This site exists to allow anglers to post current fishing reports for Kansas waters. Views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. This is an Unofficial Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Fishing Report Blog.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Region 5 "Dock Squawk" 2010
Use this article to comment on any fishing issue in Region 5 or Southeastern Kansas. Keep discussions polite and appropriate. Any inappropriate comments will be deleted.
Dont know who to call so thought I'd try this.The Neosho river below Humboldt dam is covered with huge rafts of foam.The dam at Iola doesnt have this also the water is cleaner looking at Iola.I suspect Iola is dumping raw sewage.Anyone know who to call.
The foam is caused by inorganics in the water. Sewage is organic. Iola does legally release treated water back into the river though as do thousands of other cities on rivers throughout the US.
Itching to get back on Toronto lake. Didn't have much luck last year so I want to amp up my odds with some tech. Thinking about putting a fishfinder/GPS on my old beater fishing boat and also getting a new trolling motor. Anybody have a suggestion? Does anybody have any experience with those side-scanning sonars from Hummingbird? It adds about $500 to the cost of the unit so I want to make sure it is worth the extra bucks before I end up spending more on the unit than I did on the boat.
Think long and hard about it. My personal experience, I just have a plain on depth finder with a temp. sensor. I just need to know depth, bottom contour, and temp. I would like to get hand held gps to mark brush piles and other features, and I could also use it hunting. I think I'm a little scared to learn about the side imaging units. I don't even understand the pictures you see in magizines. My unit, $100 bucks.
This is first I've heard of that. But I have only been up to toronto one time, enjoyed, just haven't been able to make it back. I believe a good map would be great.
Catman I'm sorry for no responce quickly. I have been busy with work. The easiesy way I can tell you how to find it is off 99 highway at Climax. You turn and go East on the road just past Climax to the north. you will run right into it. You can also get to it from the east but I would most likely get you lost. They catching Crappie there right now when the water isn't froze. If you have anymore questions let me know I haven't had a chance to get out but I'm planning a trip to Toronto next weekend.
Yes there is a ramp and its in pretty good shape. The banks are steep along the river at that point but you can fish from the bridge and down around the sides. It would ne a long haul with a boat but it would pay off here in a bit if you want some good white bass fishing as well.
Catman: Thanks for the comment re tech. Can you elaborate on the temp? I'm not clear on the relationship between temp and where the fish are.
Took my boy and fished from bank at Toronto in one of the coves. No bites but weather was nice and it was fun to spend time with my little fishing buddy.
Newbie, this time of year, I do better in warmer water. May only be a degree or two, but it makes a difference. Then I concentrate on water temp closer to the spawn, depending on the species I'm chasin'.
Fished Melvern Last Week had to break ice, Turkey Point boat ramp open. Good fishing. Lots of boats, Lots of limits on Crappie. Need to get rid of some ice for more area to fish. Pomona no bites, Melvern is hot right now, Get fishing.
Baxter Bait. Have you ever kicked around the idea of movin' your shop to columbus? I knew ol Jack from the One Stop for years and never really understood his business hours. I know his passing recently has probly changed the hours some to. I was told his son is now running it. But I just don't understand why you wouldn't be open all weekend in the spring summer months. And why would you run out of bait. It's been this way for years though. I would think a bait shop smack dab in the middle of all the fishin' holes we have around us could profit. Might not retire from it, but do alright maybe. Just a thought.
Baxter Bait. Have you ever kicked around the idea of movin' your shop to columbus? I knew ol Jack from the One Stop for years and never really understood his business hours. I know his passing recently has probly changed the hours some to. I was told his son is now running it. But I just don't understand why you wouldn't be open all weekend in the spring summer months. And why would you run out of bait. It's been this way for years though. I would think a bait shop smack dab in the middle of all the fishin' holes we have around us could profit. Might not retire from it, but do alright maybe. Just a thought.
Folks: Saw a fishing show on ESPN over the weekend where the "fishing expert" said that it was better to use dark colored jigs and lures in cloudy water because they show up better to the fish. That seems counter-intuitive since most of the bait fish (what our fish will be looking for) are silver or white. Any comments?
Newbie, In stained/muddy water a darker lure will show a better silhouette than a lighter colored one. Also the fish in muddier water typically won't be as spooky or picky as fish in clear water. By the time they come up close enough to see your lure, their minds are gonna be on how to get your lure in their mouth as opposed to what it looks like. It's the same reason black/dark blue jigs/spinnerbaits/buzzbaits are popular for nighttime fishing.
Besides in the case of a jig, you're more often trying to imitate a craw than a baitfish so darker colors are the norm.
Don't get too caught up in the color game, I know guys that fish tournaments nationwide that are only passionate about 2-3 colors. The rest are just fluff. You'll go broke trying to own every color of paca craws and senkos :) Good luck & tight lines!
Baxter Bait, I'd use your shop, but I fish mainly north, northwest of Columbus, Baxter would be way out of my way. That's why I asked. I filled my bait tank this weekend that I keep my perch in for setlining. The fish truck is coming to the COOP next week, so I'm gonna buy a pound of minnows and be done with it. Are you carrying any of Jeff Williams' new Secret 7 dip bait? Only heard good things about it and plan on trying it. See a place in Galena, and BO's 1 stop in Pittsburg is supposed to have it.
Catman, I understand. Would not make sense for people that live in columbus and the surrounding area to come to baxter for bait when you have PR's, Angelo's and The one stop. If you are ever in Baxter this is an open invite to anyone to just swing in and say hello.
I do have the secret 7 dip bait. According to the bait shop in chetopa he can not keep it on the shelf.
Hey guys, this is the "DOCK SQUAWK" board. Not the fishing reports board! Please read the header under dock squawk to see what this means. We are posting reports on two different boards. This one is for issues concerning fishing regs, concerns, biologist questions, legal matters, licensing, etc. I'm gettin dizzy goin back an forth between the two! LOL. As for Secret 7 dip bait, the stuff works pretty well if the fish are in the mood for it. But beware, when the water snakes get a whiff of it, they will come right on in to yer tub! There's something in there they like!
Hey Sean, I still don't see a buoy marking the island at the Montgomery State Lake. What did you find out on that? It could be a safety issue. Also can you report on any improvements, or such that might be in the works for the lakes you are in charge of? What's the latest on the zebra mussel challenge? Thanks in advance!
