| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method & Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panfish | Good | Up to 9" | Bluegill, Warmouth and Redear Sunfish up to 9 inches are common on the strip-mined lakes on the Mined Land Wildlife Area. Focus your efforts around structure, slopes, and shallow water at the ends of the strip-mined lakes. Worms under a slip bobber, or 1/16 jigs will be a good bet to try. Casting parallel to shore or the ends are good locations along vegetation. Fly fishing opportunities are also present; hook sizes of 10-12 with a floating fly or popper may yield fish up to 8 inches. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Up to 32" | Try cut bait, chicken liver, shrimp, or prepared baits. Slip bobbers with worms, stink bait, or live/cut bait along the slopes of the strip-mined lakes or where depth contours change may yield channel catfish that may be suspended in the warmer water. Channel catfish are stocked each fall on the Mined Land Wildlife Area and fish up to 30 pounds may be present. The state record continues to be held from a public strip-mined lake on the Mined Land Wildlife Area. Shoreline opportunity is limited - boat ramp areas are good areas to try. |
| Crappie | Good | 8-12" | Crappie can be found throughout the different units on the wildlife area. Try minnows, small jigs, or small spinners fished around brush and structure. Boat and kayak anglers may have luck trolling deeper water and cove habitats as well. Units where crappie have been reported to be caught recently and for anglers to focus on for crappie would be the following units: 1, 7, 8, 11, 24, 33, 34, 40, 41, 44, 45 |
| Largemouth Bass | Good | 8-22" | Largemouth bass can be found in many of the strip pits. Focus your efforts around aquatic vegetation, slopes, beaver dams or any terrestrial or aquatic structure, and shallow water. Many of the strip pits have quality populations. However, there are many with an abundance of 8-12" fish. Consider keeping your daily creel limit of 5 largemouth bass under the protected slot limit (i.e., 13 - 18 inches) to reduce densities to allow for better growth in the strip pits. Many strip pits have quality largemouth bass populations up to 22 inches. 1/2 oz weedless jigs, ned rigs, bladed jigs, and drop shots thrown parallel to the shore along the slope will be a good technique to try. |
| Rainbow trout | Good | 10-15" | 2024/2025 Proposed Trout Stocking Schedule for Unit #30 "Trout Pit": December 1, 2024 December 11, 2024 December 26, 2024 February 3, 2025 February 19, 2025 Rainbow trout are stocked each winter in Unit #30 in the "Trout Pit". The rainbow trout average 1.1 per pound in 2023, so larger rainbow trout will be available for trout anglers. Remember anglers -- A trout permit is required to be able to fish on the "Trout Pit" on Unit #30 during the trout season (December 1-March 31). Rainbow trout & Brown Trout are managed under a combined daily creel limit of five fish. Directions to the Trout Pit (Unit #30) are as follows: 8 miles south of the McCune turn off on Highway 400 on NW 100th St. and a half mile to the west on NW Lawton Rd. OR 5 miles west of West Mineral on NW Scammon Rd., 4 miles south on NW 100th St. and a half mile to the west on NW Lawton Rd. |
| Walleye | Fair | 18-21" | Walleye have been stocked on the Mined Land Wildlife Area in Units 7, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 31, 33, 34, 39, 40, 41, and 44 to provide an additional species and angling opportunity on the wildlife area. The units and strip-mined lakes that have been stocked with walleye provide adequate habitat with deeper water and cooler water temperatures. Trolling and vertical jigging techniques will be a good technique to try. |
| Wiper (Striped bass x White bass hybrid) | Fair | 15-20" | Wiper are stocked on the Mined Land Wildlife Area in Unit #21. Stockings have occurred since 2007. Techniques to try would be to vertical jig spoons and jigs, trolling with Rapalas and spoons, and casting jigs, spoons, and spinning baits. Other opportunities would be to try a slip bobber with live bait, or chicken liver has been reported to yield a few fish. |
| Water Levels | The pits are low, due to drought - week of 10/28. The Scammon Units are still low in sections. Ramps to use at your own caution are Unit 34, North "E Pit" on Unit 33, Unit 32, Unit 38 (East ramp), Unit 42 "H Pit" are those impacted by low water. Always check water levels and ramps before launching. Low water levels can be a benefit to the fish populations by concentrating smaller bluegill and crappie to predatory fish, such as largemouth bass, channel catfish, wipers, and walleye. | ||
| General Comments | |||
| Water Temperature: 62 F, November 15, 2024 Bathymetric maps are now available for the Mined Land Wildlife Area strip pits. This is an ongoing effort by the District Fisheries Biologist, so new pits will be added on a weekly basis. The bathymetric maps that show how deep the strip pits are and water contours can be viewed at the following link: http://ksdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3e0ba6a852d2479aa6e384b4f87a0c2b. The free Explorer GIS app can also be downloaded to use when you're out fishing from your mobile phone, or tablet. This has the ability to use your location to use similar to a depth finder while you're fishing. You can search in your Android, or iPhone, app store for "Explorer GIS", once it is installed you can search for "2020 KDWPT Fishing Access". This will allow for view while you're out fishing. Good luck! Habitat improvements through the use of hinge-cutting, cedar trees, and "Georgia Cubes" will be placed throughout the unique strip pits on Mined Land Wildlife Area. Angler input is welcomed. If you have individual strip pits that you'd like to see habitat improvements made, please contact Connor Ossowski, District Fisheries Biologist, at (620) 231-3173. These will be advertised on the KDWPT website at the following link: https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Locations/Hunting-Fishing-Atlas/Fishing-Atlas/GPS-KML-Information-Files/Google-KMZ-file-of-Fish-Attractor-GPS. Fish attractors and habitat additions have been placed on the Mined Land Wildlife Area and the GPS coordinates can be found at the link provided in the previous sentence as well. Aquatic Nuisance Species Alert: Be on the look out for Eurasian Watermilfoil if you're fishing on the Mined Land Wildlife Area. This aquatic nuisance plant is present and abundant on multiple strip pits on the Mined Land Wildlife Area. The plant can reproduce rapidly and develop dense mats that don't allow for other beneficial aquatic plants to grow. Please remember to Clean, Drain, and Dry your kayak, boat, boat trailer, and bait buckets. It is required by law to remove your drain plug before leaving any body of water. 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. If you would like to provide a fishing report for the Mined Land Wildlife Area, don't hesitate to contact Connor Ossowski, District Fisheries Biologist, at (620) 231-3173. | |||
