Northwest Region Fishing Reports

Fishing reports provide general angling information from KDWP staff. The department cannot update the reports on a regular, frequent basis. Many factors determine angling success, and fishing conditions and individual fishing success may vary from the report. Anglers are responsible for deciding what species to fish for, what methods to use, and where and when to fish. You can help fellow anglers by sharing successful fishing notes at https://www.facebook.com/KDWPFisheries.

CEDAR BLUFF RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 11/1/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, Location
Black Bass Fair Up to 6 lbs. Fish can be caught casting soft plastics, chatterbaits, ned rigs, and topwater plugs or poppers around shoreline structure, especially early and late.  Casting shad imitating swimbaits over shallow structure such as rock piles and road beds can be good too.
Channel Catfish Good Up to 12 lbs. Still fishing cut bait on rod and reel or on set lines on large shallow flats and points in 12 to 15 feet of water.
Crappie Fair/Good Up to 15 inches Vertically fishing jigs, minnows, or cast net-caught shad over the fish attractors has been best.
Walleye Fair/Good Up to 28 inches Vertically fishing slab spoons and trolling or casting crankbaits like flicker shads over main lake points and other structure.
White Bass/Wipers Good

Whites up to 17 inches

Wipers up to 13.5 lbs.

Locating schools of white bass and/or wipers with electronics and vertically fishing slab spoons has been increasingly productive.  Cove 4 west point north of the Bluffs, North Shore Cabin main lake points, and the lower end of Page Creek Cove are all good areas to start looking for fish.  Also, casting shallow-running or topwater shad imitations over windswept, shallow points and other shallow, hard bottomed structures in the morning or evening.   

WATER TEMPERATURE-55 degrees F

SURFACE ELEVATION- 2122.38 ft. above MSL-21.62 ft. below conservation pool

ATTENTION: An established zebra mussel population has been documented at this water making Cedar Bluff an ANS designated water.  With this designation, regulations are in effect primarily aimed at discouraging water containing microscopic zebra mussel larvae from leaving the property and establishing in new waters.  Any time one leaves the reservoir it is best to clean mud, vegetation, or attached zebra mussel adults off of boats and other equipment, drain any thing on a boat or other equipment that holds water, and allow boats 01d other equipment to dry completely before using them at another body of water.  It is now illegal to use wild-caught bait from Cedar Bluff at any other water.  Live fish are not to be taken off the property.  And all livewells and bilges must be drained prior to leaving the property.

It is illegal to release fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. So please discard any leftover bait in a trash can.



GLEN ELDER RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 11/4/2024

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 and shallow vegetation in the state park. A good number of smallies were caught on the dam over the weekend. 
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. 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 catch a nice Striped Bass over the drain structure last week.  
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: 58ºF        Current Water Level: 6.8 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. 



JEWELL STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 8/5/2024

Species
Rating Size Baits, Method, Location
Crappie Fair to Good 9-11 inches Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs. Focus on deeper structure as the water warms. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level. Our recent sample indicated there are very high numbers of crappie in the lake now and anglers could have great success throughout the year.
Largemouth Bass Good 12-22 inches

Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the overhanging trees in the water. I would focus on submerged wood. The larger trunks that provide horizontal cover seem to hold bigger bass. Fish can be caught use wacky worms, Senkos, Ned Rigs, spinnerbaits, roadrunners, and crankbaits. 

There is an 18 inch minimum length limit on all bass in Jewell

Channel Catfish Good 11-25 inches

Fish can be caught just about anywhere on the lake. Anglers should try using shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver.  Targeting inflow is a popular method as the catfish will congregate there to feed.  

Remember there is a 15 inch minimum length limit on channel catfish

Bluegill

Redear Sunfish

Good 6-9 inches Sunfish might be guarding shallow bowl-shaped nests along the shoreline. Aquatic vegetation is always a good bet for sunfish. Look for bluegill around the rocks on the piers and around any brush in the water. Worms and small jigs are a good bet.  These guys can be caught throughout the year using a variety of techniques.  Some anglers prefer to fly fish with small nymphs or dry flies fished on the surface.
General Comments
ATTENTION ANGLERS! There is a regulation for all sunfish species which began in January 2019. Fish between 6 and 9 inches must be immediately released. There is no limit on the number of fish less than 6 inches, but anglers are limited to only 5 fish greater than 9 inches per day. This applies to bluegill, redear sunfish, green sunfish, and their hybrids.