The buoy at Montgomery SFL broke free of its chain but I have it. I would like to get a new one as this one is a little faded. I have been waiting for the weather to get a little nicer before putting it out. I agree it can become a safety issue but, the lake level will have to drop at least 4 foot before it does. They way Southeast Kansas is looking right now, we are a long way from that.
As far as projects in my district the biggest one will be replacing the gravel low water crossing with a concrete one and the addition of a new boat ramp and courtesy dock on the North West side of Wilson SFL.
There will be a new addition to the public water in my district. Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks will be obtaining approximately 3,000 acres of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in Parsons. I am very excited about the pond resources that can be available to the public. There are still a few hoops to jump but I hope to get some sampling and public access to these ponds in the very near future.
So far we are Zebra Mussel free in the district. I will be conducting veliger sampling on Big Hill Res., Elk City Res., Parsons City Lake and The Neosho River at Chetopa this summer. All waters in my district have artificial substrate samplers that are checked monthly during the spring and summer. Remember to Clean, Drain and Dry your boat and tackle.
Thanks for helping me try to decipher the new regs. down in OK. I sat down and read the paddlefish pamplet last night and it made some of the regs. a little more clear. I did talk to a friend that let them clean one of his fish last year and he said they did a great job. Said there was nothing but white meat left. He was in a bit of a hurry, so they gave him a comparable amount of fish that had been donated thay would be equivilant of his catch. Maybe this isn't a bad deal after all. Still don't know of I'm ready to drop approx. $100 for wife and I to go fishin'. Maybe another year or two of OK selling eggs, maybe the nonres. price will go down. Lets hope. Any word on crappie in the strip pits nw of Columbus??
When is snagging best?? This is a very common question this time of year. So I decided to post a little information to help you determine the best time to hit the river.
The Neosho needs to be running around 8,000 Cubic feet per second (cfs.) to get fish moving up from Miami, Oklahoma. The best fishing at Chetopa occurs at 10,000-15,000 cfs. Once the river gets up past 20,000 cfs it becomes difficult to snag and the park starts to flood. The snagging is also best when the river is rising once it starts to drop paddlefish will head down stream to deeper holes.
Here is a link to gauging stations in Kansas, I use the flow at Parsons when I plan my trips. http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=ks&w=map
For Paddlefish in the Neosho River the releases from John Redmond have the greatest importance. Here is a link for the reservoirs in the Tulsa District. http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/old_resvrept.htm
Although water temp and photoperiod play a part, flow rate determine success.
The best percid fishery I have in the district would be the saugeye in Parsons City Lake. I have been stocking them to keep the crappie density low enough to increase growth. As a side benefit they have really developed in to a great addition for local anglers. This past falls sample showed the highest catch of >22” saugeye in the state. Fish for them just like you would for walleye. This time of year I would concentrate on the face of the dam.
If your heart is set for a walleye I would look at Hillsdale. The lake is 2hours away but the drive is worth the shot at trophy sized fish.
I would like to know why the Melvern fishing report has not been updated since Jan. It seems like other regions update the reports more than region 5 and include more information. Region one even give GPS coordinates for the fish attractors they put out. Region 5 does not provide any information.
Hey Sean you seem to be the only KDWP person that responds on this blog. Can you tell us what/who is responsible for updating the fishing reports and providing information on the lakes. The reports we get from Melvern are almost useless they are so old.
Blackdog40-good point. Also, who takes care of the public fishing images gallery on this site. My wife and I enjoy looking at the good luck of others in the gallery, but it has not been updated in quite some time. I agree about the reports, what was happening a month ago isn't going to do us any good.
well it seems every message board has one. that one "holier than thou" person who loves to spout off his opinions as if they were fact and talk down on people as if he is so much better. well mr. Anonymous, here is my response to you:
you want to preach poor ethics. poor ethics is coming onto a message board and showing off your copy/paste abilities by pasting a 1 page article that shares your opinion. it doesn't impress me. the article you shared even contradicts itself by stating "Many of us have caught fish with engorged hooks, so we know that fish CAN live that way." and "most hooks will simply rust out after a short time." the article also does not explain the method they used to test what they claim and they are vague with their results. i'm not really sure how you're coming up with your percentages either by claiming i'm killing 50% of the fish i catch. i had already done my research on the consequences of releasing a fish that has swallowed a hook and for every article i found that says it's harmful, i found 2 that claim it's totally harmless and the hook simply works itself loose and falls out or it quickly gets dissolved. you may want to check out a few yourself:
whether or not trout is good to eat is debatable and again, a matter of opinion. some people like it, some don't. i'm not a big fish eater so i'm not interested in eating the trout i catch. you say many people would love to have my trout to eat. well, they should go buy a fishing license and trout stamp like i have to do and go catch their own fish. you suggest i catch my limit and then go home. sorry but i like to fish a little bit longer than the 20 minutes or so it would take on a good day to catch 5 fish. you claim their are "many" locations that do not support catch and release when it comes to trout fishing but i did a search and could not find any. i only found a trout group that didn't allow it's members to catch and release. i did, however, find several locations that ONLY allowed catch and release during certain times of the year. here are only a few:
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/seasons/earlytrout.htm http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/trout/index.html (scroll down to the "outdoor calendar") http://www.examiner.com/x-/x-1948-Ozarks-Travel-Examiner~y2009m11d10-Catch-and-release-Trout-Season-open http://northernillinoisflytyers.blogspot.com/2010/03/wisconsin-early-catch-release-trout.html
the bottom line is that there is no clear-cut evidence at this point to prove that releasing a fish that has swallowed a hook dies from the swallowed hook. i'm sure if there was, the state of Kansas would make laws and regulations to address this issue. i believe that fish are far more resilient than you give them credit for. i'm a very ethical fisherman. i'm respectful of other fishermen in the area and offer up my advice and info to those new to the pit areas when they ask me questions. i pay my license, stamp, and boat fees and i pick up other people's trash at the pits on a regular basis. and on a final note, both of our opinions on this matter are irrelevant because it's not illegal to catch and release trout. so unless kansas changes the regulations, i'm going to continue to fish the way i always have and you can go find someone else to preach to about something else because i'm through with this subject with you sir.
to everyone else reading, sorry about this rant but i'm a little irritated. i thought i was being helpful by sharing my fishing reports with everyone on here but perhaps i should find another message board that doesn't have such condescending, judgmental people on it? at the very least, if i do decide to make a report on here in the future, i'll be sure to keep out most of the details.
