Use this article to comment on any fishing issue in Region 1 or Northwestern Kansas. Keep discussions polite and appropriate. Any inappropriate comments will be deleted.
To view or add a fishing report, CLICK HERE.
Use this article to comment on any fishing issue in Region 1 or Northwestern Kansas. Keep discussions polite and appropriate. Any inappropriate comments will be deleted.
To view or add a fishing report, CLICK HERE.
57 comments:
Looking to hit the whites in the rivers soon, any info on Kanopolis or Bunker Hill rivers, Water temps, any females yet?
Whooooops sorry that wasn't were I wanted that.
Is anyone catching any walleye at Wilson or Kanopolis?
Would it pe possible to list the posts on this and the public fishing reports in order from the most recent(on top) and the oldest below?
Glen Elder is now 18" limit on Walleye best thing that ever happened V Ray
That is not the best thing that has ever happened. Most of the males will never even reach 18"...just wait and see. You will catch 16 and 17 inch fish all day long but won't ever get any over 18. Not to mention half of those sublegal fish getting caught are dying when get thrown back anyway.
caught several chanal cats by the falls at indian rock by free floating worms
The length limit on walleye is only as good as the people that release the shorts. If they are brought into the boat a banged around then they will die. No one should bring a short walleye into the boat. the fish should be released in the water. No hands on needed at all use pliers to grab the hook while the fish is in the water.
Best thing to happen at any lake is the eighteen inch limit. Wish they would establish it at Wilson>
Regarding the 18" length limit it is now in effect at Antelope Lake. Had this been put into affect several years ago there would still be some saugeye to catch there. Now it is few and far between. It also has a daily limit of 2 fish.
Look at Wilson, Webster, and Kirwin. 3 of the top 5 walleye lakes in the state and not a one of them has an 18" limit. I would say there is plenty of fish to catch in these lakes. Tommy Berger is the bioligist for Wilson and he knows the 18" limit is a bad idea. The majority of fish over 18" are bigger females. If these are all caught out then there goes all your spawners. Wake up people.
As the district fisheries biologist for Glen Elder and Lovewell Reservoirs, I can provide some input on the discussion of size structure and the concerns anglers have of fish not reaching 18", but "stunting" out at 16"-17".
We sampled walleye at Glen Elder this spring during the spawn to give us a handle of our male and female size structure. In 2 nights of netting we collected 210 males of which 90% were over 18" and the biggest was 24". We were a little early for the females to be present in big numbers and collected 29. They ranged from 19-26".
In addition, if you look at the fishing forecast you'll see Glen Elder was tied for 2nd among Kansas Reservoirs for density of fish over 20".
Growth rates were studied last fall and remain very good at both Glen Elder and Lovewell. Given the very high body condition these fish are in each fall, we are able to determine there is no shortage of food available at this time.
We will continue to monitor growth rates, condition, and catch rates over the next 4-5 years and determine if there is a decline in any of these variables.
In regards to high hooking mortality, there are studies that have shown it is almost always less than 10%, and often less than 5%. The exceptions are due to poor handling of fish or high water temperatures. The majority of walleye angling at Glen Elder occurs in April-June before water temperatures are excessively high. As another poster mentioned, most fish will survive if they are handled carefully.
If there are any other questions regarding Glen Elder or Lovewell Reservoirs, feel free to call me at my office (785-545-3345).
Scott Waters
District Fisheries Biologist
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Would be nice to see reports updated on regular basis. Wilson was last updated on the 20th.
I agree, some more regular reporting would be appreciated, even chiming in on the public side wouldn't be bad. Look at the other regions reports and public discussion it blows region 1 out of the water. Must be more people fishing in those eastern regions? Apparently the Fish and Game in region one are like "John McCain" And Computer Illiterate!
