El Dorado Reservoir Fishing Information

Extra File

Counties:

Butler

GPS:

N37 50.037 W96 47.084

Surface Acres:

8,000 acres

Maximum Depth:

60 feet

Normal Lake Level:

1339 Conservation Pool

Current Lake Level:

See link

View Live Lake Information

Blue Catfish Tagging Project Underway at El Dorado

Blue catfish – native to major river basins in eastern Kansas – can reach massive sizes. Kansas’ current state record was caught from the Missouri River, weighing in at more than 100 pounds. As blue catfish populations become established in Kansas’ largest reservoirs, popularity of this species among anglers also continues to grow. One such growing fishery can be found in El Dorado Reservoir.

While many anglers might associate El Dorado Reservoir with monster walleye, hard-fighting wipers, or slab crappie, blue catfish are developing a following in the 8,000-acre impoundment. Blue catfish were introduced into El Dorado Reservoir in 2004 to establish an additional predatory fish population and to provide anglers with a new sport fishing opportunity. Annual stockings occurred for six years, creating a population that first exhibited natural recruitment in 2009. As the population grew, it became apparent that the fishery would benefit from harvest of smaller fish. In 2016, KDWPT implemented a 25- to 35-inch protected slot length limit, five fish daily creel limit, and a maximum of two fish over 35 inches.

As with any new regulation, data is needed to gauge effectiveness. To collect this data, KDWPT Fisheries biologists are tagging up to 2,000 blue catfish in El Dorado Reservoir. Tags will appear as a small yellow vinyl tube beneath the fish’s dorsal fin. Each tag will display an ID number unique to that fish and a phone number to call to report the catch, (620) 342-0658. Biologists hope to gain information about the area’s blue catfish population size, entrainment through the dam, and the fish’s susceptibility to harvest.

Success of this project is dependent on anglers reporting the tagged fish they capture. Information needed during the call will be the length of the fish, date, tag number, and whether the fish was kept or released. Anglers who report their tagged catch will receive an award as compensation for their participation.

Anglers should note that tagged blue catfish that are not legal for harvest must be returned to the water immediately after recording the tag information. If the tagged catfish is legal for harvest, anglers may keep or release the fish. Because part of this study is to evaluate harvest patterns, biologists encourage anglers not to let the presence of a tag influence their decision to keept or release the fish.

If you find a tagged blue catfish on the end of your line this summer, please take the time to call it in. Data collected from these fish are invaluable to fisheries biologists and will only improve angling success in the future.

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Creel limits for similar species, including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass; or walleye, saugeye, and sauger; or wiper and striped bass apply to single species or in combination. For example, at El Dorado Reservoir, an angler may keep five largemouth bass OR three largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass OR two largemouth bass, two smallmouth bass, and one spotted bass or any other combination of the three.

Update: Blue Catfish Die Off, April 2020 (PDF 100.43 kB)

El Dorado Reservoir Fishing Report - Updated: 11/08/2024

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method & Location
Zebra Mussels			Zebra mussel veligers (larval zebra mussels) are too small to be seen with the unaided eye and they can be found in boat livewells, minnow buckets, boat bilges, water toys and anything else that is capable of holding even a small amount of water. Be sure to drain all equipment before leaving the lake to avoid moving veligers to other waters. THIS INCLUDES MINNOW BUCKETS AND BOAT LIVEWELLS AND BILGES!!! CLEAN DRAIN & DRY Every Lake, Every Time! Click HERE to learn how to prevent the spread of zebra mussels. REMEMBER!! Zebra Mussels are also present in the Trout Area below the dam!!
Wiper	Good	17-24 inch	Be sure to properly ID your catch as there is there is an 21-inch minimum length limit and 2/day creel limit on wiper. Wiper are moving around a lot following the shad. Watch for surface feeding activity in the early morning and evenings. Curly tailed grubs, sassy shads, spoons, blade baits, inline spinners, and lipless cranks are all good choices.
White bass	Good	9-14 inch	See wiper report
White Perch			White perch can usually be found on mainlake breaks and rocky areas. Small hooks and worms are always productive. Most white perch at El Dorado are on the smaller side at 4 to 6 inches.
Crappie	Fair - Good	Up to 15+ inches	20/day creel limit Most crappie this week have been caught in depths of 8-16 ft near brush or river channels. Minnows and jigs are always a good bait selection for crappie.
Blue Catfish	Fair	up to 40 inches, with a lot of 18 to 24 inch "eater" sized fish.	*ATTENTION ANGLERS!* A new blue catfish harvest regulation is in effect. The creel limit is now 10/day with no more than 1 blue catfish 30 inches or over. Blues can be found in the timbered river channels in the main lake. Fresh cut bait is always a good blue cat bait. Smaller sized cut baits have been more productive than larger baits. Blues will also hit worms, plastics, and crankbaits. Harvest of legal length blue catfish is encouraged, especially blues in the 18 to 24 inch range. The creel limit has been increased from 5/day to 10/day to allow anglers to harvest more blue catfish.
Walleye	Fair	up to 26 inch	THE WALLEYE LENGTH LIMIT IS 21-INCHES WITH A 2/DAY CREEL LIMIT. Walleye have been caught trolling crankbaits this week along old roads and across windy points and fllats. Vertically fishing blade baits and spoons has also produced.
General Comments
2.8 ft below Normal Pool, releasing 5 CFS. Click Here for the most up to date lake level information. ZEBRA MUSSEL & WHITE PERCH WARNING! El Dorado Reservoir and the Walnut River below the reservoir contain zebra mussels and white perch. Take zebra mussel control precautions when leaving the lake, Trout Area, and Stilling Basin. For information on Aquatic Nuisance Species click Here.

