| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method, Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | Excellent | 13 to 18 inches with a few at 23 inches | Some larger fish available, best luck with dark colored jip n pigs, plastic worms, crank baits in close to cover. The majority of fish are in the 12 inch to 6 pound range. In 2021 a 9.88 was caught and released. |
| Smallmouth Bass | Poor | 13 to 15" | A limited fishery exists some are taken on jigs, spinners, along the dam and rocky areas. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | 15" to 8 pounds | This is a good catfish population with a lot of fish in the 3 pounds and up to 15 pounds range. Use cut shad, cut sunfish, worms, liver, prepared baits, lakewide or along the piers along the parking lot. The fish feeder is back ON. The storm sank the old feeder and had to find a replacement. |
| Crappie | Slow | any size | Sampling indicates good numbers of nice fish (9 to 12 inches) use minnows and milky white, pink jigs in 12 ft. East half of lake is better. |
| Walleye/Saugeye | Poor | most between 12 to 17 inches | Some are taken on jigs tipped with worms, spinners, dam and upper creek channel |
| General Comments | |||
| This is a great kayak or small craft lake. This is a fishing only lake, no recreational boating. Water levels are good and the boat ramp has plenty of water. In the spring there were 200,000 saugeye fry stocked to spice up the fishing. This is a great Kayak or small craft lake. Critzer Lake is one of Kansas' newest lakes and was opened to fishing in August of 2011. Many anglers use kayaks or tubes to float into the cover and are very successful. There is a double lane boat ramp. The floating dock is finished and compliments this great fishing lake. The lake is primarily a boat lake but there is shoreline access east of the boatramp where anglers can set up on the two piers and be very close to the parking lot. This 220 acre lake offers 180 acres of standing timber so there is a no-wake speed limit. There is a second, smaller access area located at the south west part of the lake, from 800 rd. and Gorman, north 1/4 mile. This area makes it easier for anglers in small craft to launch and paddle/fish the more timbered areas. There is a parking lot and gravel ramp and provides shoreline angling also. Zebra Mussels have recently been found in Hillsdale Lake, and Linn Valley Lake, this is a private lake community, we'd like to remind you to stay aware and take all precautions necessary to prevent the spread into uncontaminated waters! This includes cleaning and rinsing your boat and motor, trailer, and equipment, draining any excess water from previous outings, and allowing your boat to dry before using it in a different body of water. Remember CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY! We have improved the area with a floating dock, located just west of the boat ramp. For tips on spring bass fishing watch this KDWPT video at the following link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpIJaiyW32k Check out this video from Brent Chapman fishing for bass in Critzer Lake! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngvw2uz3oH0 | |||