The fisheries biologists are responsible for updating the fishing reports in their district. During the peak fishing seasons they should be updated weekly. I know I have fallen short in this task in the past, and it is not intentional most of the time it is just an overlooked task. Trying to accomplish my weekly plans in forty hours is a challenge and sometimes I just run out of time.
I try to provide the most up to date quality information that I can. However, quality information can be a hard commodity to come by as many anglers are tight lipped and realize that I write the reports. This was the reason for creation of the public fishing report blog.
I am not sure who is responsible for updating the public fishing gallery. I will run this up the chain to Pratt.
Also keep in mind at the bottom of every page on the KDWP web site there is a “Contact Us” button. If there is a problem or you have questions that are not being answered let us know.
KSbass,
You can almost split the Reservoir in half at Timber Hill boat ramp; Largemouth Bass in the northern half are more numerous and are bigger on average. This is due to warmer water temps and higher nutrient levels. Water temp before the weekend snow was 49 degrees and bass fishing was a little slow according to the bass tournament reports.
Thanks for the response Sean. You where very PC. If I read between the lines someone is falling down on the job. That would be the biologist responsible for Melvern, Redmond and Coffey county. I wonder who that would be L.Y.
Realizing the burden of updating fishing reports and supplying anglers with information about lakes bestowed upon the KDWP, I have made a site to help out. I review Kansas bass lakes and all the factors that effect bass on the lakes (cover, vegetation, nuisances species, lake history, etc.) I draw on my own experiences fishing several BASS clubs, KBCFN state tournaments, TBF tournaments, and the Triton Teams series and the experiences of the many veteran Kansas bass anglers i have talked to along the way. My recent articles include Perry Reservoir, Big Hill, Sedgwick County Park, and El Dorado. Enjoy!!
You are too easily offended. Don't wear your emotions on your sleeve man. There will always be people that think they are so much better than everybody else. You just have to let it roll off. You paid for your license, it's not illegal to catch and release. Fooey on what everybody else says.
Even if some of the fish that get hooked die, it is still better for the fishery to catch and release than to take home a limit on every trip. Typical self righteous bank fishermen, think they are being ethical while they clean out the lake. If you want to be ethical, go to the grocery store to buy your trout.
Sean, I enjoy fishing the smaller community lakes at time,could u tell me a bit about the Edna city lake and the 2 Altamont lakes. Which of the lakes at altamont is the better lake? Thank You
Edna still requires anglers to purchase a city permit to fish the lake. Channel catfish are stocked annually, the lake has a moderate density bass population and other sunfish are relatively sparse.
Altamont is enrolled in the Community Fisheries Assistance Program, so no city permit is required. Both lakes are stocked annually with catfish. The big lake has a great largemouth bass population, Crappie are good as well, bluegill are numerous but top out around 7 inches. The small lake does not get sampled as it is very difficult to get a boat in that lake, however it has the same species but I have never caught a bass over 2.5 pounds in the. When I fish it I generally stick to the big lake.
The city also maintains a park there that has camping and other activities available. I have included a link top the City of Altamont lake page.
Anonyomous students-I mainly fish for catfish. In the the pitts, I use livers, and dip baits. They are starting to bite some, but it's still a little cool. I usually start on the creeks and rivers this time of year. July, I really start hittin the pitts for cats. Same with bass, July 4th and beyond, we love it. The hotter the better. Purple plastic worm and 1/16 ounce weight. That's all we throw. If I do fish for bass right now, jig and pig, dark colors. Crappie, minnows and jigs. The basics. A boat is helpful, but not necessary. I've an uncle who catches tons of fish walking the pitts, and he has a bass tracker boat. I don't walkem as much, but I do walk to some pot holes. Just remember, keep it simple. Fishin' the pitts isn't like fishin' a huge lake or reservouir. I've fished them my whole life, and can't imagine not fishin them. At times they can be tough, but most of the time, they are awsome!
I can't speak for the pitts around pittsburg. The ones over around West Mineral/Hallowell/Columbus I can though. Some are better than others. Don't get mean wrong, some of the practices of the state drives me nuts. But over here, they close a section of pitts for 2-3 years at a time to all fishing activities. Then they are stocked, and allow the fish to grow. Feeders are placed in the the pitts to suppliment the growth. Since David Jenkin to over as the caretaker, he has worked a lot on creating habitat for fish and wildlife. He went along pitts and used a chainsaw to fall trees in the water to provide cover. He keeps the are mowed down as much as possible too. Over the last 5 years in my opinion the fishin' has gotten as good as it was when I was a young boy, I'm 32 now. I've caught more nice sized bass (3-5 pounders), and my crappie are bigger also. Now with the 15 inch minimum on cats we don't keep as many, but in the next few years, we will have some dandies. This is only my personal opinion. From what you said, I really don't think I'll try the pitts around Pittsburg.
Baxter Bait-How is the flow on spring river? I looked at the corps. website and checked stream guage. Thinking about putting my boat in after school today. I don't have a jet pump, but I have a short shaft motor with a rock gaurd on it. Been 7 years since I had a boat below Baxter. Been lots of high water since then curious about Caddies Island. Changed any over years? Think I could get below it without a jet? Thanks.
Sorry I missed you post yesterday. I closed midday to attend my kids track meet in Columbus (only one of the year I am going to attend). When I was at the river Tuesday seen some debris flowing. As of yesterday the concrete walkway on the west side was still submerged by about 4 inches (be aware the handrail is no longer there). I have never been fortunate enough to own a boat so dont have any information about Caddies Island but first chance I get will ask some of the customers and get back with you.
chetopa is way down some spoonbill caught, whitebass good, lost all my hooks i bought at baxter baits.he has a lot of cool stuff in his store besides fishing gear.stop in and say hi
It was good to meet you. I heard that the only place that they were having any luck with the spoonbill at chetopa was right next to the dam. Also heard that there was a lot of rain up north so they expect the river to rise.
Fall River, Are there any concerns about the sediment issues with this lake. I read an article that states that the lake carries 30% (I believe this percentage is accurate, but not 100% sure) less volume now then when originally created. Anyone that has boated on this lake knows that the north is shallow and if the lake is low could potentially get a boater and family in trouble. Or is this just the fate of older lakes. If this is the case what would be the remaining life span (years of good use) of this lake?
Hey Indigo, I'm supposed to go to farlington next weekend chasing crappies. You said you caught some channels using secret 7. Were they keepers, or dinks? Quite a few or just a couple? Just wonderin if I need to take my tub along in case the crappies don't pan out. Also my family and I are planning a campout in a couple of weeks, so I'll have a little more time to concentrate on the cats then. Thanks.
