Tuttle Creek Reservoir Fishing Information

Counties:

Pottawatomie, Riley

GPS:

N39 15.445 W96 34.77

Surface Acres:

10,900 acres

Maximum Depth:

50 feet

Normal Lake Level:

1075 mls

View Live Lake Information

Tuttle Creek Fishing Report - Updated: 09/03/2024

Species	Rating	Size	Baits, Method, and Location
Crappie	Fair	1/2 to 2 pounds	The lake has provided excellent crappie fishing the last few years due to good spawning success and robust summer growth. The 2023 fall sample shows that numbers of crappie over 10-inches is still above the long-term average for the lake. In addition, the 2023 spawn was very successful in producing another strong year-class of crappie. Can be found in standing timber about 10' down.
White Bass	Fair	1/2 to 2 pounds	White bass numbers have been low due to limited spawning success for most of the last decade. The species did produce a robust spawn in 2021 which has helped bolster the fishery as the 2023 sample had the most white bass over 12-inches in nine years. I wouldn't call the fishery good yet but it is much improved and hopefully this trend will continue.
Channel Catfish	Fair	Good numbers of 24-28" fish with fair numbers of bigger ones.	The lake and the connected river system has maintained a good channel catfish population through the history of the lake and has been one of the best places around to catch channel cats over 8 pounds. The fishery was underperforming from 2013 to 2020 but has rebounded and been doing well the last three years. The 2023 sample recorded that 19% of the channel catfish were above 24-inches, which is the highest percentage seen in a decade. Fishing in the upper end of the lake and the river tends to be the most consistent spots for channel cats. K-State is conducting a study to track fish movements and there are a few channel catfish with a purple tag in their back - please release all fish with a purple tag.
Blue Catfish	Fair to Good	Lots of fish from 20" to 30" and seeing a few fish getting over 40 pounds	Blue catfish are finally well established in the lake and population expansion has slowed down. The lake will likely never have as high numbers of blue cats as other KS lakes but this allows for good growth and a plus size range of fish. Summer sampling in 2023 showed that 61% of the blue catfish were from 20-inches to 30-inches and 19% were over 30-inches. Fresh cut bait or fresh shad is the best baits, near drop-offs this time of year. New harvest regulations for blue catfish starting in 2022: 10 fish daily creel limit which may include only one fish 30 inches or longer. Please check any blue catfish for a yellow or orange tag in its back as we have been tagging fish to collect more information on the species in Tuttle Creek Lake. It is up to you if you wish to release the fish or harvest it (if legally applicable), but please report the tag number and the general location of the catch to (620) 342-0658 or ely.sprenkle@ks.gov We also have a few fish with a purple tag that have a transmitter for tracking their movements, PLEASE RELEASE FISH WITH A PURPLE TAG. A big THANK YOU to all who report their catch!
Largemouth Bass	Slow to Fair	1 to 5 pounds	Coves in southern third of the Reservoir have some locally good largemouth bass populations. The McIntyre Cove area tends to produce the best fishing with Carnahan Cove second best.
Saugeye	Fair	Up to 6 pounds	The last two years has been good saugeye fishing at Tuttle Creek. The 2023 fall gill net sample produced the most saugeye in a decade with 38% of those fish over the 15" minimum length limit. No recent reports. Since saugeye like to leave Tuttle Creek through the dam downstream, some of the best opportunities to harvest saugeye is in the River Pond or Rocky Ford or at the "tubes". Great shoreline access at all of these spots and fish are regularly being caught year-round. K-State is conducting a study to track fish movements and there are a few saugeye with a purple tag in their back - please release all fish with a purple tag.
General Comments
You can check current water conditions HERE Tuttle Creek has zebra mussels which makes the lake, the River Pond and Rocky Ford designated as Aquatic Nuisance Species waters. Fish may not be transported alive from ANS designated waters. To help prevent the spread of invasive species, please CLEAN, DRAIN & DRY all equipment when changing water bodies and please do not move fish you have caught or your bait.

