Black Kettle State Fishing Lake
Black Kettle State Fishing Lake is an 5 acre lake that is open to public fishing. It is located 1 1/2 miles north of Moundridge, 1/2 miles east, and 1/4 miles south, or take exit 48 off of I-135, go north on 22nd Avenue about 200 feet and turn east on Cherokee Road and go 1/2 mile east, then turn south into the lake area. The lake is very shallow around the edges and is suitable for shoreline anglers and small boats. Boating for purposes other than fishing is prohibited.
A boat ramp is located on the south shore. About half a dozen brush piles were placed in the lake. The lake was stocked with channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill. This lake is usually fairly turbid, so fishermen should bring brightly colored lures or live or prepared baits with lots of scent to help the fish locate your hook. Sometimes the majority of the fish are in or near the brush piles, so then you must throw to the brush to get into the fish. During times of significant inflow, fish near the inlet for actively feeding fish. Currently the lake has a fair number of decent sized channel catfish in it in the 2-4 lb range, some largemouth bass up to about 3 lbs., some bluegill, and a few small crappie that washed in with some bullheads and a few carp.
Manager: Cliff Peterson
Phone: 620-628-4592
Lake News
- Alcohol and cereal malt beverages are prohibited.
- Off-road Vehicle and Horse use is prohibited.
- Firearms are prohibited. Fireworks are also prohibited.
- Camping is prohibited.
- Take all trash with you when you leave.
- There is an 18 inch minimum length limit on largemouth bass. There is a 15 inch minimum length limit on channel catfish. The creel limit for both species is 5 fish per day.
Special Features: Quick access from I-135 for those who have only a little time in their busy schedule to squeeze in a short fishing trip.
Here is a complete list of Public Land Regulations or you can download the regulation summary.
Black Kettle Lake is a borrow pit lake that was created when the nearby interstate interchange was built. It is maintained and operated with a cooperative agreement between the City of Moundrige, KDOT, and KDWP first entered into in 1980. There are high inflows and outflows from this borrow pit lake during high rainfall events that tend to flush game fish downstream and bring in rough fish from above and below. That was the history of the lake, which caused it to be a mediocre fishery.
KDWP installed fish screens on the inflow channel and the outflow channel with the assistance of the Moundridge city maintenance crew. A boat ramp was also built. The lake's fishery, which was largely rough fish at the time, was killed out and then the lake was restocked with channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill. However, the fish screens failed to work properly over time, as during high flows they frequently plugged with debris and were overtopped by the streamflow, or they were knocked down by large debris loads, both of which allowed rough fish to become re-established in the lake. In the spring of 2011, the fish screens were removed from the inlet and outlet streams.
- Type of Facility: Boat Ramp
- Location of Facility: N38 13.695 W97 30.615
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