Sean, questions for you. What is the policy for sinking some crappie habitat in the area lakes? Such as brush piles or stake beds? Also, do you have any knowledge of saugeye coming in to crappie lights at night? Checked out Parsons City Lake over the weekend. Did not fish but was told by some locals that they are really catching some big crappies over there now. Sounds like your plan with the saugeye has worked out!
Anonymous: Many of us around the reservoirs are concerned about sedimentation. Fall River, and her sister Toronto, where I hang out, are at the end of their designed sediment storage life meaning they are pretty much filled in. Everyone I talk to from the Army Corp of Engineers to State Parks and Lake managers are pretty clear that not much will be done with these lakes going forward. They are all nice folks, its just that dredging the lakes is crazy expensive and the funds are not there. Enjoy them for what they are but don't expect any improvements. Especially Toronto and Fall River since they are in the Tulsa District and seem to be step children of the bigger Oklahoma lakes in that district. Sorry to be a negative Nancy. They are still great places to fish and boat with your family but the economic realities are against us on improving these two lakes.
Newbie, thanks for the input. I was pretty sure that with the economic downturn that this would be miniscule in regards to where money would go with the KDWP. There's a bridge (near Ladd) that was nocked out a couple years ago in the Fall River fishing area that doesn't appear will ever be fixed. That was an old bridge too, what ever hit that must have been massive.
By being at the end of the designed sediment storage life does that mean that these lakes will no longer fill with sediment?
Anonymous: The sediment keeps coming and will eventually fill the entire basin behind the dam. That of course is hundreds of years away but as it fills in, the reservoir becomes less like a usable lake and more like a wide, flat swamp. Most of these lakes were built before the environmental movement of the 1970s. I've read some articles that suggest that even after adjusting for inflation, it is 15 times more expensive to dredge a lake than it was to build the original dam. I think I saw a projected cost of $1 billion just to dredge Toronto. Add in all the EPA requirements and Sierra club legal battles that would ensue, its likely no one alive today will see a significant change to these Corp of Engineers lakes.
This is all kind of a buzz kill...I think I'll go fishing.
Heard its just about prime in the pitts for crappie. A good friend of mine gone out past three days catchin nice slabs on hair jigs. Will Friday ever get here?? lol
Are the fish safe to eat at the Spring River - Baxter Springs?
The website posts: "The Spring River from the confluence of Center Creek to the Kansas/Oklahoma border (Cherokee County) for shellfish (mussels, clams, and crayfish) because of lead and cadmium levels; "
Sorry for the late reply Friends, I have been playing catch up after walleye spawn.
Sinker,
Walleye and the like do not like lights; their eyes are designed to gather light in the depths. If I were to fish by a crappie light I would be fishing well off to the side and deep.
In order to place brush piles in any public water, a federal 404 permit is required. I have to contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers each year I place brush piles.
SG,
The consumption advisory on the Spring River is for Crayfish and freshwater mussles. Crayfish are very fatty and store contaminants in their fat. Mussles are filter feeders and can be very long lived. These organisms will accumulate Lead and Cadmium at faster rates than fish. Fish can accumulate these heavy metals as well when they feed on crayfish. However, The Kansas Department of Health and Environment have tested fish in the Spring River and any contaminants found were below levels that would warrant consumption advisory. For More information on the KDHE Fish Tissue Monitoring Program follow this link.
Sean, just read your first newsletter. Good job! Only wish you will be able to do more than 2 a year. LOL! Always interesting to read about what's up in our area.
Holy Cow! There is only one dip bait for me now, Secret 7!!!! See my last post on the report side, and you will see why. Believe, it works. And you don't even have to load up your bait holder, just get some on it, and HANG ON. My only suggestion, don't mess with the smaller container, get the bigger tub. Might seem a little pricier at the time, but when you run out, and have to stop fishin to go get more, it won't seem silly. I started with the smaller, and luckily, bought a larger tub early Saturday. Glad I did. My wifes best friend, who never catfished, got to using it, and had a blast catching cats hand over fist. My seven yr. old daughter was even fishin on bottom and catchin them. Lots of laughs, and big smiles had by all. I recommend this bait to anyone!!
Thank you for giving out team catfish website. It did not even cross my mind to mention it when I was talking about where to find secret seven. This is definetly a viable option. I would caution everyone to check their local supplier first to see if they have it in stock. Always a good idea to spend money in your own town and you might save just a little bit on price also.
did you try any other baits with any luck. Just curious. I had a customer in that said the other day he was fishing using sonny's and they stopped biting so he switched to secret 7 and started catching them again and then they stopped biting on the secret 7 so he switched back to sonny's and started catching them again. Did not question him on how many bites he was getting or how long he fished etc. not sure why the cats would be so picky but that is what I was told. maybe it is something similiar to a jig color working for a bit and then having to change colors. I dont quite understand that either. I could see it the water conditions changed. maybe that is why I consider myself more of a feeder then a fisherman. yep me and Patrick F McManus lol
Ozark, don't give up on the secret 7. I've only got to use it last weekend for the first time, and under the pitiful conditions we experienced, I was amazed how many fish we caught. Who knows, my opinion might change after a few mor outings testing it, but right now, it'll stay in my boat.
fisherman bob here, this is my first message on this forum. I really appreciate those that freely contribute here. I mainly fish the state fishing lakes and community lakes from shore. Usually panfish but I catch my share of bass and catfish as well and I don't use live bait ever. Have a great year fishing!
Fisherman bob, welcome. There is quite a variety of bloggers on this forum, that makes it interesting and entertaining. I fish anywhere theres water. Mainly the Neosho River and the strip pits. I do branch out though. Mainly for catfish, crappie and bass. I'll use any legal bait. Live, dead, or artificial. Good fishin!
I read on the region 5 state fishing report that the Corps. is working on the gates J. Redmond. That we could expect wider than normal water fluctations this year on the Neosho River. Does this mean the river is gonna be up and down every other day. Is it gonna be lower than normal. Seems like the last 4-5 years it has run at flood stage or higher most of the spring and summer. Been a few years since it was at or close to normal for the majority of the summer.
ksfisherman36, I agree. I believe I've read on KDWP's website that there hatcheries even produce bluecat. If so, where are they going? Are we selling them? I say stock them in our waters and get them established. There has been scientific studies that show they prey on zebra muscles. My be a preventive measure to start. Atleast they might help control them. They also will help control the rough fish problem in some of our waters. Our flathead population can only eat so many rough fish. Plus it would add another great sportfishing opportunity here in the state. Yes, I know they will impact the present sport fishery to a degree, but look to other states on this mangement practice, they seem to be getting it to work. Bing on the blues!!