Creel Length/Limits

Fishing Population	Creel Limit	Min Length Limit
Blue Catfish	10/day creel. Only 1 fish 30-inches or longer
Channel Catfish	10
Crappie	20
Flathead Catfish	5
Largemouth Bass	5	15
Smallmouth Bass	5	15
Spotted Bass	5	15
Walleye	2	21
Wiper	2	21
Trout	5
Bluegill
Green Sunfish

* 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

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
LARGEMOUTH BASS
	(>12")	(>15")	(>20")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	264.55	81.66	1.03	5.24	G
WILSON	49.43	38.12	0.39	5.63	G
WEBSTER	45.72	29.11	0.00	3.80	F
KIRWIN	37.30	28.81	0.00	3.72	F
LACYGNE	35.01	26.89	1.96	7.70	G
BIG HILL	33.15	14.38	0.64	6.81	G
CEDAR BLUFF	18.65	7.00	0.09	5.83	G
KANOPOLIS	17.03	2.14	0.53	4.85	F
MILFORD	10.70	2.81	0.00	4.21	F
GLEN ELDER	10.26	7.17	0.07	4.92	G
MELVERN	8.57	1.89	0.00	2.03	F
EL DORADO	7.93	4.29	0.21	3.94	F
CLINTON	6.09	2.53	0.00	4.75	F
WOLF CREEK	5.61	4.23	0.59	5.49	P
PERRY	3.51	1.74	0.27	6.00	P
LOVEWELL	2.94	2.35	0.00	4.56	P
TORONTO	1.50	1.50	0.00	3.71	P
HILLSDALE	1.47	1.05	0.00	2.99	P

+Walleye Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
WALLEYE
	(>15")	(>20")	(>25")	(lbs.)	BR
KIRWIN	4.78	0.56	0.06	8.46	G
MARION	4.74	0.49	0.00	4.65	G
WEBSTER	3.06	0.92	0.11	6.36	G
EL DORADO	2.73	1.00	0.09	7.94	G
WILSON	2.62	1.18	0.07	7.45	G
MILFORD	2.60	0.20	0.00	3.87	F
CEDAR BLUFF	2.15	0.57	0.03	7.93	G
GLEN ELDER	2.04	0.22	0.01	6.61	F
CHENEY	1.20	0.73	0.14	7.54	F
HILLSDALE	1.17	0.31	0.10	7.06	G
LOVEWELL	1.00	0.47	0.00	4.62	F
WOLF CREEK	0.66	0.20	0.02	5.99	F
MELVERN	0.49	0.02	0.00	4.45	F
CLINTON	0.42	0.04	0.00	3.45	F
POMONA	0.38	0.08	0.00	4.16	P
KANOPOLIS	0.12	0.02	0.00	5.83	P
BIG HILL	0.10	0.00	0.00	1.39	F
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.30	P
SEBELIUS	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.51	P

+Black Crappie Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
BLACK CRAPPIE
	(>8")	(>10")	(>12")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	26.47	14.00	1.33	1.54	G
CEDAR BLUFF	23.61	4.75	0.08	1.29	G
KIRWIN	9.56	9.15	5.79	2.06	G
LOVEWELL	4.46	0.76	0.05	1.43	F
KANOPOLIS	3.94	3.03	0.44	1.43	G
WEBSTER	3.77	1.75	0.02	1.40	F
MARION	3.33	0.67	0.33	1.09	F
MILFORD	2.88	0.94	0.02	1.06	F
HILLSDALE	1.75	0.32	0.05	1.02	G
CLINTON	1.11	0.70	0.02	0.93	G
JOHN REDMOND	0.75	0.13	0.04	1.29	P
GLEN ELDER	0.73	0.40	0.13	1.11	F
WILSON	0.64	0.24	0.11	1.68	P
PERRY	0.38	0.08	0.00	0.81	P
POMONA	0.34	0.14	0.02	1.44	P
TORONTO	0.34	0.15	0.04	1.19	P
BIG HILL	0.33	0.03	0.00	0.52	F
WOLF CREEK	0.23	0.07	0.07	1.39	P
LACYGNE	0.20	0.11	0.00	0.93	P
EL DORADO	0.14	0.04	0.00	0.60	P
FALL RIVER	0.10	0.08	0.02	1.14	P
TUTTLE CREEK	0.09	0.07	0.05	1.17	P
MELVERN	0.02	0.02	0.00	0.63	P
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.13	P