Creel Length/Limits

Fishing Population	Creel Limit	Min Length Limit
Blue Catfish	10	only 1 Blue Catfish over 30"
Bluegill
Channel Catfish	10
Crappie	50
Flathead Catfish	5
Green Sunfish
Largemouth Bass	5	18
Saugeye	5	15
White Bass
Trout	5

* 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

+Saugeye Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
SAUGEYE
	(>14")	(>18")	(>22")	(lbs.)	BR
SEBELIUS	10.67	4.53	0.37	6.38	G
COUNCIL GROVE	3.78	1.80	0.42	6.89	F
KANOPOLIS	2.02	1.07	0.20	6.70	G
POMONA	0.95	0.28	0.00	2.97	G
MELVERN	0.94	0.00	0.00	1.50	F
CLINTON	0.86	0.12	0.00	2.72	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.75	0.13	0.02	4.81	G
WEBSTER	0.14	0.14	0.06	4.48	F
ELK CITY	0.03	0.00	0.00	1.11	F

+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

+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

+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

+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

+Temperate Basses Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Glen Elder Reservoir	17.63	2.60	0.57	9.89	Reservoir	G
Marion Reservoir	15.97	4.40	1.57	4.92	Reservoir	G
Kirwin Reservoir	15.06	10.00	0.78	7.99	Reservoir	G
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	12.76	4.07	2.63	13.60	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	11.72	6.92	1.50	10.88	Reservoir	G
Sebelius Reservoir	10.17	9.57	3.23	6.81	Reservoir	G
Milford Reservoir	9.80	4.35	1.55	6.80	Reservoir	G
Pomona Reservoir	8.43	2.58	0.63	2.20	Reservoir	G
Clinton Reservoir	6.46	1.06	0.36	5.98	Reservoir	G
Kanopolis Reservoir	5.32	0.22	0.08	7.28	Reservoir	G
Lovewell Reservoir	4.96	2.11	1.11	7.35	Reservoir	F
Perry Reservoir	4.73	0.02	0.00	2.15	Reservoir	G
Cheney Reservoir	4.43	2.71	1.55	7.98	Reservoir	F
El Dorado Reservoir	3.42	1.38	0.93	6.75	Reservoir	G
LaCygne Reservoir	3.00	0.48	0.00	2.88	Reservoir	F
Toronto Reservoir	2.94	0.50	0.00	2.69	Reservoir	G
Fall River Reservoir	2.85	0.39	0.00	3.02	Reservoir	G
Wilson Reservoir	2.64	0.94	0.51	13.27	Reservoir	G
Wolf Creek Reservoir	2.22	0.14	0.08	4.59	Reservoir	F
John Redmond Reservoir	2.16	0.38	0.00	3.24	Reservoir	F
Melvern Reservoir	2.10	0.12	0.00	2.26	Reservoir	G
Big Hill Reservoir	1.67	0.00	0.00	1.73	Reservoir	G
Hillsdale Reservoir	1.67	0.07	0.02	1.43	Reservoir	F
Council Grove Reservoir	1.42	0.04	0.04	6.15	Reservoir	P
Elk City Reservoir	0.37	0.00	0.00	1.94	Reservoir	F
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.15	0.02	0.00	2.96	Reservoir	F

+Blue Catfish Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
BLUE CATFISH
	(>20")	(>30")	(>35")	(lbs.)	BR
EL DORADO	92.83	1.20	0.00	13.05	G
JOHN REDMOND	92.08	1.25	0.31	22.03	G
ELK CITY	77.14	7.55	0.45	22.90	G
TUTTLE CREEK	58.43	11.49	1.66	33.04	G
MILFORD	47.83	6.76	4.69	43.98	G
PERRY	38.05	8.47	4.99	45.15	G
LOVEWELL	37.63	25.46	6.55	30.55	G
GLEN ELDER	26.29	7.21	3.20	38.94	G
CHENEY	15.46	12.93	8.28	57.71	F
MELVERN	13.74	4.53	0.28	19.43	G
WOLF CREEK	8.78	2.07	0.42	38.00	G
CLINTON	7.84	3.00	1.34	37.44	F
KANOPOLIS	7.15	0.00	0.00	5.53	F
WILSON	4.88	2.99	0.24	26.45	F

Northeast Region	Fort Riley Moon Lake	Fort Riley Cameron Springs	Tuttle Creek Willow Lake	Eisenhower State Park Pond	Clinton State Park Lake Henry
1st Stocking Dec.
2nd Stocking Jan.
3rd Stocking Feb.

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-2025 Season	4,743 trout	3,825 trout	4,743 trout	765 trout	2,142 trout

Northeast Region	Herington Father Padilla Pond 785-258-2271	Shawnee County Lake Shawnee 785-251-6800	Holton Elkhorn Lake 785-364-2721	Atchison City Lake #1 913-367-5500
1st Stocking
2nd Stocking

Total Estimated Trout Stocked for 2024-25 Season		17,000 trout

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Tuttle Creek Reservoir Fishing Information