some good fishing in the river pond, the river below the dam or at Rocky Ford. Starting in 2017, the minimum length limit does not apply to saugeye in the River Pond or at the "tubes". The 15-inch minimum length limit is still in effect in the Reservoir. |
| Rainbow Trout | Good! | Up to 5 pounds | Trout season is in full force at Willow Lake, which is located in the Southeast corner of the Tuttle Creek State Park below the dam. Willow Lake was stocked with 650 pounds of rainbow trout on 03/05/19. So far this trout season the lake has been stocked with 7,675 catchable sized rainbow trout. Fishing has been good to excellent. Ice conditions have been changing weekly, but there have been some anglers able to get out on the ice or just breaking holes by the docks when the ice is not safe. Best baits are commercial trout baits, worms, corn or lures. Limit is 5 fish a day. A trout permit is needed to fish at Willow Lake during the trout season, except that anyone under 16 years of age with a properly licensed adult can fish and harvest up to 2 trout without a trout permit. |
| General Comments | |||
| Fishing has been slow in the reservoir with the fluctuating water levels. You can check current water conditions HERE Zebra mussels were found in Tuttle Creek on August 16, 2017. This makes the Reservoir, River Pond and Rocky Ford as designated Aquatic Nuisance Species waters. Fish may not be transported alive from ANS designated waters. To help prevent the spread of invasive species, please CLEAN, DRAIN & DRY all equipment when changing water bodies and please do not move fish you have caught or your bait. Do you want some more information on fishing in the Manhattan area? You can subscribe to the free Manhattan Fisheries Newsletter by clicking the link. | |||
| Fishing Population | Creel Limit | Min Length Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Catfish | 5 | 35 |
| Bluegill | ||
| Channel Catfish | 10 | |
| Crappie | 50 | |
| Flathead Catfish | 5 | |
| Green Sunfish | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 5 | 18 |
| Saugeye | 5 | 15 |
| White Bass | ||
| Trout | 5 |
* Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Bass in Combination
** Striped Bass or Wiper in Combination
*** Walleye, Sauger or Saugeye in Combination
| Water | Water Type | Stocking Date | Source | Number Stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEARY STATE FISHING LAKE | SFLS | 04/05/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 200000 |
| PRATT FISH HATCHERY | OTHR | 04/17/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 595000 |
| MADISON CITY LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 114000 |
| CENTRALIA CITY LAKE | COML | 04/05/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 400000 |
| MEADE STATE LAKE | SFLS | 04/17/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 8000 |
| CRAWFORD STATE FISHING LAKE | SFLS | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 300000 |
| MCPHERSON STATE FISHING LAKE | SFLS | 04/14/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 100000 |
| CHASE STATE FISHING LAKE | SFLS | 04/14/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 109000 |
| SEDAN NEW CITY LAKE- SOUTH | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 70000 |
| CARBONDALE CITY LAKE - EAST | COML | 04/07/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 265000 |
| OLPE CITY LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 90000 |
| TUTTLE CREEK RESERVOIR | RESV | 04/08/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 2850000 |
| EUREKA CITY LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 259000 |
| BONE CREEK LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 1000000 |
| STERLING CITY LAKE | COML | 04/14/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 21000 |
| ATWOOD-LAKE ATWOOD-MAIN | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 27600 |
| OLATHE - LAKE OLATHE | COML | 04/07/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 344000 |
| MOLINE NEW CITY LAKE - NORTH | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 185000 |
| HOWARD-POLK DANIELS LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 69000 |
| ELLIS CITY LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 90000 |
| OLATHE - CEDAR LAKE | COML | 04/08/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 100000 |
| SCOTT STATE LAKE | SFLS | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 115000 |
| CHANUTE CITY LAKE | COML | 04/11/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 16000 |
| HARVEY COUNTY LAKE-EAST | COML | 04/17/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 500000 |
| MCPHERSON STATE FISHING LAKE | SFLS | 04/14/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 111750 |
| SEBELIUS RESERVOIR | RESV | 04/18/17 | - MILFORD HATCHERY | 500000 |
| Total Requested | 7021350 | |||
| Total Stocked | 8439350 |
View Trout Stocking Program Information
Northeast Region Trout Stocking Schedule
Department-owned Waters – Trout Stockings by KDWPT
| 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 | October 29 | October 29 | October 29 | Not until Jan 2019 | October 29 |
| 2nd Stocking | November 15 | November 15 | November 15 | x | November 15 |
| 3rd Stocking | December 11 | December 11 | December 11 | x | December 11 |
| 4th Stocking | February 11 | February 11 | January 8 | January 8 | January 8 |
| 5th Stocking | March 4 | March 4 | February 11 | February 11 | |
| 6th Stocking | March 4 | ||||
| Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2018-2019 Season | 7,000 | 6,000 | 7,000 | 500 | 3,100 |
Community Lake Stockings - Please contact local city/county offices for dates of stockings if not listed below
| 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 |
| 1st Stocking | October 27 | October 27 | November 11 | November 11 |
| 2nd Stocking | estimated mid-January | estimated late January | estimated mid-January | estimated mid-January |
| Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2018-19 Season | 400 | 17,000 | 1,700 | 2,000 |