Water temperature: 82ºF 

Water level: 8.25 Feet Low



KANOPOLIS RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/13/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, and Location
Channel/Blue Catfish Good 16 - 21"

Fishing cut and prepared baits along the river channel from the south boat ramp all the way to buzzard bay. Try deeper catfish humps and structure near bluffs.

Remember there is a 35" minimum length limit on Blue Catfish at Kanopolis Reservoir.

Crappie Good 10 to 14+ inches Try the deeper structure, brush piles, or the river channel with 1/16 oz. jigs and live minnows.
Trout Good   The first trout stocking for the season will occur around December 1st. 
Saugeye Fair 14 - 22" Wind blown points and flats in the middle and lower ends of the reservoir are best. Also try shallow shoreline areas first thing in the morning.  Shad imitating swimbaits and jigs tipped with minnows or worms can be productive baits.
White Bass Good All sizes - up to 17 inches Casting swimbaits, bucktail jigs, and Kastmaster spoons along wind blown points and areas near the river channel. Using slab spoons or live minnows is also producing some fish right now along brush piles and in the river channel. Also look to target fish in the mornings/evenings feeding on shad at the surface.
Wiper Fair All sizes Similar locations and baits as those used for white bass. Stocked 600,000 Wiper fry in May.
General Comment
Current lake elevation and water temperature is available on the location page linked to this fishing report. It is updated daily by the Corps of Engineers.
 



KEITH SEBELIUS RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/18/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, and Location
Crappie Fair 7 to 16 inches Crappies are being caught around the public fishing dock and maintained fish attractors using jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. Would also recommend fishing up in the coves.
Saugeye/Walleye Fair 13 to 27 inches Fish are being caught around concrete cove up by the marsh dike and along the dam using jigs tipped with night crawlers and/or minnows and trolling diving lures.  An 18" minimum length limit is in effect.
Wiper Good 10 to 28 inches Would recommend fishing for them around the east side of Leota Cove, Monkey Island and Concrete cove using jigs and swim baits.
Catfish Fair 10 to 30 inches Did hear of some catfish being caught up in the shallows using shad, gizzards, shrimp, or stink bait on the bottom.
Largemouth/Spotted Bass Good 10 to 20 inches Would recommend fishing up in the coves or along the Dam and Breakwater using crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and plastics. 
General Comments

WATER TEMPERATURE- 72°

SURFACE ELEVATION- 2292.97 ---- 11.33 feet below conservation pool

Currently, the water level is 1.53 feet higher than it was one year ago, at this time. Started releasing water for irrigation on 07-16-2024 and shut it off on 8-9-2024.

Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water.  Please discard leftover bait in a trash can.



KIRWIN RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/18/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, and Location
Crappie Fair 7 to 17 inches Crappie are being caught around the north and south shore fish attractors using jigs and jigs tipped with minnows.  Could also possibly catch some off the Dam using jigs and minnows. 
Walleye Fair 10 to 29 inches Walleyes are being caught off the Flats and drop offs using night crawlers and/or minnows. Trolling diving lures could also be productive.
White Bass/ Wiper Good 10 to 28 inches Fish are being caught lake wide trolling diving lures and casting jigs. Would also recommend casting roadrunners and jigs off the bank.
Catfish Fair 10 to 30 inches Fish are being caught up in the shallows of coves and up to the west end.  Would recommend fishing the shallow area with shrimp, cut bait, stink bait or shad off the bottom.
Largemouth Bass Fair 12 to 22 inches Fish are being caught in the coves and along the rocky shorelines using plastics and crank baits.
General Comments

WATER TEMPERATURE- 74°

SURFACE ELEVATION- 1716.55 ---- 12.70' below conservation pool

Currently, the water level is 3.45' lower than it was one year ago, at this time. Irrigation releases were shut off on 08-30-2024.

Both lanes of the north shore boat ramp are currently out of the water and if using the north ramp would only consider using the south lane of the north ramp (However, I would use caution while unloading off this ramp). The fish cleaning station has been open back up for use.  A boat cleaning facility (CD3) has been added by the fish cleaning station and is currently usable.   

If you have any questions regarding Kirwin Reservoir and the surrounding public lands, contact the USFWS at 785-543-6673.  

Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water.  Please discard leftover bait in a trash can.

