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Kansas Fishing Report
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Free Fishing Days - Kansas June 7
8, 2008, Arkansas June 6 8, 2008, Colorado June 7
8, 2008, Iowa June 6 8, 2008, Missouri June 7 8,
2008, Nebraska May 17, 2008, Oklahoma June 7 8, 2008 and
Texas June 7, 2008
May 10, 2008 - Question
for Pictures of Crappie -Could you please post where
you caught the crappie and what you were using. You don't have
to give up secret spots or anything, but is always nice to know
what is working and where. My dad loves crappie fishing and
would like to know what techniques are working and where to take
him.
Thanks
Dominic
    May 7, 2008
- Pictures of Crappie - Here's
some pics of some crappie I caught, the biggest one is 3lb 10oz,
a couple others are over 3lbs. I kept the small one (just under
a lb) for size comparison. I had one on the stringer that would
have pushed the state record, had and stringer being the keywords.
I learned the hard way about why we call em paper mouths and
why you should use a basket instead of a gill stringer. The image
of her slowly swimming off has replayed in my head over and over
again, and I'm sure it will for the rest of my life. Now it's
just another big one that got away story.
Smiley
May 6, 2008 - Answer to
Question for Mark -I'm using (2) Cannon Electric Mag
5HS. 8 lb. ball. 20 lb. Big game to my 3-way swivel then from
there 30 lb. Big game to my baits. 75' back from my quick release.
Sorry this is short and information is limited. As years progress
at Cheney and the tremendous stocking Fish and Game is doing.
The sizes increasing I'm just limited on info.
...
Will add this to anglers who think live bait is KING at Cheney.
It most certainly is to some anglers. I've seen it work in other
boats. But as i watch the Outdoor Channel and other fishing programs
with trolling ether just trolling or downrigging and there great
catches it is a very productive method to catch HUGE fish at
really any lake. Yes, with fuel at $3.50 + a gal. it's expensive.
If the water level stays good, not like last May, June, and part
of July of last year. Fishing should be great. Hope more post
pictures this year.
Mark.
May 5, 2008 - Question
for Watson Park Poster - Did you notice any certain
areas that seemed to hold high concentrations of the shad, or
were they spread out all over the lake? Might be a good opportunity
for bait. Thanks.
Josh
May 5, 2008 - Question
for Mark -
Mark,
I am interested in purchasing downriggers and the
associated gear to improve my access to deep water fish. I have
a couple of questions about your set-up:
* What type of downriggers do you use
* How heavy of weights (4, 6 or 8 lb)
* What are your favorite 'Cheney' baits to pull
* What line do you have spooled on your reels
* How much line do you usually have between the release and the
lure
May 2, 2008 - Coffey County
(Wolf Creek) - My dad, brother, and I took the boat
out to the coffey county power plant lake. It was rather windy
with gusts hitting above 20mph, which is my kind of fishing.
We did venture into the many boat problems including a battery
that was fully charged the day before and started the boat was
not working to where the button on the trolling motor foot pad
would not pop up and was difficult to troll to it just completely
not working at all. But all in all we caught around a dozen smallmouth
bass and a few white bass. I found a great bait and that was
a gulp shad in black and three inches. My brother and I used
that and did the yo yo technique, which proved very effective.
My dad was using a brown/orange jig and swimming it back to the
boat. It's a very nice lake with many species, but we just targeted
the rock piers since we were producing.
Side note. The poster about Waston park. It's
nice to get a very detailed description of what is working and
the times to fish. I have heard watson is clear and heard some
stories of big wipers in there that broke off his line before.
I always try to post so we all know what is effective and what
might not work as well like the poster with saying using big/noisy
baits.
Thanks.
Dominic
 May 1,
2008 - Wichita Watson Park - Bass
are beginning to move up and hold in shallow water (close to
bank lines) but a majority of them are small males preparing
for the spawn and scouting bedding sites. Big numbers of 6+ pound
carp can be seen skimming the surface of the water (especially
during days of high wind speeds) and might offer some excellent
fishing with the right bait and gear. I have yet to see any fisherman
pull any number of good sized catfish as of yet, but the water
temperatures are still below their preferred spawning temps.
I have been catching good numbers of largemouth
in the early afternoon all over the lake, but mainly on shallow
points and rock banks. All of the fish have been caught with
three common lures 1/2 oz football jig, 1/4 oz to 3/8 oz
willow leaf spinner bait and shallow diving square billed crank
bait. Natural colors seem to be the most productive. These include
Shad, white, crawdad, and green. Subtle hints of red added to
these baits seem to increase the catch as well. Jig bites are
soft and can easily be mistaken for rocks or other debris. If
you are unsure, go ahead and set the hook regardless. A fast
retrieve with a jig will not produce much, therefore I recommend
being extremely patient and working the lure very slow. Be sure
to take multiple jigs along, as the rocks and concrete covering
the shallows of the lake love to eat the jigs as well. With the
extreme clarity of the water, anything large in size or with
extreme vibration is more of a deterrent then an attractant.
Keep it small, keep it natural, you'll find the fish!
I also wanted to alert you to Watson and their
(what appears to be) extremely heavy population of enormous shad.
I have had shad follow lures and hooked bass that are every bit
of 10+ inches in length. And it's not just one or two in certain
areas, its 6-7-8 of them following my lures all the way to the
bank. They are all throughout the lake as well and they have
become a nuisance to me on almost every cast and retrieve, aggressively
attacking my lures.
 April
24, 2008 - Cheney - April 24,
2008 Thursday. Caught my personal best. 11.0 lb. Wiper. She was
full of eggs. Three other ones around 23" and one Walleye
4 lbs. I really had to work at getting what i got. Went out last
Sat. and nothing. Mark.
April 22, 2008 - Cottonwood
above Marion - Picked up the boys from school and
headed to the Cottonwood above Marion Reservoir. We had heard
the spawn was on. My wife, two boys and I fished from 5:00pm
7:45pm ended up with 38 nice White Bass. Most were males
and they were still running upstream so the may be around for
a few more days.