+Bluegill Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
BLUEGILL
	(>6")	(>8")	(>10")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	44.33	9.47	0.00	1.21	G
CEDAR BLUFF	15.12	0.20	0.00	0.40	F
HILLSDALE	6.07	0.05	0.00	0.46	F
LACYGNE	4.39	0.02	0.02	0.31	F
KANOPOLIS	3.78	0.03	0.00	0.39	G
WILSON	3.51	0.00	0.00	0.33	G
WEBSTER	2.94	0.50	0.00	0.50	F
LOVEWELL	2.56	0.05	0.00	0.43	P
BIG HILL	2.37	0.00	0.00	0.36	G
MARION	2.00	0.00	0.00	0.39	F
MILFORD	1.44	0.35	0.00	0.52	P
CLINTON	1.11	0.07	0.00	0.52	F
KIRWIN	0.81	0.06	0.00	0.59	F
PERRY	0.60	0.00	0.00	0.32	P
MELVERN	0.52	0.05	0.02	0.37	P
EL DORADO	0.32	0.00	0.00	0.23	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.32	0.00	0.00	0.25	P
GLEN ELDER	0.30	0.10	0.00	0.70	P
WOLF CREEK	0.30	0.00	0.00	0.18	P
FALL RIVER	0.29	0.00	0.00	0.26	F
POMONA	0.23	0.02	0.02	0.43	F
COUNCIL GROVE	0.14	0.00	0.00	0.21	P
TORONTO	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.23	P
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.13	P

+Channel Catfish Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
CHANNEL CATFISH
	(>16")	(>24")	(>28")	(lbs.)	BR
LOVEWELL	6.94	0.94	0.11	11.81	G
BIG HILL	6.30	0.73	0.03	9.05	G
HILLSDALE	5.36	0.33	0.05	10.45	G
MARION	4.43	0.23	0.03	5.79	G
KANOPOLIS	3.37	0.43	0.02	9.93	G
WILSON	2.97	0.46	0.03	10.11	G
TORONTO	2.56	1.83	0.47	11.33	G
PERRY	2.45	0.67	0.14	12.70	G
CHENEY	2.45	0.41	0.04	14.81	G
ELK CITY	2.23	0.23	0.00	5.65	G
LACYGNE	2.19	0.02	0.00	7.26	G
GLEN ELDER	2.18	0.46	0.16	16.60	G
MELVERN	2.14	0.27	0.04	8.33	G
CLINTON	1.82	0.12	0.00	6.06	G
FALL RIVER	1.73	1.39	0.64	14.53	G
POMONA	1.55	0.05	0.05	11.96	G
CEDAR BLUFF	1.46	0.32	0.04	14.15	G
COUNCIL GROVE	1.42	0.20	0.09	9.41	F
WEBSTER	1.39	0.11	0.03	10.64	G
KIRWIN	1.06	0.25	0.08	11.23	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.05	0.31	0.07	12.33	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.95	0.20	0.09	14.31	G
WOLF CREEK	0.70	0.00	0.00	4.12	F
EL DORADO	0.58	0.00	0.00	3.84	F
SEBELIUS	0.37	0.23	0.17	22.56	F
MILFORD	0.35	0.07	0.02	9.23	F