 



LOVEWELL RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 8/26/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, Location
Walleye Fair  16-25 inches

Warm water temps will push fish to deeper, cooler water during the day. Look for flats, river channels, and points holding baitfish. Focus on the deeper channels and structure. Nightfall can bring fish up to the shallows in search of food. Try using jigging spoons, minnows, brightly colored lures, or nightcrawlers.

*KDWP stocked 3 million Walleye fry into Lovewell last April and 15,000 intermediates last fall. 

White Bass/Wipers Good

7-14 inches

15-25 inches

White Bass and Wipers will suspend on river channels, drop-offs, and deep brushpiles. Downwind shorelines will attract actively feeding fish. White Bass populations have been low for a few years, but early evidence indicates strong numbers this year. Look for schools of baitfish and these predators are probably nearby. The outlet at dawn and dusk can be a hot spot for White Bass and Wiper. Using a variety of jigs, spinners, or minnows can catch fish most of the year.

*300,000 wiper fry were stocked into Lovewell in May 

Crappie Fair to Good 8-14 inches Crappie will suspend on brush or river channels during the summer. Look for places that hold baitfish and structure. The marina will usually hold crappie and Cedar Point is one of the most popular crappie fishing spots all year. 
Catfish Good 16 to 38 inches

Fall sampling indicated good numbers of Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, and Flathead Catfish. Best baits to use for Channel Catfish include stinkbait, shad sides, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Blue Catfish usually go for cut bait and Flatheads tend to prefer live bait. Anglers often report good spring catches of Blue Catfish near Walleye Point, Cedar Point, and Pawnee Point. Blues and flatheads tend to focus on hard structure like rocks, brush piles, and river channels.

Remember there is a 35 inch minimum length limit on blue catfish in Lovewell.  All blue catfish less than 35 inches must be released immediately. 

Comments
Anglers can now find GPS coordinates, descriptions, and histories of some of the major brush piles in Lovewell. Simply follow this link Good Fishing Spots and select the individual brush pile to find out more information. More Georgia Cubes were added in April 2020! 

Current water temperature:  80ºF            Current water level:8.2 feet low

Lovewell is not currently under a harmful algae watch. Please use the following link for the latest advisories from KDHE, Harmful Algal Blooms | KDHE, KS.

Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water!



OTTAWA STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 8/26/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, Location
Largemouth Bass Fair to Good 12-18 inches Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the overhanging trees in the water. During spring electrofishing survey, most fish were find right on the bank in close association with logs or overhanging brush. Fish can be caught use wacky worms, Senkos, Ned Rigs, spinnerbaits, roadrunners, and crankbaits.
Bluegill/Sunfish Good 5 to 7 Inches Look for bluegill around the rocks on the piers, shoreline vegetation, and around any brush in the water. Spawning bluegill will make shallow nests in flat, shallow shorelines. Worms and small jigs are a good bet. These guys can be caught throughout the year using a variety of techniques. Some anglers prefer to fly fish with small nymphs or dry flies fished on the surface.
Channel Catfish Fair to Good 12-25 inches Fish can be caught just about anywhere on the lake. Anglers should try using shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver.  Targeting inflow is a popular method as the catfish will congregate there to feed. The shallow upper end is a great area to find big catfish on warm days.
Saugeye Fair 18-25 inches The best number of saugeye can be found on the upper end around the jetties and other rocky areas. Jig and crawler, large shiners, crankbaits, and swim baits are all good options to use for catching saugeye now. Anglers will also find some around the brush piles and off the ends of the jetties closest to the dam.
Crappie Good 8-15 inches Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs. Focus on deeper structure like brushpiles and rocks during summer. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level. Our recent sample indicated there are very high numbers of crappie in the lake now and anglers could have great success throughout the year. 
General Comments

Water Temperature--79ºF   

CAUTION: LONGER BOAT TRAILERS MAY FALL OFF EDGE OF BOAT RAMP WHEN WATER IS LOW



ROOKS STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 9/18/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, and Location
      CURRENT FISHING
Largemouth Bass Poor 6-21 inches No Reports.
Bluegill Poor 3-9 inches No Reports.
Catfish Fair 10-25 inches Did have reports of some cats being caught off the bottom.
Black Crappie Poor 5-12 inches No Reports
General Comments

Water Temp. 70 Degrees

Lake is approx. eleven to twelve feet low.   



SHERIDAN STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 7/26/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, and Location
Comments

The lake is currently being dewatered to enable lake renovation.

As part of lake renovation, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has issued Sheridan State Fishing Lake be opened to public fish salvage effective 11/6/2023. 

