Glen Elder Reservoir Fishing Report / Glen Elder Reservoir / Northwest Region / Fishing Locations - Public Waters / Where to Fish in Kansas / Fishing / KDWP

Glen Elder Reservoir Fishing Report - Updated: 9/17/24

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, Location
Crappie	Fair to Good	9-15 inches	Cooling temperatures should get fish feeding up for fall and winter. Focus on deeper structure. I would look for brushpiles more than 10 ft deep, or trolling river channels can work as well. If you're fishing from shore look for submerged vegetation or structure. Points and jetties can be transitional areas fish use as the season changes. Use minnows, jigs, spoons, or small crankbaits.
Trout	Poor	10-15 inches	Water temps are probably too hot for trout to survive at this time of year. All trout were stocked in the GLEN ELDER OUTLET this season due to low water levels in the state park pond. About 825 pounds of quality rainbows were stocked on March 4th. This is the last stocking of the season. Hatchery-raised trout can be targeted by a number of methods. Many anglers use traditional methods like fly fishing or small spinners, while some try corn, pellet feed, and even cheese. Please note the season change, and don't forget ALL anglers fishing in the Glen Elder outlet ARE REQUIRED to have a trout permit Dec. 1 through March 31st!
Walleye	Fair to Good	11-25 inches	In fall Walleye should be feeding in preparation for winter. Transitional weather can make finding a feeding pattern difficult. Some fish may roam lake flats and river channels looking for baitfish, while others suspend in deeper, cooler water. Trolling river channels and road beds can be a good strategy to find Walleye. Walleye are often caught using nightcrawlers, jigging spoons, minnows, crankbaits, and spinners. *3.6 million fry were stocked in April. 200k fingerlings were stocked in June.
Black Bass	Good	12-20 inches	Smallmouth tend to prefer harder, rockier bottoms, while Largemouth might be found on softer bottoms and weed beds. Don't overlook standing timber and brush piles. Look for areas that hold baitfish. Use a quarter ounce or an eighth ounce jig tipped with a minnow or baitfish imitation. You could also have success with hair jigs and jigging spoons. With a 21 inch length limit these Smallmouth are almost all sublegal so please handle them with extreme care and release them immediately after catching them. Smallmouth have been reported being caught on riprap shorelines. Smallmouth have been reported being caught around riprap and shallow vegetation in the state park.
Catfish	Good	15-35 inches	Channel Cats can be found almost anywhere in the lake. Targeting inflows can be successful after rains. Blue Cats tend to prefer deeper structure or windblown flats. Try river channel bends, old road beds, building foundations, humps and submerged bridges. The shore-based Blue Cat angler should look for an upwind shoreline where fish are looking to scavenge. Fall sampling indicated good numbers of blues and channel catfish in the reservoir now. Best baits to use include cut bait, stinkbait, shad sides, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Most Flathead fisherman use live bait near hard structure like wood and riprap. The causeway and granite creek bridge will hold good numbers of Flatheads. Remember, there is a NEW creel limit on blue catfish at Glen Elder. 10 fish per day, only 1 allowed over 30 in. *28,000 surplus Channel Cat fingerlings were stocked in April.
White Bass	Good to Excellent	11-18 inches	White Bass and Wipers can be found chasing shad near brushpiles, river channels, drop offs, and other structure. Many schools of young-of-the-year shad have been seen in the lake. Expect surface feeding activity to increase. Higher numbers of big whites tend to be caught west of the causeway. Look for drop-offs and points for suspended fish. Downwind shorelines can produce good numbers of actively feeding fish. Use a variety of jigs, spinners, or minnows to catch fish all year. An angler reported catching a couple nice wiper and white bass in 20 ft of water in the evening.
Anglers can now find GPS locations for each of the brush piles located in the reservoir. Simply click on this link Good Fishing Spots and select the individual brush pile. As we enhance these brush piles throughout the year, we'll make a note under each individual location. Current Water Temperature: 72ºF Current Water Level: 6.5 feet low Some boat ramps are unusable due to low water conditions. This currently includes Granite Creek, North Fork River, Carr Creek, and Walnut Creek. Boller Point ramp is very shallow but usable by shallow drafted vessels. Repairs to the face of the dam were completed in February 2023. Water levels should start to rise with rain.