Catman i agree i would love to see blues in Elk City or big hil or some where close I would also like to see some refining to our Flathead regs i think to many big fish are kept by greedy anglers i like Okla's law on u r only allowed one blue aday over 30 or 35 inches i dont remeber exact length without looking
It has been a great crappie year at Elk City, the best since 1997 as far as I am concerned. I agree the spawn is all over the board though as you stated. I caught females that were running egg on April 25th and females on April 30th that looked like they were days away from ripe. I don’t have an explanation on why it is so spread out but it does extend the opportunities for anglers. Take advantage of this friends it may be another decade before we see it at this level again.
Catman and Ksfisherman36,
Good dialog going on blue catfish. Milford, John Redmond, Tuttle Creek, ElDorado, Clinton, Perry, Melvern, Wilson, Cheney, and Kanopolis Reservoirs have been stocked with Bluecats within the last 10 years. I have been looking at Elk City as a possibility but need to get a better idea of what are the requirements to establish a self sustaining population. Specifically, I am unsure if I have the size of reservoir with Elk City. They can be caught in the spillway of Elk City during times of water release.
Catman, Glad to hear your dad is enjoying retirement have not seen him in years.
If my sales are any indication you are not the only one that has not been able to get on the water.
I hear they are calling for lots of rain and maybe some flooding (hopefully nothing major). With the spawn being sporatic like it is I am cautiously optomistic that we may get one more white bass run up here at the dam but the window of oppurtunity is quickly closing. Spring river did not sustain a good enough flow (in my opinion) to produce a long spawning run at least not here at baxter.
There is a chance I might get some of the new sudden impact bait in this week. If I do as soon as I hear any word on how it works I will pass it along.
Sean L, thanks for the reply. Please keep us posted. I admit, I hadn't thought about the size of the impoundment, but, I see know. I wish the res. you mentioned were closer. We do gettem mirgrating up from Grand Lake, OK usSpring River and Neosho, but I've not seen the huge ones like you do in a res. Biggest I've seen caught was maybe 25-30 pounds.
The recent rains have the Neosho in great shape for the end of the season. I am hearing a lot of inquiries/rumors about the snagging season being extended through the end of the month. This is not correct, the season will still close at Midnight Sat, the 15th. I only wish I was going to be at Chetopa, it should be good.
this site needs a place for photos and baxter bait you ned a site so we can post photos. i snagged a nice spoonbill at chetopa on friday. its on my facebook page (hightjr@yahoo.com)
Wish we had a Baxter bait up near Ottawa, you guys down thier are lucky to have such a helpfull bait shop keep it up and may move south!! Fishing on the river of swans has just picked up and should be getting better every day weather permitting. went to pomona last week and caught nothing all day but had one good bight while going to the bathroom!!:-(
I am new to face book but do have a account for the store. I tried to set up a fishing page hoping it would allow friends of the store to post their pictures. If you can not let me know. you should be able to find the store on facebook by the store email address of jws_bait@yahoo
Anonymous, thanks. There are people a lot more knowledgeable on here then I am I just pass on what information I hear.
I never hear of any fishing tournaments around the baxter or columbus area. I hear more about tournaments down in oklahoma. Is there a site available that would have listings of tournaments in region 5? when I hear of a tournament down in Okla would you guys like for me to post any information that I hear on here?
The last kansas tournament I heard of was the kids tournament at West Mineral and only heard about it the day or two before. Sounds like they gave out some really nice prizes to the kids and lots of them.
Baxter Bait, I like that the Sudden Impact isn't as messy and the Secret 7. We only got to fish a couple of hours, so I will require more research.lol. The river was falling, so I think that shut the fish down some. I like being able to use just a treble hook while fishing it. Although, I'm gonna buy some bulk dip tubing, and rig be up some diptubes using standard "j" hooks, maybe some small circle hooks for my daughters. So far, I like the Sudden Impact.
Catman, thanks for the info. I think it might become more popular then teh just the secret 7 simply for the reasons you mention. I heard you could just use a plain treble hook with it. do you think it has a enough fiber or is sticky enough to use a plain J hook.
the secret 7 is messy you have to have a stick to rub it into you sponge and dont get none on your hands it takes dawn or a good grease cutter to clean it up
Don't get me wrong, I really like the Secret 7 a lot!! I tried the Sudden Impact because with the fibers it'll stay on the hook in fast current. As far as using a J hook, not really for sure. May have to try it while researching it.
Heard there were 2 Asian carp caught at the chetopa dam. Not sure of the exact date but during the snagging season. The person who told me seen one caught and seen a picture of another one. he was just there watching but says that he is positive they were asian carp. Had the eye low on the head.
I have passed this information along to the Emporia Research Office and they are sending the information on.
Just a reminder that if you catch or find any Aquatic Nuisance species, do not release back into the water and contact the Emporia Research Office at (620) 342-0658. (the lady I talked to was very polite). or your local KDWP Office. Region 5 phone is (620) 431-0380.
For a list of Aquatic Nuisance Species see page 28 & 29 of the 2010 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary
I was under the impression that the sudden impact was pretty much the same formula as the secret 7. The difference being the fibers that were added. since you have used both does this seem to be correct as far as you can tell I.E. smell and color.
I think if the sudden impact could be used with just a j hook that would be a big selling point. It would have to be awfully sticky to use in a river that way but if it could be used in still water I am sure there would be some interest in it.
Walleye fishing. I have fished Melvern and Glen Elder for Walleye and crappie that last couple of weeks. I continue to see people keeping under sized Wallys.
I never see in enforcement action. No one is checking for the short fish so they will be kept by people who do not care. More of these than we need. A regulation is only as good as the enforcement of the regulation.
Why do we have so many different regulations for crappie. One lake is 50 no length limit then another is 20 10 inch limit. Why not just go with 20 daily limit and the 10 inches and that why no one get confused. 20 fish a day should be plenty for everyone.