Holy cow people, got off your butt and get outside and find some fish for yourself. More than likely something is biting this time of year, some days obviously better than others due to weather fronts and unstable barometer. Sounds like some of you are looking for someone else to do the work for you and you will show up along with everyone else when the word of a good bite is out. I think KDWP does a great job with their reports. Quit whining and go fishing
Considering all of the other bases our district fisheries biologists cover, and the fact that this is a very busy time of the year with stocking, spring sampling, various management programs, etc., I feel like the Reg 1 DFB’s do a pretty darn good job with their web based fishing reports.
I have noticed that the amount of fishing information posted by anglers for Region 1 waters seems to be less than the other regions. Once again, we would encourage anyone who wishes to share information to post this info on the public fishing report page for the benefit of your fellow anglers.
Thanks and good luck with your fishing.
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
Steve no offense but I am a touring walleye fisherman and fish 4-6 tournies per year. I disagree with the 18 in limit. Heres why. The average fisherman won't catch the 18 - 24 inch fish. They get smart and transition from small bait to minnows and the public will hook few of them unless they troll cranks. Most average public fisherman don't crank proficiently. I agree with the guy who says they will only catch shorties. The shorties are stupid and tend to bite on worms or other live bait techniques. The bigger fish consume large ammounts of the baitfish and then we see cycling. I like when the limit is 15 because then the average public gets these and the bigger fish don't become to numerous and knock down baitfish which cause crashes and overall poor fishing in general in years to come. I have seen this happen in Colorado in lakes where they set the limit to 18 inches. You get 1 in 10 guys who come to shore with an 18 inch fish. Now for guys like me I can get a limit of 18s but the average Joe is pissed off.
One more thing Steve. You know what efficient hunters big walleye are. Since no one is catching 18 plus fish, there is an over abundance of big fish the public generally don't catch. Now their voracious apetites begin to edge out largemouth bass, wipers, and other "hunters" of minnows. This will cycle up the bite when the baitfish dwindle but eventually you will have starvation and lousy walleye fishing. Eyeman
Thanks for you input, Eyeman.
As with many of the things the Dept does, responses vary in regards to the 18" walleye length limit - some anglers like it and some don't. The jury is still out on how well this will work and be accepted by the angling public at Glen Elder. We try to do the best we can in considering the interests of our constituents and in assessing the biological impacts of these types of regulations at particular impoundments. I believe one of the most important things we can do involves a thorough evaluation following the implementation of any new program or regulation change such as this.
I can assure you this change at Glen Elder is experimental. We are running a creel survey at Glen this year to assess the first year impacts on angling, we’ll be running more creel surveys in the future as funding allows, and we have a great historical creel survey database at Glen for comparison purposes. Creel surveys allow us to get a handle on angler success and angler satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Obviously, we will also use our annual test netting results to monitor the effects of the length limit change on walleye population dynamics and the overall fish community in general.
The idea to try an 18” at Glen has been under the scope for quite awhile. We have been concerned about declining walleye densities in general and studies have been conducted by our KDWP research staff as well as research staff from KSU. As a result of work conducted over the past 10 years, both parties have recommended a length limit increase, and this is supported by the annual sampling data collected by our district fisheries biologists.
We will continue to monitor this resource and we will factor our findings, as well as public response, into future decisions concerning the best walleye length limit for Glen Elder Reservoir. We appreciate and value feedback from our constituents.
Thanks.
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
Steve-
Do you guys have any plans to stock largemouth bass into Kirwin since they are almost non-existent after the recent low waters?
Hey Eyeman, just curious what do you mean by trolling proficiently? I'm interested in other techniques to catch bigger walleye but could use a little advice. Any help would be appreciated!
We have no plans to stock largemouth bass in Kirwin at this time. We didn’t stock any at Kirwin when it filled in the 1990’s, nor at Webster, Sebelius or Cedar Bluff, and all of these populations exploded. Not only did we see tremendous reproduction/recruitment as a result of refilling and flooding of an abundance of habitat in the 1990’s, but we also saw fair numbers of adults early in the game which suggests some came in with the inflow – probably emigrated from overflowing ponds in the watersheds above the reservoirs. We will monitor this - we expect to see a similar trend this time, depending upon how long the water stays high.
