Coffey County Lake Fishing Information
Burlington, KS
No fees required. No reservations required
Must always wear a life jacket.
No trotlines or setlines will be allowed.
Open 30 minutes after sunup to 30 minutes before sundown
Closed during winter under certain weather conditions. Call the gatehouse at 620-364-2475
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Methods, Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| largemouth bass | Slow-Fair | 8 in to 21 inches | Spinnerbaits, rattletraps, or swimbaits fish around cover near the warmer water will be your best bet. Numbers are low so fishing is slow. |
| walleye | Fair | 14-25 inches | Vertical jigging or dragging bottom bouncers over depth changes and points. |
| channel catfish/blue catfish | Fair-Good | 1/2-5 lbs, Blues up to 50lbs. | Various prepared baits, liver, and worms usually good for channel catfish lakewide. Using fresh cut bait such as shad or carp usually is best for blue catfish. Fishing wind blown banks or up in the riprap should be productive or try creek channel swings and humps. Don't be afraid to fish shallow water for both species. 921 blue catfish were tagged for a population study, so be on the lookout for tags in the blue cats that you catch and please report any you do catch. If you report a tag, you will receive a prize and your name will be entered in a drawing for a Yeti cooler towards the end of the year. |
| smallmouth bass | Slow-Fair | 10-20 inches | Throwing small shad imitators like compact spinnerbaits or crankbaits. Crayfish imitating baits should also work. Ned rigs or drop shots are great techniques to use for smallmouth. Summer to fall transition is good time for topwater baits such as poppers, walking baits, or buzzbaits. |
| white bass/Wipers | Good-Excellent | up to 5lbs. | Use shad imitation lures like small spinners, crankbaits or bucktail jigs. and look for schools of shad or focus on wind blown flats or rocky points. Vertical jigging slab spoons is also a good technique. Fish are busting shad on the surface finding these schools and throwing topwater baits or the lures listed above can be real productive. |
| crappie | Fair | 11-15 inches | Look for crappie in deeper water, fish the standing timber near the creek channel or old road beds. They may also be found on old pond dams and near the old quarry by the west island. |
| General Comments | |||
| Entrance gate phone number is 620-364-2475 call for lake conditions. Fishing near the warm water outlet during the fall and winter can be very productive for multiple species. Registration for Coffey County Lake is now available online at https://www.coffeycountyks.org/home/showdocument?id=3502. A large brush pile was created north of the boat ramp in the old creek channel and is marked with a fish attractor buoy. There were also several trees sunk at the end of the hot water dike and should be easily marked on your locator. These spots should be really good in the fall and winter months. ZEBRA MUSSELS have been confirmed in Coffey County Lake! Please help stop the spread. Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and livewell after leaving this lake. It is illegal to transport live fish, bait, and water from this lake. For more information on waters in Anderson, Allen, Coffey, and Woodson counties click the following link to sign up for the New Strawn District Fisheries Newsletter. http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/News/Newsletter-Request-Forms/Request-a-Newsletter-for-the-New-Strawn-Fishing-District | |||
| Fishing Population | Creel Limit | Min Length Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Catfish | 5 | |
| Channel Catfish | 10 | |
| Flathead Catfish | 5 | |
| Largemouth Bass | 2 | 18 |
| Smallmouth Bass | 2 | 18 |
| Walleye | 2 | 21 |
| Crappie | 5 | 12 |
| White Bass | No creel limit | |
| Wiper | 1 | 21 |
* Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Bass in Combination
** Striped Bass or Wiper in Combination
*** Walleye, Sauger or Saugeye in Combination