+White Bass Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
WHITE BASS
	(>9")	(>12")	(>15")	(lbs.)	BR
GLEN ELDER	18.32	16.17	3.84	3.49	G
MARION	17.06	12.20	0.43	1.87	G
CEDAR BLUFF	10.24	9.28	2.79	2.25	G
PERRY	9.76	5.82	0.22	2.15	G
KANOPOLIS	8.17	6.15	0.28	2.70	G
POMONA	7.40	4.58	0.45	2.20	G
CLINTON	6.88	5.20	1.02	2.32	G
WEBSTER	6.22	3.92	0.08	2.73	G
MILFORD	5.78	4.93	0.55	2.13	G
KIRWIN	5.19	4.22	0.67	2.18	G
TORONTO	5.00	3.00	1.36	2.69	G
FALL RIVER	4.24	2.94	0.94	3.02	G
WOLF CREEK	3.96	2.44	0.32	1.98	G
MELVERN	3.33	2.63	0.43	2.26	G
LOVEWELL	3.25	1.75	0.25	1.85	P
EL DORADO	3.24	1.58	0.36	2.03	F
JOHN REDMOND	3.14	2.21	0.95	3.24	F
BIG HILL	3.00	1.83	0.07	1.73	G
LACYGNE	2.71	1.60	0.33	2.88	G
COUNCIL GROVE	2.47	1.58	0.18	2.23	F
HILLSDALE	2.43	1.83	0.10	1.43	G
WILSON	2.21	2.11	0.86	2.96	G
CHENEY	0.86	0.80	0.33	2.09	P
ELK CITY	0.80	0.40	0.03	1.94	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.47	0.18	0.02	2.96	F

+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

+Sunfish Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Sebelius Reservoir	44.40	9.50	0.00	1.21	Reservoir	G
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	15.33	0.22	0.00	0.44	Reservoir	F
Hillsdale Reservoir	6.09	0.07	0.00	0.46	Reservoir	F
LaCygne Reservoir	4.50	0.02	0.02	0.31	Reservoir	F
Kanopolis Reservoir	3.81	0.03	0.00	0.39	Reservoir	G
Wilson Reservoir	3.53	0.00	0.00	0.33	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	2.94	0.50	0.00	0.50	Reservoir	F
Big Hill Reservoir	2.63	0.17	0.00	0.62	Reservoir	G
Lovewell Reservoir	2.56	0.05	0.00	0.43	Reservoir	P
Marion Reservoir	2.00	0.00	0.00	0.39	Reservoir	F
Milford Reservoir	1.44	0.35	0.00	0.52	Reservoir	P
Clinton Reservoir	1.20	0.07	0.00	0.52	Reservoir	F
Kirwin Reservoir	0.83	0.06	0.00	0.59	Reservoir	F
Perry Reservoir	0.60	0.00	0.00	0.32	Reservoir	P
Melvern Reservoir	0.52	0.05	0.02	0.37	Reservoir	P
El Dorado Reservoir	0.36	0.00	0.00	0.23	Reservoir	F
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.32	0.00	0.00	0.25	Reservoir	P
Glen Elder Reservoir	0.30	0.10	0.00	0.70	Reservoir	P
Wolf Creek Reservoir	0.30	0.00	0.00	0.18	Reservoir	P
Fall River Reservoir	0.29	0.00	0.00	0.26	Reservoir	F
Pomona Reservoir	0.23	0.02	0.02	0.43	Reservoir	P
Council Grove Reservoir	0.14	0.00	0.00	0.21	Reservoir	P
Toronto Reservoir	0.13	0.00	0.00	0.23	Reservoir	P
Elk City Reservoir	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.13	Reservoir	P

+Percids Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Sebelius Reservoir	9.17	4.63	0.43	6.38	Reservoir	P
Kirwin Reservoir	4.75	1.06	0.33	8.46	Reservoir	G
Marion Reservoir	4.69	1.89	0.17	4.65	Reservoir	G
Council Grove Reservoir	3.51	1.82	0.60	6.89	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	3.19	1.94	0.81	6.36	Reservoir	G
El Dorado Reservoir	2.73	1.91	0.67	7.94	Reservoir	G
Wilson Reservoir	2.62	2.02	0.84	7.45	Reservoir	G
Milford Reservoir	2.60	1.13	0.05	3.87	Reservoir	F
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	2.12	1.34	0.47	7.93	Reservoir	G
Glen Elder Reservoir	1.96	1.10	0.13	6.61	Reservoir	F
Kanopolis Reservoir	1.88	1.13	0.32	6.70	Reservoir	G
Perry Reservoir	1.55	0.08	0.00	2.75	Reservoir	E
Melvern Reservoir	1.37	0.12	0.02	4.45	Reservoir	G
Cheney Reservoir	1.20	1.04	0.63	7.54	Reservoir	F
Clinton Reservoir	1.20	0.34	0.02	3.45	Reservoir	G
Pomona Reservoir	1.20	0.48	0.05	4.16	Reservoir	G
Hillsdale Reservoir	1.14	0.62	0.24	7.06	Reservoir	E
Lovewell Reservoir	1.00	0.89	0.38	4.62	Reservoir	F
Wolf Creek Reservoir	0.64	0.40	0.16	5.99	Reservoir	F
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.45	0.13	0.04	4.81	Reservoir	G
Big Hill Reservoir	0.10	0.00	0.00	1.39	Reservoir	F
Elk City Reservoir	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.11	Reservoir	F

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
3rd Stocking


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
3rd Stocking


Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season

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