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
Hey eyeman... how about sharing some of your trolling methods with us "average public fishermen".
Good info here Steve and the rest of you. I fish mostly in the eastern part of the state but may need to take a ride out your way!!!
Knock the heads off of them!
How are the boat ramps at Cedar Bluff?
umm does any1 no if they hav stocked largemouth in kanopolis cuz evrytime i go there i cath them this year and ive never caught 1 there until this year in over 30 yrs.!?!?!?!
We have not stocked black bass at Kanopolis in recent times. Species/hybrids stocked by KDWP in Kanopolis Reservoir in recent history include saugeye, walleye and wipers, and blue catfish were stocked for the first time in 2008. A summary of the 2008 stocking records can be viewed at:
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/Fishing/Fish-Stocking-Records
I would guess some largemouths came in from ponds in the watershed with the big inflows last year and the year before. The lake was over 7 feet low in 2006 allowing terrestrial vegetation to grow in the basin. Flooding of this vegetation has since created habitat and nursery cover for bass, crappie and other shoreline/structure oriented species.
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
I would to know more about small mouth fishing in Wlison any one got any info.
I would just like to say that I think that the KDWP staff are doing the best with what they have. The reservoirs built in Kansas were primarily for flood control and irrigation, recreation second.
KDWP does a fine job of managing these reservoirs, using SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN METHODS.
Personally I am pleased with the fisheries management here in Kansas and would like to say keep up the good job guys. You have a tough job that oftentimes goes un-rewarded.
about bass at kanopolis, this last summer my buddy caught the biggest largemouth bass i ever seen caught it was 7.8lbs ,he caught it in the spillway on a rattletrap in the middle of summer, also about 10 years ago in the dead of winter the crappie were in the spillway by the concrete wall ,and my cousin caught a 5.5 lb bass on a crappie jig we had to walk down the bank to get him ,all bass i caught were out of spillway and they were nice ones, some might come from the seep stream then end up in spillway...fishin pal jer
Steve Why isnt there a stocking program for large mouth bass in ka napolis . will stocking bass there hurt other fish. I am a very avid bass fisherman . What can we do to bring bass population in our region 1 lakes. Bass fishing is growing so much now a days. Bassfishermen genrate mor money than all other fresh water fish. Why cant Kansans learn from our nearby states like OK and MO . they have a great bass program. Bass fisher man spent over $35,000,000 dollars alone last year. Lets try and get some of that money back into Kansas
I went to ottawa state lake and pulled off a good day running a lipless crankbait off the shore caught a keeper saugeye and several crappie and lots of bass got to love those largemouth RAR
Fat Cat,
I fished Wilson the weekend of 4/25. The weather was pretty nasty, but fishing was decent. We found smallies pretty much everywhere we went looking for Walleye. The back of Hell Creek cove, face of the dam, and the rocky main lake points were all good. Good population of smallies at Wilson. Most of the fish we caught were on jig/worm and most were in the 12"-15" range. I'm sure a little time and good lure presentation would pull some pretty decent fish. The bigger ones gotta be there somewhere.
In response to the angler asking about bass stocking at Kanopolis:
Historically, biologists have had very little success with stocking largemouth bass in KS reservoirs – this is true throughout the state - including reservoirs where bass populations were previously good and then declined – despite our desire to do so, we have not been able to substantially supplement bass numbers in reservoirs through stocking even though a considerable amount of time and money has been invested in trying.
When it comes to shoreline/structure oriented species such as largemouth bass, habitat has been the key – when conditions are right for creating habitat, bass populations will respond. Flooding of trees, shrubs, grasses and weeds after an extended low water period is the most common way of “creating” the proper conditions. Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over reservoir water levels, consequently habitat conditions at Kanopolis and many other reservoirs are not typically conducive to providing for survival of naturally produced or stocked bass on a consistent basis. Biologists spend a fair amount of their time enhancing habitat, but this is a major task on a big reservoir and it is difficult to produce much of an impact.