Baxter Bait-That's the way I understand it. That the two are the same except for the fibers. The smell seems to be the same, the color of this tub of Sudden Impact was a little lighter. But, I understand the color is dependent on the age of the cheese used in dip and dough baits. So each batch will vary. I do believe the color of a dip worm/tube matters though. I personally prefer red, or orange. I don't know if you was to spray some of the Dead Red spray on the Sudden Impact if that would matter.? Hope everyone understands I'm not pushing the Team Catfish products. They work for me, just letting everyone know about them so they know there is more dips and doughs out there than what is at the local Wal-Mart. Good luck.
Take your dead minnows and pour the Dead Red spray liquid over them and let soak for an hour or so, then go fish! You might be able to freeze what you don't use, haven't tried that yet. It works!
Catman, dont think anyone would say you were trying to generate sales for team catfish. everyone has their own preference when it comes to baits and lures. there is a ton of varieties out there and some sale better then others. myself I have always had good luck with catfish charlie but normally just use livers or cut bait.
Earlier someone was asking about the availablity for leaches in SE KS. I have not heard of any bait shops carring them in SE KS. There is a bait shop in Carthage that carries them. I have been asking customers to see if there would be a demand and no one claims to want to use them. I could get them in if there was a demand for them.
Blackdog, the sonnys and the secret seven have been my biggest sales. Danny King is starting to pick up in sales also. Of the sonnys the blood formula sales more then the regular. Danny kings the regular formula out sales the blood and garlic. which formula of sonnys have you had the best luck with?
Sean- what can you tell about the crappie in Montgomery Co. State Lake? Have you done any net sampling for them? If so, what size and how does the population look? I've heard about some big ones caught there in past years. Thanks,
I sample them with trapnets in the fall. There are both black and white crappie in Montgomery SFL but they are at a relatively low abundance. The nice thing is they are in very good condition, fat and sassy. They tend to concentrate around the brush piles in the lake especially the west dock, in early fall and spring. I have a hard time finding them during the summer.
The last creel survey I did on Montgomery was in 2007. During that time there were an estimated 755 crappie harvested at MGSL. Average length for crappie harvested was 9.5-10 inches.
Just in from weekend camp out at Crawford SFL. See my blog on the fishing reports about our success. Kudos to the C.O.'s and staff up there. I understand with all the people out this weekend, it's hard to catch all violators. We witnessed a boat Sunday night without nav. lights on twice. Both times, we saw them, it was almost to late if you know what I mean. Then we saw several people keeping channel cats under the length limit. We did try and find a park ranger when we almost hit the boat, but we never could find one. I know they have other areas up around there they patrol. We always see them in the park, so I think it they were away from the park. They keep it well patroled and we have NEVER had a problem up there. I would say the presence keeps the trouble down. It is just frustrating when we try to abide by the law, then we see someone blatenly breaking the law.
Catman, was also at Crawford State Park. Unfortunately, my friends and I had a very different experience. We set up camp on Wednesday night. We had 3 tents and thought we might have one too many. On Thursday afternoon we were informed by the Park Ranger Mr. Larson that we could only have 1 tent unless there were kids (rule flyers still say 2). There were only 2 sites left. We asked if we could pay extra as we were at a large primitive site. The answer was no. We could all got to Osage Bluff point or leave the park. Keep in mind we had a fishing boat and were planning on bank fishing. Osage Bluff point has no access to water so that was out. We even offered to take 2 tents down and sleep on the ground, again NO. We went to the main office where the "Park Manager" was called and were told here is your money back you may leave. This would not have been that bad had we not camped at a similar large primitive site 3 weeks before and had 4 tents. The Ranger checked us all out and never said anything about the limit. We were not loud and did not "party". Where was the Ranger Wednesday, or why didn't the camp host let us know? We ended up going to Bourbon SFL. Free camping and better fishing. By the way, wy are the people who live on the Crawford allowed to party all night, ski late, and break other rules? This park has very select enforcement. Doubt I will return.
Pyro99, sounds like you had an AWFUL experience. I know if the day comes when this happens to me, it will be our last time there also. I heard people talking of some rule changes that weren't very clear. I can't say what exactly they were, I didn't pay thay much attention. I will pay better attention next time.
Bourbon County Lake is an awesome little lake. Even better during the week when crowds are much lighter! Black crappie, spotted bass, largemouth bass, walleye, cats, perch, and I swear I caught some saugeye there a few years ago. It don't get any better than that!!
Well it is getting frustrating fishing by the rules and catching some decent fish but then sit and watch people in boats and across the river snagging nice flatheads and keeping everyone of them,this is so very frustrating!!!! This occured at Chetopa at the dam,they do it every year and nothing seems to very happen to them,they even do it in the broad daylight.
It is frustrating to see people breaking the law on fish and game. There is only a very few game wardens compared to regular law enforcement. They each have a big area to cover. Chances are by the time they get to where you are at, the ones in question are long gone. You can always sneak around and get tag numbers, descriptions of cars and trucks and if you have cell phone camera, snap some pics! Anything can help them track them down, or if they run into them later they already have activity against them. Us guys and gals that abide by the law need to help out when we can. Trouble is some people get caught and get their hands slapped, then go right out and continue to do their dirty deeds! We need a 3 strikes yer out rule! And like Baxter Bait check the phone number for Operation Game Thief.
It is frustrating. This last deer season I was issued a ticket. I didn't have a ink pen on me (it was in my other coveralls). I had shot a small doe. I thought, I'd just drive the 3 miles to my inlaws house and tag it. I had my tag in my pocket. Low and behold, when I got to the gate at the road, a CO was sitting there. I know I was in the wrong, he was doing his job. He even stated he knew it was an honest mistake, but had to issue a citation. I went to court, paid my fine, and even took all my critisism I was do. This is the only violation I've ever had. Then I sit and watch others break the law over and over. Whether it's snaggers, telephoners, or the guys running the nets below Chetopa. One of these days, the state will make some serious change when these guys get caught. That is if the local attornies and judges uphold the charges. In my case, they sure did.
The thing I see is that you never see anyone checking. I fish at least two times a week and I have not been checked in the last 20 years. The only time I see a Fish and game officer is on the road. If we are going to have rules then they have to be enforced and the resources have to be deployed so that they can be.
Blackdog, I think that goes to what sinker was saying about not having enough conservation officers.
I heard that on memorial weekend they were checking people at baxter dam. I have also heard of the local baxter PD checking people prior to memorial weekend.
I know I have been checked a few times out at the sportsman pits. most of them have been when i was at the trout pit but there have been a couple of times when I was in area twelve which is over south of scammon.