Royce
 April
21, 2008 - Southeast Kansas Private Lake
- She caught this giant largemouth on Saturday 4/19.
It was caught on a small private lake in southeast Kansas. She
was using spinning tackle and a red and white Chatterbait. We
didn't have scales with us so we're not exactly sure on the weight.
I would guess somewhere between 8-10 pounds. She measured 24"
long and 18" around. Just wanted to show everyone you don't
have to go to Texas to catch a lunker!
Thanks
Jason Rawlings
April 17, 2008 - Largemouth
Bass Should Be Stocked in Clinton and Perry Lakes
- On Oct. 1 and 2, 2005, Topeka received nearly 4 inches of rain
and as much as 12 inches fell on areas north of the city in Jackson
and Jefferson counties. Mother Nature's deluge washed an untold
number largemouth bass into Perry Lake. Consequently, in the
spring of 2006, bass angler began catching scores of 1 12 - to
six-pound bass, and that great bass fishing lasted until May
of 2007. Even during the winter of 2006-07, when the surface
temperature at Perry registered 38 degrees, some bass anglers
caught as many as 34 good-sized largemouth during a four-hour
outing.
From this experience and similar ones in decades
past, it is obvious that a stocking program similar to the volume
that Mother Nature rendered in October of 2005 could be replicated
by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Park. Read
complete story
April 17, 2008 - Comment
on Question on Eureka City Lake - I haven't fished
there myself, but what are you fishing for? If you are thinking
about bass then I would say Eureka would be a good choice. Just
check out the fishing forecast for largemouth and you can see
they sampled good numbers for all sizes and the largest they
got was 6.61 lbs. White crappie got a good rating as well. If
nothing in an hour or two then you can just head over to Woodson,
not much farther. But just depends on what type of fishing
Dominic
   April 17, 2008
- Walnut River - I caught these
beauties on the Walnut River south of Augusta (on a buddies land)
on or around the 2nd of April, 2008. They were practically inhaling
everything I threw at 'em that afternoon! They were plenty fat
and both over 16". They were sure tasty!
Todd Herzig
Augusta, KS
April 16, 2008 - Marion
- April 15, 2008. Windy as heck. Tried the face of
the dam on foot. The fish have not showed up yet. So, seen some
wade fisherman catching fish at the spillway and headed that
way. I've never experienced catching so many 9" to 10"
Walleye. I must have caught 20 in 1.5 hrs. I was not the only
one. It's sad the State raises these fish and stocks them into
the lake to be flushed out the spillway. I can't image how many
of these small Walleye, thousands and thousands are lost out
of the lake this way. Whatever lake this river dumps into will
get them. Fun catching them. Mark.
April 15, 2008 - Comment on Question
on Eureka City Lake - Spend the extra time and gas
money and go out to woodson or either of the 2 yates centers
lakes
April 14, 2008 - Question
on Eureka City Lake - I plan on fishing eureka city
lake sometime this week, has anyone ever done any good on that
lake and if so any suggestions what part of the lake to fish
April 13, 2008 - Boaters
needed for youth event
We are looking for boaters for our 3rd Annual C.A.S.T.
event. Please forward on to others you think might be interested
in helping. This year we are opening up to McConnell children
who have a parent or both serving abroad. We are needing 50 boats
and need your help to make the event a great success again this
year. All major media will be invited again this year. As it
has always been, the boaters/fisherman make this event a success.
I sincerely hope you can help a child "Catch a Special Thrill"!!
Tom Spencer
C.A.S.T. Event Director
tom@castforkids.org
April 11, 2008 - Question
on lake in Leavenworth - Many, Many thanks to Dean
B. regarding the re-naming of the lake in Leavenworth Heims
Lake - now Stella Maris
Randall in Topeka
April 10, 2008 - Answer
to Question on lake in Leavenworth - This is to answer
Randall of Topeka's March 23
question about Heims Lake in Leavenworth.
I found a reference to a Heims Lake in Leavenworth.
It was in a UFO report of all things. Said the lake was now called
Lake Stella Maris. I found a Lake Stellamaris (one word) near
the intersection of Shawnee Rd & 193rd Street in Leavenworth,
KS. Best of luck.
Dean B.
April 8, 2008 - Cheney
tips for Wipers in April - The Wipers should be getting
really close to moving in closer to the dam and other area's
in the lake that are shallow. I'd say within 10 days or so from
past experience. Face of dam, (real close), and red bluffs, (dirt)
West of the East side swimming beach in 10-16' of water. Watch
out for bank fisherman this time of the year. They really put
their lines out far. Early in the morning, (sunrise) or evening
is the best time. Bite normally doen't last long in the mornings.
I can concur with BB rescuing the two fisherman
on April 06. Several years ago on a weekend I too rescued one
lady at Cheney that was going after a hat from a pontoon boat
on a very windy day. After she dived in they could not get the
motor started and the pontoon started moving away faster than
she could swim. If it was not for us seeing her frantic waving
who knows what would have happened. She too was totally exshasted
when we got her into our boat. She had no life jacket on. We
did call the Coast Guard on our Marine radio but by the time
they got to us the resue was over.
Marion Lake too within days should be great for
whites and Wipers on the face of the dam. I use my boat in April
at Cheney and fish from the shore at Marion lake this time of
the year. Past 3 years at Marion Lake this time of the year is
awesome.
April 7, 2008 - Pratt
- Fished pratt's lake Sunday 4-6-08. First time there.
Not bad little lake although broken bottles everywhere. I don't
get it... they have trashcans at every little rock pier. I picked
up a few pieces when i was close to a trash can. Lots of people
out and I didn't see much getting caught. I managed pretty well.
I caught ten bass. All bass where holding on the rocky shoreline.
Two were in the three pound range and I caught them on the windiest
area of the lake. I caught most on the windy shoreline on the
island you can drive on. I then tried Kingman for a little bit,
but only caught one tiny bass. Water was very high and the parks
seem to be trying to improve the crappie habitat since they sometime
within the past week downed some trees and put them by the rock
piers. I also noticed some new rock piers made at the river access
areas, which would be nice if the river gets high. It's nice
to see improvements being made to a fishery.