The Dept. is currently working on trying to improve stocking success for largemouth bass in reservoirs through a tactic that may be less habitat dependent – this tactic involves timing. If this works out, it could be an effective approach for enhancing reservoir bass fishing in the future. This project is in the experimental stage and has been delayed for this year as more time is needed for working out the bugs and evaluating the results. For more information on this project go to:
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/KDWP-Info/News/Weekly-News/1-29-09/BIGGER-BASS-BREWING-AT-MEADE-HATCHERY
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
is Webster a good lake for "bankfisherman" if it s wa kind of fish how and were can u catch them?
On the walleye comments above, I am also a tourney angler and I am pleased that we have as good of walleye opportunities in the state of Kansas, there are many other states that do not, so we should feel fortunate. I have been to national tournaments outside of Kansas that have really impressed me on the size of the fish, as well as the density. Most of these other states have slot limits in affect. I have often wondered what that would do for some of our reserviors. We need to protect our bigger walleyes, especially since the invasion of zebra mussels, having the bigger females (hopefully coming from lakes w/o zebras) will continue helping our biologists with their intensive stocking and reproduction efforts. Our lakes get enough pressure as it is, and when good reports are out, these lakes get large amounts of legal fish pulled from them, only to wait for stockings to catch them back up. It's a very tough equation to figure out, but when you see loads of fish being filleted out at every cleaning station, do the math, it doesn't take long to wipe out a year class. It has also been documented (I belive in Walleye In-Sider) that Kansas boasts the highest growth rate of walleye in the country. It's not that our fish are not growing or 'stunted out', we just don't give them a chance to get to trophy size. I would much rather catch a couple trophy fish on a trip versue filling my livewell with fish just over the lenth limit. I have seen from experience over the years at Glen Elder how greedy people are when it comes to keeping every thing they catch. There are campers with deep freezes for the intention of filling them up. A couple from NB confessed to me that was their intention every year, to come to Glen Elder and not leave until both their freezers were full of walleye. You get several of these idiots a year on one body of water, it won't take long to exhaust a decent portion of the population. I wish we had more on the enforcement side to keep this from happening, but honesty only goes so far. As for the comment on not being able to catch big walleyes from them becoming smart, I totally disagree. I have caught plenty of large walleyes on crawlers or leeches, you just have to understand the nature of the larger fish and their prey. I do agree on the lakes w/white perch, the normal Joe fishing for walleye will struggle using typical presentations, but that is only because the food chain has been altered there. Hopefully trying new limits and regulations will better our fishing as a whole and we should not criticize those trying new things, only give opinions on our own experiences.
Webster is a great lake for bank fishing if you know where to look. Saturday evening we murdered the white bass there. Most were small, but catching over a hundred fish in a hour and a half was a blast!!!
where is a good place to start from the bank looking for white bass walleye and catfish
Anyone have any information on what is working to catch some white-bass at Lovewell?
What is the length limit for
walleye on Webster?
Went to Wilson last Thurs. 16th
Water temp 76 degrees. Fished
depths of 8' to 30'. The only
thing biting were small white
perch. Sure hard on the worm
supply. I'm through with the
walleye, waiting for wipers and
stripers to start hitting
Fished Wilson 6/28/09 down rigging and long line. 3 Strippers and 1 walleye. Fish started breaking surface 9:15 A.M. quit breaking about 11:00 A.M. Down rigging @ 35 foot. All lines 4' Sassy Shad.
If that's what you catch at Wilson, I've been fishing at the wrong lake for years.
7/15/09
Went to Wilson waited at the Marina for weather to clear. Finally got on water @ 7:45 A.M.
Stripers breaking surface in a large number of small schools. Had 5 strippers in the boat by 9:00. 4 on top water lures a 1 on long line 4" sassy shad.