If you are fishing generally the same area and not being checked I would hope that sean or some other official would relay this information on so that they could make sure to get some more coverage in that area. definetly appears to be a need for more visibilty at your fishing hole to be able to go that long and not be checked.
To start off with, I'm a setliner. I love it and I do it as much as I can. Matter of fact, were were gonna run some lines this weekend, but we needed to get some things done so we rod and reel fished below Chetopa last night. Remember, this is free fishing weekend in our state.I don't know how many PVC jigpoles we could have counted in about a mile and half down river. Don't know how many more were on down river. They were all made the same with a "t" fitting on the end. We did the math. At 8 lines per person, they would have needed a pontoon boat to haul all the legal people they would have needed to legally check thay amount of lines. Ok, last weekeand was Memorial Weekend, lots of people, state may have made several checks. I don't know. Ok, this weekend, several more people out, state has to know this, could also make more checks. I don't know. We saw boats from KS, MO, and OK. Don't know who the lines belonged to. I know with the short number of C. O.'s and budget cuts it is difficult to patrol. In that case, maybe they ought do paperwork during the middle of the week, and patrol on the more 'high traffic" weekends. I don't know. I'm like everyone else. I'm just frustrated. We also ran into the issue of boats without lights. I guess I need to refer to the regs., due you not have to have them on the rivers? On a different note, there is a new sign at the park in Chetopa stating the Neosho River now contains the Asian Carp. Is this the so called "flying fish" you see on T.V.? Or is there other varieties? This worries me for safty reasons. I normally have my 2 young daughters with me. Need to know what preperations I need to take.
To start off with, I'm a setliner. I love it and I do it as much as I can. Matter of fact, were were gonna run some lines this weekend, but we needed to get some things done so we rod and reel fished below Chetopa last night. Remember, this is free fishing weekend in our state.I don't know how many PVC jigpoles we could have counted in about a mile and half down river. Don't know how many more were on down river. They were all made the same with a "t" fitting on the end. We did the math. At 8 lines per person, they would have needed a pontoon boat to haul all the legal people they would have needed to legally check thay amount of lines. Ok, last weekeand was Memorial Weekend, lots of people, state may have made several checks. I don't know. Ok, this weekend, several more people out, state has to know this, could also make more checks. I don't know. We saw boats from KS, MO, and OK. Don't know who the lines belonged to. I know with the short number of C. O.'s and budget cuts it is difficult to patrol. In that case, maybe they ought do paperwork during the middle of the week, and patrol on the more 'high traffic" weekends. I don't know. I'm like everyone else. I'm just frustrated. We also ran into the issue of boats without lights. I guess I need to refer to the regs., due you not have to have them on the rivers? On a different note, there is a new sign at the park in Chetopa stating the Neosho River now contains the Asian Carp. Is this the so called "flying fish" you see on T.V.? Or is there other varieties? This worries me for safty reasons. I normally have my 2 young daughters with me. Need to know what preperations I need to take.
ALOT OF MY FRUSTRATIONS COMES WITH WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A GAME WARDEN TO CONTACT A CITIZEN BACK? IF I WAS TO CALL THE LOCAL POLICE OR SHERRIFF THEY WOULD SEND AN OFFICER TO TAKE MY COMPLAINT BUT I HAVE YET TO TAL TO A WARDEN OR ANYONE FROM KDWP. THE NETS ARE BELOW AND ABOVE CHETOPA AND I THINK ALOT OF THE FISH THAT ARE SNAGGED AND CAUGHT IN NETS IS BEING SOLD. CATMAN I LOVE TO RUN SOME LINES BUT CAN NVER FIND A GOOD SAFE PARTNER I FISH CHETOPA ALOT, I BET WE HAVE FISHED TOGETHER AND DONT EVEN KNOW IT,LOL.
ksfisherman36- we probally have. Years ago, I did use operation game thief, and got a quick response from the local C.O.. But that had to be 14-15 years ago. I know they have an awful lot to do in there job over a very large area. And it not exactlly a job I would want to do. But our tax dollars should at least get us a call back saying they don't think it would be benificial to persue this case. Or I would even settle for, "with the states current budget crisis, we can't afford the gas for me to come and investigate, and the overtime the state may have to pay me and other officers to persue a case that the local attornies are more than likely gonna throw out. So thank you for calling and sorry we can't afford to help you." Heck, I would even settle for that. It just makes a person want to join the crowd, but then when that person gets caught, that's the one they will make an example out of. Ksfisherman36, we need to get a hold of each other some time, maybe do some setlining. I have a friend just transplanted from Texas wanting to try it. I'm from the Columbus area, and he's from Girard. Good fishin.
Went down to the dam on 99 at Emporia. Saw about 10 "sportsman" fishing on the South side of the old bridge. All had rigs that were set up for snagging saw a couple of flatheads on the ground. This is a normal practice there when the Cottonwood gets up. This has been going on for decades. It seems like everyone but the fish and game folks knows about the snagging there. I did go to the fish and game office and tell them about it. Hope something was done.
Anyone know why posts aren't showing up on the fishing report side. i have tried to post several times in the last few weeks but none have shown up. The last post is from 3 weeks ago. What's up???
Pyro99- In the upper right hand of the blog box you'll see 1-200, I think. Then right beside it, it'll say newer, and newest. Click on newest. That section is out of space, so there is a new page.
Well right about now I ought to be coming in from checking our setlines.But I'm not. Yesterday evening, wife and kids and I went over to Spring River above Riverton to put in some setlines. This is were I cut my teeth on the river. I figured since the Neosho River was so high, I would go up Spring and fish the Shawnee Creek. We had 4 lines set when a man on a 4 wheeler came and motioned us over to the bank. He told us that the creek was under his private ownership and that we would have to leave. Said there was an offical sign at the mouth of the creek explaining this. I've read that land owners own to the center of the river/creek in KS, except for the 3 navigable waterways. This is the first time I have ever been asked to leave. We pulled our lines and left. I didn't need an conflict. At the mouth, grown up in brush, there was a sign from KDWP stating private property. I really think the state of KS needs to reevaluate this law. I find it hard to beleave a landowner could own a flowing body of water. Do they then own the fish and game that migrate up the creek from the river? Does this not sound like the days of Kings, when royalty owned the land and game? I don't have a problem with people owning land, but a flowing body of water? Do the laws of number of setlines pertain to private waters? If so, our local C. O.'s need to take a boat ride up there. Just frustrating. I know Rep. Doug Gatewood, so next time I visit with him, I'm gonna bring this up. Like I said, this is the first time I have ever ran into this before. I understand a few years back a landowner put a cable across Shoal Creek in the same attempt. My wife said our last 2 or 3 trips to the Spring River have ended in bad experiences so we neen to sratch it off our list. I think we'll just keep fishing the Neosho River, seem to have better luck there anyhow. Just thought it would be neat to fish my boyhood waters. Guess not. Thanks Kansas.