Dominic
April 7, 2008 - Cheney
- Sunday, 4/6/08
Got on the water about 9am, tried some drift fishing
for a while around M&M area. Started out with SW winds 10-15,
but by 11am they had turned o N-NW winds coming pretty steady.
Whipped up the waves to 2-3 ft swells in no time.
My partner was scanning with binoculars and noticed
what looked like a bass boat about 1/2 mile away that was struggling
against the waves. He
set the binoculars down for a cup of coffee and when he looked
back that direction just a few moments later, he noticed the
boat was gone.
We then noticed a flash in the water - it was the
bottom of the hull. We put our poles up and started heading their
direction as quickly as we could in the waves we were dealing
with. About 1/2 way there, we noticed there were two individuals
in the 48 degree water about 30 yds
from their boat, one with a life jacket and one without. There
was a young boy (10 or so) wearing the lifejacket and a man (not
wearing a
lifejacket). The man was just about completely exhausted when
we got to him. We were able to drag him into the front of the
boat and then went to get the boy, who continued to float away
from the boat. We took off our coats and long sleeve shirts to
cover the two and keep them as warm as possible on the trip back
in.
Park ranger and EMS met us at the marina ramps,
got the two into the marina where they could be checked out and
get warm. Everyone involved did a really good job. Greatest part
was they both checked out OK.
On the way home, we both realized that we had been
thru all that without our lifejackets on - DUMB. Please remember
that when the wind turns and the waves churn up like they often
do out there, put on your lifejackets - you just never know what
might happen.
BB
PS - anyone have any tips on where to catch those
huge wipers this time of year? Any advice would be appreciated.
April 2, 2008 - Cheney
Poacher - Heard a "great" story today about
a guy who caught a stringer full of walleye the other day at
Cheney and kept all of them. Amazing people have the balls to
break the law like that and brag about it. Might as well go shoot
10 big bucks and tell everybody at the bar. On the brighter side,
great crappie
Lee.
April 2, 2008 - Question
- We fished the Dragoon above Pomona today April 1
- Started out fishing for Crappies not bites, switched to fishing
for channels caught ten in short order. Nice day on lake. Fish
not big 4# and down but fun and they tasted good tonight.
--
Bill Brown
March 31, 2008 - Question
on Lake Afton - I just wanted to know if anyone has
a fishing report for lake Afton. Goddard, KS
 March
23, 2008 - Fall River - I just
want to take a second to brag about this beast of a Crappie.
I apologize for the cell phone photo. I was Jigging with red
Squirt and Squirm, catching smaller Crappies most of the day
last Friday at the Fall River Reservoir. I took this 17 inch
Crappie in about 11 feet of water in a small cove. The fish weighed
4 pounds on the money, and I was using 6 lb. monofilament. The
hit was subtle, but the fight was great. I looked over at my
new fishing buddy Jordan, smiled, and said "I think this
one is a little bigger." All I can say is WOOOOHHHOOOOOO!!!!!!
Have a great time fishing, and remember to take a child fishing.
Yours,
Lee Lewis
March 23, 2008 - Question
on lake in Leavenworth -As a youth I fished a few
times with my father and his best friend at a private lake in
Leavenworth Kansas. I recall it being called Heims, Heinz or
Heimes Lake but can't remember for sure. I've tried to find info
on the net by searching the names or 'private lakes' in Leavenworth
and Kansas but can't find any info. Anyone know of such a Lake
or remember the name? Maybe it's been purchased and re-named?
It has been 40 years ago. Any info would be appreciated
thought I might try to find it and go fish it. Thanks!
Best regards,
Randall in Topeka
March 23, 2008 - Clinton
- Walleye are slow at Clinton. Been catching large females full
of eggs but have been releasing them as we all should. Most productive
pattern has been main lake points, breaks and humps. Gulp baits
and deep divers have been producing. Water temp is 42.3 at the
dam. Craig
March 22, 2008 - Ossawattami
- Walleyes are biting great at 8th street fish on the south side
March 19, 2008 - Answer
to Question on Water Temps - I have always used surface
temperatures to determine fish temperament (on typical Kansas
water). Although water temperature is affected by wind, rain,
run off, drainage pipes, shade, natural springs, extended periods
of sun, etc. I always keep a small thermometer in my tackle bags
for times when I'm not out on the boat. It really helps me in
determine how close the fish are to spawning.
In Kansas, we have muddy, shallow and windblown
water. Therefore we rarely encounter problems with oxygen issues
(warm water holds less oxygen then cold water) and lake turnover
due to the lack of a thermocline. If you do a majority of your
fishing in Kansas water, the surface temperature will (most of
the time) be comparable to the water temperatures several feet
below it. On extremely windy days, the surface temperature might
be the same as water temperatures 10+ feet below it. Although
I have discovered that windblown bank lines can be several degrees
cooler then opposite bank lines due to the wind and waves.
A little common sense will tell you how water temperatures
are being affected as well. A nice rain shower will cool off
the surface temperature and the bank lines due to run off. Smaller
bodies of water will always warm faster than large bodies of
water. Shallow coves off of main lakes will warm slightly faster
than the main body of the lake, thus attracting fish during pre-spawn
and spawn periods. And (according to Woo Daves) the northeastern
part of lakes will warm faster due to solar positioning early
in the year.
I hope this helps!
Joe Shreve
March 19, 2008 - Question on Water Temps
- When "they", who ever they is, talk about
the best water temperatures for catching fish, at what depth
are they referring to? Surface? A foot down? Where the fish should
be? Never did have this explained.