Weather moved back in. Went to boat lanch to wait it out. Back on the water about 10:15. Wind had changed came out of the North. Schooling really slowed. 1 more on top water. 17" Walleye on long line 4" sassy shad. 3 white perch on down rigger @ 25 ft. 3" white jig.
Strippers between 22" and 26". All in all considering the weather not a bad day.
Why don't we get any walleye re stocked at cedar bluff ? They milk our walleye every year..
Walleye have not been stocked into Cedar Bluff because natural reproduction has been sufficient to maintain the walleye population. Walleye fry or fingerlings have not been stocked at Cedar Bluff since 2001. And since that time, catch rates of walleye 10 inches and larger have remained relatively stable in our annual fall samples.
For most fish species, the ability to form an abundant yearclass is variable from year to year and is primarily dependent upon the influence that prevailing environmental conditions have upon the survival and growth of young fish whether the fish are stocked or naturally produced. Young-of-the-year (YOY) walleye catch data obtained via fall sampling from 1984 to the present indicate that naturally reproduced walleyes survive and recruit to the sportfishery as well, if not better than stocked fish at Cedar Bluff.
One often assumes that stocking fish in addition to what is produced naturally will increase numbers beyond what natural production would provide alone. In some cases this may be true, and in such cases the unnatural augmentation of fish numbers can have negative effects on the population in question or segments of the entire fishery by reducing growth and decreasing size quality potential. In other cases, stocking will not successfully augment yearclass strength of a given fish species due to the overriding influence environmental conditions have upon survival and recruitment.
We collect walleye eggs for hatchery rearing from Cedar Bluff because the reservoir possesses good numbers of larger broodfish at this time. More and larger female walleyes mean that we can meet our quota of walleye eggs in a quick and efficient manner. It usually takes 10 to 15 days to collect all the eggs needed to meet the hatchery demand. Furthermore, of the total 4,473 feet of dam face available as walleye spawning habitat we are setting 1,200 feet of net (27% of the dam face) to catch walleyes for egg collection. Both in terms of time and space, the walleye have plenty of opportunity to spawn naturally without ever being interrupted by the egg collection operation. Additionally, YOY walleye catch data from 1984 to 2008 indicated that strong walleye year classes have been formed in years when egg collection was conducted as well as years when eggs were not taken from Cedar Bluff. Again, environmental factors have a more profound effect on the number of walleye in the reservoir than does taking a small portion of the eggs for hatchery production purposes.
In short, we collect walleye eggs from select reservoirs that maximize the efficiency of the collection process so we can, at least cost, provide walleye fisheries in waters where walleye production and recruitment is insufficient to sustain fishable populations. It is apparent that stocking is not required to maintain the walleye fishery at Cedar Bluff. By not requesting walleye for stocking at Cedar Bluff we increase the efficiency of walleye managment statewide by reducing time on the water collecting eggs and not unnecessarily tying up hatchery space to incubate more fish.
Hopefully the information I have provided fully answers your questions. Thanks for your interest in the Cedar Bluff Reservoir fishery and best of luck on all your angling exploits.
Sincerely,
David S. Spalsbury
District Fisheries Biologist
Cedar Bluff Reservoir
32001 147 Hwy
Ellis, KS 67637
(785)-726-3212
Why don't we increase the size limits at Wilson for Stripers and walleyes to help control the perch? I for one would not object to an 18 inch walleye limit. Why are we not stocking some walleye in Wilson? If nothing else we need some new genetics. If for no other reason the pressure on the walleye population is extremely high. It is not uncommon to see 150 to 200 boats on a weekend fishing for the critters.
I’ll try to answer your questions the best I can – the district fisheries biologist for Wilson is sampling the fish community at Wilson Reservoir this week and next, and we’ll see what he finds – all of our biologists are putting in long hours this time of year collecting the data needed for making management decisions.