The order is posted on signs around the lake.  It allows the public to collect fish by any legal methods as well as by hand, dip net, throw net, minnow trap or seine, snagging, gig, speargun, bow and arrow or crossbow with a barbed head and line attached from bow/crossbow to arrow per regulation 115-7-1.  This fish salvage order also removes all daily creel limits and size limits per regulation 115-25-14.  This public fish salvage will remain in effect until posted notice signage on site is removed.           

For more information contact Dave Spalsbury, District Fisheries Biologist at 785-726-3212.



WEBSTER RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/18/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, and Location
Crappie Fair 7 to 17 inches Would recommend fishing around the north and south shore breakwaters and fish attractors using jigs, slab spoons and jigs with minnows. 
Walleye Fair 14 to 28 inches Would recommend fishing for them just outside the maintained fish attractors using jigs and slab spoons.  Would also be getting the night crawlers out and start fishing the drop-offs and flats.  Trolling diving lures along the dam and river channel up by the Bow city parking lot could also be productive.   
White Bass/Wiper Good 8 to 28 inches Both species are being caught around the north and south shore fish attractors and breakwaters using jigs and jigs tipped with minnow. Trolling diving lures lake wide could also be productive.
Catfish Fair 12 to 30 inches Catfish are being caught around the broken up concrete ramp on the north side and Goose Flats using shad, shrimp, gizzards, or stink baits on the bottom.
Largemouth Bass Fair 12 to 22 inches Fish are being caught around the maintained fish attractors and breakwaters using plastics and spinner baits.
General Comments

WATER TEMPERATURE- 72°

SURFACE ELEVATION- 1867.28 ---- 25.17' below conservation pool

The water level is 9.59' lower than it was one year ago at this time. Irrigation releases were shut off on 08-29-2024.

Old Marina and Morel boat ramps are not usable; however, Rock Point (north ramp has been barricaded off, but the south ramp goes all the way to the bottom and is still usable), Goose Flats and Lakeview boat ramps are open at this time.  Fish cleaning station is currently open for the summer.  A boat cleaning station (CD3) has been added by the fish cleaning station and is usable at this time.

Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water. Please discard leftover bait in a trash can.



WILSON RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 9/13/2024

Species Rating Size Baits, Method, Location
Striped Bass Fair 7-25 pounds Larger fish are relating to deeper water near Lucas campground, mouth of Marshall Cove, Hell Creek and towards the dam. Try trolling crankbaits, casting/jigging large bucktail jigs, or drifting live shad or sunfish along channel breaks. 1.325 million Striped Bass fry were stocked in May.
 Walleye Good 18-27 inches Trolling or casting crankbaits and swimbaits over main lake points early morning or late evening are your best bets. Over 200,000 Walleye fingerlings were stocked in May and June.
Blue/Channel Catfish Good 2-20 pounds

Channel Catfish: Fish can be found from shallow to moderate depths. Try cut bait, dough bait, or punch bait thorough the reservoir.

Blue Catfish: scattered throughout the reservoir, try fresh cutbait in 6-30 feet of water on river channel swings or flats near these swings. 

Release all Blue Catfish between 32 - 40 inches. Two can be kept outside this range but only one can be kept over 40 inches.

White Bass Fair 12-18 inches, up to 3 pounds Casting shad imitating swimbaits and bucktail jigs over windblown points and using slab spoons along the river channel.
Black Bass Good 12-20 inches Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits around structure.
White Perch Poor 4 to 12 inches - IT IS ILLEGAL TO HAVE A WHITE PERCH ALIVE IN YOUR POSSESSION - IF YOU CATCH IT AND WANT TO KEEP IT - IT HAS TO BE DEAD IN A COOLER OR LIVEWELL. THEY ARE NO LONGER LEGAL AS LIVE BAIT FOR STRIPERS OR OTHER FISH!!!!!
General Comments

Lake Elevation = 3.95 feet below conservation pool.

We have two Aquatic Invasive Species - white perch and zebra mussels and have joined Cheney and El Dorado as lakes with both species. The law now says that if anyone leaves the lake with water in your livewell or boat, you are subject to a ticket for transporting Zebra Mussels since they will spawn and the microscopic little mussels will probably be in every drop of water in the lake. Make sure you drain all water from the boat before you leave the boat ramp area!!! We have been taking veliger samples and the samples were high so be sure to drain and dry everything!!!!!!