March 18, 2008 - More
on Tuttle Creek Question - For lakes that have no
structure like you're explaining for TUTTLE Creek try drifting
when it's windy on the first few warm days we get. The Crappie
will suspend in small groups very shallow in the water column
and you can catch them easily by drifting through key areas that
they are staging for the upcoming spawn. When drifting your jigs
can be small 1/16 oz on the first few warm days and when things
warm up a bit or when the wind is stronger then you can go to
1/8 oz jigs with minnows attached. To avoid line twist you can
add swivel to a leader but you don't have to if you re-tie your
jig every so often. This approach works well in lakes that are
dishpan lakes with little or no cover. They will hit your jig
30 or 40 feet back from your boat and you will catch the larger
crappie using this approach. This approach worked extremely well
In the Nebraska dishpan lakes around the Lincoln area. You can
motor around and see schools of fish on your depth finder usually
and then drift back through them. Keep in mind you need a fair
amount of wind for this approach usually which isn't usually
a problem in the spring.
March 18, 2008 - Milford
Question - Looking for some info on approximate dates
for the pre-spawn at Milford for Walleye?? Last year was first
year fishing down their and would like some general info on good
areas or baits for walleye and wipers.
Chad
March 15, 2008 - Big Hill ABA Tournament - Submitted
by Curt Graves - Got
2 bites and shook off fish on a short practice on Friday up the
river. With 10-20 mph N wind and rain, I was concerned if the
fish would hold in the river. I fished the jig for a good hour
without a bite. When I finally got a bite, the fish swam to the
left and dropped the jig; swing and miss. This happened 2X's
so I switched to a tube. I quickly started getting more bites
but missed a number of fish until the temp's warmed and the water
got back to 50 degrees in the river (NOTE...the water was 44-47
on the main lake).
I was able to catch 3 small keepers on the tube and 1 nice 3.5#
on a crankbait. I lost a giant on the crankbait; should have
had size 4 trebles instead of little 6's. Also lost a 3# fish
over a laydown on the tube. Floroucarbon line and a Quantum PT
6'10 Heavy rod were used with the tube. I am experimenting with
different brands of tubes.
Some are thicker and tougher to get a hook set into the fish;
however, these have a different fall. More to come on this subject,
 March 11,
2008 - More on Tuttle Creek Question -
In reference to the other report about fishing and
this one I would like to explain why I 'm catching a few fish.
Like all lakes when Tuttle was new we caught tons of crappie.
Like all lakes when they get old they don't produce. No structure
is the problem! My opinion only: Tuttle had 60 % more crappie
in 1980 that it does today. I would catch 50 each day and the
spawn would be unbelievable. Those days are gone! No structure!
No spawn! You could fish the outlet and catch a 7 inch crappie
every cast. Things changed after the flood of 93. We do have
some extra large fish in Tuttle but without the structure they
are hard to find. The only time you will catch the numbers is
durning the spawn. I put in three pieces of a pine tree and thats
why the fish are there. It was alot of work and won't last but
a few years. What structure we had is dead or covered up with
silt. You can look for these crappie for days and not find them.
When the spawn arrives you'll be able to catch some nice ones
and then they disappear and extremely hard to find after that.
I did get lucky today and caught 35 nice fish. We need some warm
nights, for what we gain durning the day we lose it at night.
Most of us are ready, its been a long winter! RKH
March 11, 2008 - Response
to answer to Tuttle Creek Question - Thanks for the
update. I am having withdrawals from fishing and it really nice
to be able to at least read about the fishing going on back in
Kansas . I hope the weather warms up and fishing picks up.
Clark
 March
8, 2008 - Answer to Tuttle Creek Question
- The spillway at Tuttle Ck has been very poor this
winter due to a ruff winter but mostly due to water being released.
The tubes have been open all winter between 1200 and 2500 cubic
feet. When the water temp gets below 38 they keep out of the
current. They don't mind the cold water but they do like it still.
The pass few years the tubes have been shut down to 500 or less
with a water temp of 38, this year water temp is 33 and to much
current. The ice just come off of the lake in the past 10 days.
I caught these crappie last saturday on the lake in 33' of water
but we need to get a rise in water temp to about 40 before its
really takes off.
RKH
March 7, 2008 - Tuttle
Creek Question - I am currently deployed in Iraq and
have been trying to get an update on the fishing at Tuttle Creek.
I really enjoy catching Crappie and Saugeye at the spillway.
Do you know when you will be able to update your site. Thanks!
(Editor's note - Let's see if we can
get him some answers.)
March 6, 2008 - Cheney
-As it gets closer to getting out the boats and fishing
equipment. All the preparation required, (fishing licenses, batteries,
paying for registration, filling up boat tanks, oil, fuel, ext...)
I'm well over $300 and have not even gotten the boat wet yet.
How much cheaper it would be each year if i just bank fished?
As i start bring in those monster fish the biologist are smiling
about i suppose the expense wont even come into play.
Mark
March 5, 2008 - Kanopolis
- Last week we were out at Kanopolis Lake and there
were a lot of walleye and saugeye being caught of of Loaders
point. For those of you who have never fished Kanopolis Lake,
this is the point on the north side of the lake closest to the
dam.
Good Luck All,
John
March 4, 2008 - Answer
to question about anchors - In answer to the anchor
question, I use the DIGGER ANCHOR. It is by far the best most
reliable anchor I have ever used. Cabelas sells them, as well
as most sporting goods stores. they range from $49 to $89, and
work in most bottom scenerios.
Mike E.
March 2, 2008 - Question
about walleye and wiper at Milford - This will be
my 1st year at Milford fishing and would like some help on
where and what to use for walleye and wiper fishing?????
March 2, 2008 - Question
about anchors - Just bought a 14 foot aluminum, flat
bottomed jon boat with 2.5 Mercury motor along with Minn Kota
transom and bow mounted trolling motors. Question -- what should
we consider for anchors and positioning of the anchors We will
fish Lake Shawnee in Topeka (400 plus acres) primarily. Have
some experience with mushroom style weights and have not been
impressed. Feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!
All the BEST!
Randall and Carolyn
Topeka, KS
February 25, 2008 - Answer
to question about walleye fishing - Join the rest
of us on the bank of the Dam at dusk, around mid-March casting
jigs & shallow crankbaits parallel to the bank. Waders are
nice but not necessary. Males show up first, then the females.