Why don't we increase the size limits at Wilson for Stripers and walleyes to help control the perch?
This is definitely something we might need to go to at some point and we will continue to watch this closely. To date, our data has not shown a need for this but we will continue to monitor and assess this situation. So far, we have documented exceptional growth and acceptable densities for white perch at Wilson. We believe three factors have played a big role: good water clarity, high predator density, and angler harvest. We have observed white perch in the stomachs of walleye, black bass, striped bass, and catfish - all are feeding on them. White perch growth is density dependent – predation is needed to keep recruitment in check, this in turn keeps the density down and allows growth to sizes anglers are willing to harvest. Anglers serve a predatory role by harvesting the bigger perch off the top. We encourage anglers to help in the control by taking white perch out when they catch them.
Why are we not stocking some walleye in Wilson?
We feel responsible to try to make the best use of our hatchery produced walleye by stocking where they are most needed. Usually, this involves waters where natural reproduction is not getting the job done. Natural reproduction has been very good at Wilson – we have not stocked there since 2002, but have documented good numbers of young-of-the-year annually since. Click the link below to see how the density of walleye at Wilson compared to other reservoirs in the state this year:
http://kdwp.state.ks.us/news/Fishing/Fishing-Forecast/Walleye/Reservoir
I suspect the high numbers for walleye over 15” at Wilson is one reason why it is not uncommon to see 150 to 200 boats fishing these critters.
I hope this answers your questions – good luck with your fishing!
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
Thanks for your answer, however I do believe the perch are getting denser and should be controlled. My opinion. I witnessed the decline of the walleye fishing in Cheney and do not wish to wait to see another such event as it was an outstanding fishery before the perch took over.
They have a 21" limit on walleye, so how would increasing the length at wilson help control the perch?
To Steve Price:
Tommie's Wilson Res. fall sampling report shows few young of the year walleye and many small white perch. Are we making the connection yet?? Most other states that have studied white perch have documented white perch having a significant potential impact on walleye by foraging on the hatchlings. Is this going on at Wilson Res?
Thanks for your interest.
The connection you are referring to is of course the reason why the white perch is listed as a prohibited species in KS and you cannot possess it alive - we definitely need to do everything we can to keep these out of other waters. We were not surprised to see an increase in the number of young white perch this year at Wilson given the water level conditions and the amount of escape cover the higher water created. We are disappointed in the catch rate for young-of-the-year walleye at Wilson Reservoir this year. I will add this was the case at several of our Region 1reservoirs this fall. I am not aware of any reservoir in the state, regardless of whether white perch are present, that consistently produces strong year classes of walleye year in and year out through natural production and/or supplemental stocking, but obviously, the presence of white perch cannot help. We have collected a large number of white perch stomach samples from Wilson – our research staff in Emporia have these in their possession and they will be analyzed as soon as they have the manpower and time to get it done. The more we learn about these interactions in waters where white perch are present, the more effective we’ll be in trying to counteract them. We will continue to manage for control of white perch through predation and harvest and we ask anglers to assist by keeping/killing those they catch.
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
Steve:
When (what time of year)were the white perch stomach samples collected? If not collected during the hatching to fry stage of the walleye cycle, will the samples really disclose much about whether the white perch are eating the walleye young---or eggs---which they are documented as doing in other lakes?? Thanks for your thoughts.
These were collected during the spring from early Mar - early May.
Steve Price
Regional Fisheries Supervisor
KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Box 338, 1426 Hwy 183 Alt.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 628-8614
I see that Wilson now has both Zebra Mussells and White Perch. They are releasing water from the lake. won't the release of water spread these pests down stream?
White perch and zebra mussells will infest anything downstream. Kaw reservior in Oklahoma now has both invasive species thanks to El Dorado Res.
Clarification: Zebra mussells from El Dorado. White perch from Cheney now in Kaw
Everytime I am using lipless crankbait I get no results, no matter if there is fish or not.
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