In a few weeks it's all over. Not a great bite but a nice chance
to go fishing and a good chance to catch a big one.
February 20, 2008 - Question
about walleye fishing - I don't know about anyone
else, but I keep hearing people at work talk about how the walleye
fishing will be picking up soon, Is this true? I love catching
walleye, however I usually dont start fishing for them until
I hear that they are on the flats. I really want to try some
pre-spawn fishing for them this year, but I have never done this
sort of thing before. Is there a certain time, water temp. or
technique that work best? I fish mostly kanopolis and wilson
lakes and would greatly appreciate any tips and advice.
Thank you, and keep the reports coming,
John M.
February 12, 2008 - Cedar
Bluff - Monday I had good luck with corn just off
the edge of ice late in the day along north side
February 11, 2008 - Question
for Ryan on Wichita Pond Fishing -Where did you go
fishing for the bass? I also live in southeast Wichita and would
like to know some easy access spots for bass. Thanks.
MR
February 6, 2008 - Wichita
Pond Fishing - Recently, I was really wanting to get
out of the house and do some fishing. So, going against all of
my own intuition, I went bank fishing at some of my neighborhood
ponds, in Southeast Wichita. The water just unfroze and I used
a 1 3/4" minnow lure and fished from the bank. Not thinking
I would catch anything, because of the water temp and air temp,
I was rather lazy about my casting and reeling methods. But,
in a matter of ten minutes, I caught three Largemouth Bass, all
of them being 3lbs to 5lbs each. It was a surprise to me that
they would bite from the bank, but they did and hard. I'm sharing
this info, so others could try some of the urban fishing areas
around Sedgwick County, for some great Winter fishing!
Ryan
February 5, 2008 - Answer
on Milford Blues - When it comes to Milfords record
I think its in the late 40's and the reason for that world be
its a lot of work and time to get it in the record books. The
fish has to be documented by the fish and game and that can take
time. I'm sure many fishermen at Milford have caught some large
fish but don't have all day to get it recorded. If the fish is
60lbs, it won't fit in the live well so keeping it alive will
be difficult. Over the next few years you should see the fish
get up to 75 lbs. I would think after that the growth would be
slow. The one's caught daily in the Mississippi are not much
larger than Milfords but because they been there forever every
once in a while someone gets lucky and catches one over a hundred.
I catch them at the month of the Mississippi and most are 10
to 60 lbs. I have got lucky and caught one 87 lbs. I don't think
anyone knows for sure how big they'll get in Milford. If they
have plenty of food, they should keep growing. We can hope for
a 80 lb fish someday. RKH
February 4, 2008 - Answer
on Milford Blues - First off : its been a long winter
and I'm looking forward to getting back on the water. I have
spent some time down south since fall catching red fish but ready
to get the year started. Milford's largest bluecat range is 40
to 60 lbs. They first stocked blues in 1990 so my guess is that
the first ones could be as large as 60 to 70 lbs. Biologist tell
me 60 lbs. My largest is 64 and 58,56,55,54,51 and 50. I caught
123 large blues in 2005, 108 in 2006 and a little more than half
in 2007. I fish madison north and they were not in large schools
like the years before. In 05 and 06 I would catch 10 in a morning
from 27 to 48 lbs. I do think sometimes its the bait. I had an
easier time in 05 and 06 getting fresh shad daily. 07 was tough
for me getting enough large shad for bait. I wish I knew the
answer on why it was so tough in 07. They might of stayed south
in deeper water and not made they way north like they have in
previous years. I can say for sure that the fish were not north
of madison like they were 3 years ago. In 05 I caught over 100
wipers 10 to 17 lbs fishing for blues in the spring and 5 walleye
8 to 10 lbs fishing the drops off for blues with live bait. Nothing
in 2007! You could have a point on them going upstream but where
I fish which is in the river channel that would of made fishing
better. Blues travel in search of food and do not store fat like
other catfish. They eat everyday to maintain there weight. There
on the move all the time. Speaking of the inflow in water, the
reason I caught so many blues on Tuttle CK was we had water coming
in all year. Every year seems to be different and we need to
try different methods to catch these fish. Depending on what
kind of water we have blues are different than channels. Since
they stay suppended try different depths. I've caught many on
bobbers fishing 2 foot off the bottom. When fishing for blues
after daylight you need the wind to disguise you. If its calm
they know your there. The wind also keeps out the light. Fish
as far away from the boat as you can. Shad would be the first
bait choice, small mouth buffalo next and carp third. Hopefully
in the next 6 weeks it will all begin. We need a 6 degree temperture
rise to get the blues and walleye up in shallow water. I'm hopping
we had a good shad kill! I wish I had the answer why 2007 was
slower than prervious years but I have no clue. If we have a
lousy 2008 then maybe were short on fish but as for now we need
to give it one more year to make that assumption. I think were
in for a good year! I just bought a new boat and ready to hit
the water! No matter how much you fish its impossible to figure
them out. I know this doesn't answer your question but maybe
this time next year we will have a better answer. RKH
February 3, 2008 - Question
on Milford Blues - My question is to RKH, I was wondering
what Milfords lake record blue is? I also fish the lake alot
for channels/blues and and agree that 2007 was slow on the big
cats. My friend and I cought 11 one night between 19-37 lbs.
in 2006. and strugled in 07 with maybe a good fish every 4-5
trips. Do you think that the high in flow in the spring caused
alot of the big fish to swim up currant? If you would please
drop me an e-mail at rgnagy@att.net.
(Editor's Note - Please send
us the answer also so we can post it)
January 30, 2008 - Melvern
Heated Dock Question - Has anyone ever fished the
heated docks at Melvern? My buddy and I are planning a trip up
there this weekend and we were hoping that we might be able to
get some tips from you crappie anglers out there. we would like
to know if it would be better to use jigs, spoons, or live bait?
any help would be greatly appreciated. I just wanna catch a few
of those little guys for the frying pan.
Thanks,
John
January 29, 2008 - Ice
Fishing El Dorado - My dad and I went out to El Dorado
on Saturday to catch some white bass through the ice one last
time this year. Started about 8am and ended about 4. We finished
the day with 54 fish and another guy out there ended with 17.
Decided to go back out Sunday and give it one more shot. Fished
from 8 until noon and caught 43 more. All fish were caught in
about 8-14 feet in the river channel. It was fun but I am ready
to get the boat back out. Good luck fishing this year and keep
the reports coming.
Chad
January 28, 2008 - Ice
Fishing Question - Hi everyone, just wanting to know
how ice fishing has been going on the lakes the past couple of
weeks. I heard great reports from kanopolis lake on crappie in
the marina cove brush piles, but other than that I have heard
absolutly nothing.
Have a great week,
jm
Editor's Note: Sorry, somehow all the reports
in this section were lost because an old page was uploaded instead
of an updated one.
November 25, 2007 - General
Report from Guide Mike Cook
- Despite the lack of fishing reports and short stories it has
been a great year of fishing on the local reservoirs. That is
if you throw out the high waters that we had during summer. For
now though the channel cat is over for me unless I can get an
ice out pattern going. The flathead is over until we get some
warmer water in April. But there are always those big blues at
Kaw which is what I'll be doing and the jig fishing for let's
just call them scaled fish. Since you never know if it's going
to be a crappie, wiper, white bass or walleye that you are going
to reel up at this time of year while fishing a jig or spoon.
I'll try and get more postings next year. It was
a difficult year for me off the water for many reasons. Hopefully
those issues are left in 2007. 2008 is promising a brand new
year with a lot more time on my hands which means more time to
spend on the water and at this keyboard. So I'll see some of
you on the water in December and January and see you at the shows
in February. By the way , if you fished with me and liked my
boat, it's for sale. I'll be buying a Weld Pro.
See ya'll soon,
Mike Cook
November 21, 2007 - Perry
- fought the cold off and scored huge on white bass.
wind at our backs and throwing rooster tais into the shore on
rocky points and retrieving back to about 6-10 foot of water.
white bass were hitting as hard as i've experienced in a lot
of years of fishing perry lake. 6 going better than 18 inches,
most were around 15 inch but plenty strong. we released 19 in
2 hours of trolling. total lake time was 3 hrs. 1-4 p.m.
it was also the coldest day i have ever had on perry lake!
November 10, 2007 - Fishing
2007 - As the season ends for me thought i would add
a few comments. I took a few trips to Marion Lake early summer
and really didn't do well on Wipers or Walleye. Due to the massive
flooding in the Fall River area i was not able to get out once
to fish that lake this year. I was really disappointed in that.
It's one of the best kept secerts on catching huge White Bass.
Made two trips this summer to Beaver Lake, Arkansas,
(a place I'm shooting for to move to some day) and as always
did well with the guides.
Now for the BIG picture, (Cheney Lake). This season
was "the best I've ever had on Big Walleye" and many
of them. Many in the 6 lb. range. This season was "the best
I've ever had on Huge Wipers". Almost all over 21"
and in the 6 to 8 lb. range. The 21", (2) each creel limit
"has" really paid off. I hope they keep it at this
length and creel limit for years to come.
Thought I'd add this. It's been many years since
I've been to Wilson Lake. It's 2 hrs. from my home. Five years
ago or so i could make the dive and only spend $30-40 on gas
total. Now it's more than $130. Yes? that's the prime reason
I've not been to that beautiful lake. Thank goodness I'm only
40 mins. to a hour to several "good" fishing lakes.
Mark.
November 7, 2007 - Tuttle
Creek & Milford Report 2007: Since the catfish
season is coming to a close in the next few weeks I will share
my views on 2007. I spent more time on Tuttle CK this year than
previous years due to all the water coming down the river from
the north. Compared to last year it was a better year even though
the fish were a bit smaller than last year. Most channels caught
were 3 to 11 lbs, largest this year was a new record for me at
26.4 lbs. Broke my old record of 24.lbs. caught in river pond
below dam in 2003. There were many mornings I caught 20 to 40
fish in 4 hours. This was a worm year more so than shad, fresh
water coming in makes worms the best bait. When the water comes
in from the north you can't find any better fishing anywhere.
I mentioned last year about our bluecat population and how it
should get better and better. I had a great year with a total
to date at 321 bluecat from 3 to 12 lbs with the largest at 20
lbs. It is not Milford but in a few years you will catch many
blues over 20 lbs. I know Tuttle is nothing but a mud hole and
the silt is heading south more each year which makes the mouth
of the river tougher to fish but it still is full of channels
and blues and offers some excellent fishing at times. For those
who want to brave the cold you will catch a few blues if you
fish the river channel during the winter.
I spent about 50 days on Milford this year and found the catfishing
somewhat slow compared to the past 3 years. I caught mostly blues
and very few channels and not as many big blues as in years past.
I fish from Madison north in the river channel and never found
the large blues coming by in large schools. I did break my own
personal record with a 64 lb fish caught in June but didn't catch
any in the 50's like last year. I also found that the wipers
were not there like they have been in past years. Usually in
Apr and May I catch some extra large wipers (11 to 17lbs) fishing
on the bottom with shad. They were not around this year. I know
that some say that were short on large fish now, that to many
have been kept but I think its to early to make that assumption.
I found it to be a very different year and you had to work harder
this year to find the fish. In a year or so we will know the
story. I think that Milford still offers some great bluecat fishing
and there getting bigger each year. I don't know what were going
to do when they get 80 lbs, I had a hell of a time with the 64
being by myself and guaranteed not to fit in any live. Hopefully
next year we will see more large fish caught. RKH
November 2, 2007 - Walunt
river Winfield dam - 24 OCT - 1 NOV - Water level
is now about normal and the temp was at 55. Now we can start
catching White bass, Wipers, Walleyes and Crappies! Caught several
large White bass through out the week and on 1 NOV I lost one
large Wiper at my feet (you need to be patient when you are using
4lb test and ultra light rods), but all was not lost when I caught
a 6lb Walleye. I think I would have done better if there would
have been some cloudy days during the week, Walleyes stay deep
when its sunny.
Mark
October 26, 2007 - Shawnee
SFL - Went to the shawnee state fishing lake today
10-25-2007 with a dual agenda. took advantage of the hunter education
shooting range that was open to the public for a nominal fee.
so i sighted in my 270 for the up coming deer season. since i
was right there at the lake i decided to take the ole poles with
me to fish too. managed to catch a perch that i used for bait
and then the other 2 poles i used night crawlers and slugs. 4
hours and not one bite. maybe the cold spell? wrong time of day?
not sure but my sholder is a little sore after 20 rounds out
of the high power rifle. that my friends is what i am sure of.
good luck all.
Jason Porter
topeka kansas
 October
19, 2007 - Perry - 10-19-07
lots of channell today in flooded shollows. lake is about 4 feet
up. the channel were hitting pretty much any thing we threw at
them. hot dogs, worms and cut shad. caught a good number of crappie
around 20+feet of water fishing 6-10 feet down. minnows were
definitly more effective than jigs. trolled the shore 8-10ft
of water off banks for about an hour with rooster tails and rattle
traps. caught 7 white bass. 5 of those going better than 2 lbs.
got dark and then cold and called it a day. cleaned 9 chanell,
5 white bass and 12-15 crappie. I'd say not a bad day at all!
Almost forgot mama's flathead. she got em with
a minnow on her crappie rod.4lb line.
October 16, 2007 - Fall Fishing - Mike Cook - Four Lake
Guides - Summer fishing was trying at best for me. I
just couldn't pattern anything with all the high water. The last
few weeks has been back to the wonderful fishing that one expects
from south central Kansas.
The channel cat has been fantastic. The crappie
fair and improving. The wipers good. But the walleye have still
been pretty tough for me. Things should continue to improve with
the cooling weather. I'm still seeing a lot of fishermen out
there.
More than in the past years, so word is getting
out on fall fishing. It's the best.
Talk to ya''l soon.
Mike Cook
October 15, 2007 - Cheney
- I finally had a chance to try out Cheney, left on
thursday the 11th and fished 3 days. The weather made it a tuff
go to say the least. We did finally find the fish in very shallow
water 2-4' with the birds chasing shad. Mostly small wipers.
The bite wouldnt last long primarily early in the morning and
in late afternoon. Cold front and rain probably had alot to due
with it.
Last day around 1pm noticed some surface action out deep 22'
and finally found the big fish. Didnt last long but catching
a couple of those big wipers sure put a smile on my fathers face...
He is 74 yrs old.
I thank the Kansas Fish and Game for stocking such a quality
fish and giving us the oppurtunity to catch them. My 2 yr boy
stayed at cabin with his Mom because the wind but I look forward
to having both him and my Dad in the boat next time....
Thanks,
John
  October 15,
2007 - Greenwood County Pond - October
14 - It was a cloudy windy day as we left some rain showers back
home at Wichita. We were finally doing what we'd set out to do
months earlier but just couldn't find the time. Glad we went.
My buddy Pablo and I caught and released about 50 largemouths
including the 2 pictured (the date on the camera is wrong). Black
& blue jig and pig and Tiki wave worms accounted for 90%
of the fish. They were definitely on a fall feeding binge! Moral
of the story if you can get away on a half way decent day GO!
You don't have much time left.
Denny G.
October 4, 2007 - Cheney
- October 03, 2007 Wednesday evening. A little slow
this trip. One 6 lb.Walleye, one 8 lb Wiper. Could not locate
any schooling. Heard M & M point was the place last night.
Several schoolings located and anglers did well. Just need to
be in the right place. Lots of fall anglers out last night. That's
nice to see. I read were in the U.S. that they are loosing hunters
by 10% each year. Number of folks not going out anymore to hunt.
Anyone hear if fishing is the same? I know it can be expensive.
Mark.
 October
3, 2007 - Cheney - Boy, did
Mark hit into a big school of wipers. I was near the same area
and saw the explosion by his boat - a really cool sight to see!
Congrats Mark - you are the wiperman as far as I am concerned.
Caught this one 9/8/07......my personal best (so far)
Bob-o-link
September 27, 2007 - Cheney
- September 27, 2007 Thursday. Had a excellent evening
fishing. Very slow at first. Thought we were going to come home
with just a few. Caught a few here and there. Could not find
any schooling of shad and fish. Then at 6:30 pm. all hell broke
loose. We were just trolling in one area. Not really catching
too much. Then off the boat say, 30 yards. Hundreds of Wipers
broke the surface and scared the heck out of us. It was one sight
to see them coming out of the water chasing the shad. We made
a turn for them and went thru them and wham fish on. This lasted
15 mins. and they were gone. Total was 15 Wipers with one 6 lb.
Walleye. Most of the Wipers were 22-23". We were in the
right place at the right time or we would have only come up with
just a few. That's the ticket for me in the fall. Right place
at the right time. Did clean our limit for two people. Mark.
September 25, 2007 - Cheney
- Went out to Cheney (9/22) and drifted for catfish
again. Once we caught our bait had no problem finding the fish,
didn't start fishing until after 4pm. They were staged around
14-16 ft deep on the flats. Had good wind for about 2 hours and
caught 8. Four of them went over 5lbs. Took the 5yr old nephew
out and let him reel in the smaller ones. He did have the Snoopy
pole go down and the line broke when he set the hook. It was
fun; hopefully we can get out once or twice more before hunting
season rolls in.
Chad Maness
September 25, 2007 - Butler
SFL - Took the boat out Sunday to Butler. The sun
was high and clouds only started to move in closer to noon time.
The bass were holding very tight to cover. I was side casting
a lake fork tube under the brush and letting it fall. I baoted
three bass with the heaviest being around three pounds. Put the
boat up and tried the back creek really quick and had one bass
on a square billed crank, but lost it before I got it on shore.
Went to a farm pond later that day and bought some
shiners. Caught plenty of bass on the live minnows with the biggest
being five pounds.
Cooler weather should help bring the bass out of hiding. I was
surprised that Butler got very little vegetation growing this
year in the back areas.
Dominic
September 24, 2007 - Marion - (9/21) Ran
up for a little evening fishing. It had been 4 weeks since we
had been able to get out. Started fishing at 5:00 and quit at
7:15 with 25 in the icebox. The summer pattern is still holding
with the strong south winds and warm weather we have been having.
We ended up with a couple of nice size wipers and the whites
were good size also (around 1-1 <#). We caught a couple sets
of doubles and several times had multiple rods down at the same
time.
Royce H.
 September
22, 2007 - Cheney - Here a pic
of a 37# flathead caught at Cheney Lake on Sept. 1 2007. It was
caught on a shad rap while trolling with a bass rod with 12#
test line.
Jim Lair
Wichita
September 21, 2007 - Thanks
for answer to question for Mike or Mark on three-way rig - Many
thanks to Mark and Mr. Wiper your suggestions will be put to
the test soon. Mr. Wiper I to would like to find time to get
to Cheney, It's seems a crime to let Mark have all those hogs
to himself. Good luck and please let us know how you do. One
more question, how far into fall have you guys found this presentation
to be effective? Thanks again Jason
September 20, 2007 - Answer
to question for Mike or Mark on three-way rig - I've
ran the 3-way swivel rig for many years now and found it best
to keep the deep diving lure length of line apprx 18-24
inches with the trailer being about 36 inches.
The deep diving lure has to be shorter than the trailer length.
A lighter weight for the jig head helps also but for striper
and wipers you still need a sturdy hook. With a 3-5" squirum
worm you can use a hook only with no lead head, the lure pulls
it down.
Ive also found that 3-5" squirum grubs work better then
sassy shads for line twisting and will catch as many fish.. If
you have to use sassy shads use the ones with jig head built
into the body.You also should place a swivel on each the deep
diving lure and the trailer this will eliminate any line twist.
I hope this helps, like ive said ive ran this rig for many years
at Texoma and many local lakes. You can also run a silver spoon
on the trailer which is excellent choice but a swivel on spoon
is needed.
Guys Ive heard all I can take about Chenney good wiper fishing
I will be heading that way this weekend....lol
c ya there,
Mr Wiper
September 16, 2007 - Answer
to question for Mike or Mark on three-way rig - Not
sure if Mike E. is going to answer. I talked to him, via e-mail
a while ago and he is still alive and out fishing, (and doing
well fishing). I have same problem with my sassy shad. Your description
of the length of line to bait is identical to my length. I don't
seem to have that problem as quick as you. I can go about one
fishing trip and my line starts to "twist" with the
sassy shad. What I do is change my line below my three way swivel,
(30lbs. Big Game) after each trip. I do at times continue to
fish with it twisting and sill catch fish. The bait is there
and they grab it anyway. I also change my sassy shad each trip
due to it being shredded up with catching so many Wipers. Hope
this helps. Mark.
September 16, 2007 - Question
for Mike or Mark on three-way rig - I started using
the three way rig with some success on Clinton Lake the wipers
are not huge yet but seem to love this rig. The problem I'm having
is line twist. I seem to recall the crankbait line being about
six feet and the shad line about three. After two or three fish
the shad seems to want to twist around the crank line. Am I using
the wrong swivels or should lines be different diameters or what?
I love fishing this way but any help with this annoying problem
would be appreciated. Thanks guys Jason
September 13, 2007 - Cheney
- September 13, 2007 Thursday afternoon. Fish are
in there fall mode. Fish caught were in 2-5' of water close to
shore and submerged humps. Observed at list 4 schools of shad
being chased by hundreds of fish. I would troll through them
and the action was furious. At times 4 fish on two poles. Summer
time hot spot not holding fish for me now. Caught a 5, 6, 7 lb.
Walleye and 10 Wipers all but one under 21". Lots of action.
Had to move around LOTS to find the shad being chased. Look for
seagulls. Mark
  September 8,
2007 - Cheney - September 08,
2007 Saturday afternoon. The fish just keep biting. And there
huge. Had a wonderful time with my son and a friend and his son.
It was hot. 92 degrees in the boat with very little wind. Started
at 4:15pm. Right off the bat fish on. Funny, seen very little
fish on the electronics but the bait fish was there and the fish
were feeding on them. Like they were on the outside perimeter
of the bait fish just waiting to attack. And they did. My boy
would set up front with his favorite pole along with our two
downriggers. And he just killed them up front with his fire tiger
deep diver and just loved it. All poles seen action. At times
doubles on two poles. Both boys out fished the "dad's".
Two of the big ones were a 10.8 lb. Wiper and a 11.7 lb. Striper.
Total was 16 to 18 Wipers. That included one 10 lb. Flathead,
the one Striper. Surface temp. 81. At 8pm. dropped back to 78
degrees. With the forecast ahead, that will change. Mark.
 September
4, 2007 - Cheney - September
04, 2007 Tuesday evening. Did real good. Got to the lake at 5:30pm.
fished till 8pm. At first very windy. Storms in area. Then they
passed and wind came down some. No one on the lake. Had all by
ourselfs. That's a first. All fish, Wipers, very large. This
young man his biggest Wiper ever of 10.1 lbs. His dad had to
help him hold it up. The Wiper darn near took the pole out of
his hands. He barely could get it out of the downrigger rod holder.
It was a blast watching him do it all himself. Then he pulled
in another one of 9.5 lbs. right after that one. Total was 8
with 4 getting off. It just does not get any better. We all had
a blast. Mark.
September 4, 2007 - Cheney
- Sept 3, 2007 - Went out to Cheney and decided to
do some summer time drifting for catfish. Went up to the north
end of the lake and drifted in 12-14ft. Finished with 23 and
took home our 20. Another good day at Cheney.
August 28, 2007 - Question
on crappie at Toronto and Big Hill - HAS ANYBODY STARTED
CATCHING CRAPPIE AT TORONTO OR BIG HILL YET? I THINK IT MIGHT
BE A KITTKE EARLY, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.
THANK YOU
CLAYTON
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