I used to live years ago in New Jersey. I had many run-ins with people who accused me of trespassing when trout fishing. Oftentimes I was IN the water wading and told to leave. I'm not sure of the law in Kansas concerning who owns what when it comes to the streams and rivers but in New Jersey it is clearly written that a stream or river that is maintained by the fisheries and wildlife department is NOT private property and people are allowed to fish it as long as they stay within ten feet of the bank. I wonder how the law in Kansas is written concerning this? Be interesting to find out...
I enjoy the State Fishing Lakes (Lyon Co., Osage Co., Miami Co., etc.) Last weekend I went to Osage Co. for the first time. Saturday was hot and humid and I did real good on crappie by the boat ramp and dam. Caught a bunch of nice, fat 9-12 inchers. Anybody having any good luck at the State Fishing Lakes or smaller community lakes?
Fishermanbob-we fish Crawford SFL quite a bit and usually do real well. On Memorial weekend we caught several channal cats, but all except 6 if I remember were short. Less than the 15 in. min. We also caught a lot of crappie, also were just short of being keepers by what we look for. None the less, they all were fun catching.
I too enjoy setting lines and fishing rivers. In all my years of fishing the Verdigris and Elk rivers I have never run into any landowners asking me to leave. I don't agree with the laws either. Stating the owner has property rights to the middle of the river? I thought any water that the state helped to stock was public fishing? How many fish have escaped impoundments during flooding times that were stocked by the state? So in essence the state HAS stocked the rivers! As long as I was not trespassing on the owners property to get to the water, I would be tempted to just move my lines to the other side of the river! I think the property should end at the waters edge. What if every landowner would take the stance of enforcing current law? How would anyone get to fish on a river? I'm sorry-but I think anyone that pushes that on anyone is just being an asshole! At least on any fisherman who is just fishing legally. Catman- report back as to what is said on this matter if you would!
Sinker, I agree. What's to say a landowner upstream decides, hm, I think I'll just put a dam accross this creek, and make my own little reservoir. Now, more than likely, this body of water is flowing into a bigger body of water that is more than likely supplying water to a town/city. Now how does ownership justify this? This could be argued till the sun comes up. Likewise, I've never been asked to leave. I think the magority of landowners don't have a problem, till fisherman start getting out onto there land. I can repsect that. If your fishing, your really don't need to be out trapzing around their property. In a situation like this, I have to wonder, is there something illegal going on in this area? Also, I am a true believer that some people are just naturally grumpy, and are not happy unless they are being grumpy to others. If this would have happened a few years ago before my daughters were born, I probably would have had a confrontation with this man. When my daughters were born, I mellowed, and I'm certainly not going to make problems when there with me in the boat. So, it's back to the Neosho River.
thanks for you comment on the asian carp sign at chetopa. I had called the state a while back to report of hearing of asain carps being caught at chetopa. sounds like the did some follow-up and confirmed this.
I got in some team catfish sudden impact and fished it and danny kings. I was using a bare treble hook when fishing. In my opinion the Danny kings stayed on better then the sudden impact. The sudden impact stayed on good just not quite as good as the danny kings. I got more bites on the sudden impact then I did on the danny kings
Bloggers, I applogize for harping on this, I'm gonna try and drop it. Anyhow, If a landowner has ownership to the center of a river/creek, are they being taxed on the land that lies within the river? How is my situation different than a landowner owning to the center of a county road. Can he keep people from driving down his side of the road legally? I tell you, KS must have had some morons writing the laws years ago, because some of them just don't make sense. I talked to a friend of my who fishes Spring River a lot, and he USED to fish Shawnee Creek. He had a run in with the same landowner, said the guy is a real jerk. I just glad there are still decent landowners who respect fisherman and allow us access to creeks and rivers. To any landowners on this blog, thank you.
If the water is not for public use why can you only set 8 limb lines or only keep 5 flatheads? Just to make this post apply to the fishing report, fished the back of big hill 3 trot lines and 8 limb lines between us, one channel, used shad sides, cut and live perch. Had t limb lines and my gps stolen from my truck, the boys did not lock the truck back up. Camped @ timber hill
Previous post, sorry to hear of your bad luck. Years ago, I too had my limblines stolen. As to your post, I too agree, there are many "gray" areas on this law. If you look at my previous post on this subject, I said there were countless limblines up the Shawnee. They all had a 2 liter pop bottle tied to them as a float. There were way more than what 4 people could fish if you can only use 8 on private on private waters. And I was maybe only up in the creek a 100 yds. But I don't know if statewide regulations apply to private waters. I really wish someone from the state could give me some insight on this on the blog.
See alot of people using dip and sponge baits on here. I have huge success on premo, just my luck maybe danny king also. FYI ditch the sponge, use a small square of batting out of a pillow, dab it in your tub real good and fish. You cant pull this stuff off of your hook. When you rebait step on it and wring the water out as not to water down your bait. Best stuff i have used.
Thanks for the pillow batting tip. I will try this. One little tip I can share, We've been using the 2 inch diptubes with a sponge from Magic Bait. First, I take the tube off, and cut it in half. Now, I have to bait. Except, I've just been using a regular 2/0 "j" hook with the tube. The bait I'm using is very sticky, so I really don't need the sponge. And with the "j" hook, we have less fish swallow the hook. If we won't bigger baits, we put both pieces of tube on the hook. Or we us the treble and sponge/tube for the kids.I will try the batting trick this weekend.
To the previous post. Is the pillow batting you're using foam like in a couch cushion, or is it the poly fiber fill like you would put in a homemade doll??
Poly fiber catman works great get a lifetime supply at wal-mart, cheap. I got a paper sacke full at a yard sale for a quarter. FYI been catching many 12 to 17 pound channel cats at Elm Creek lake in Bourbon county, tear you up. Been doing it all spring. I would put this little lake up against any in the state. Try it!
Not sure about this year but last they where feeding 1200lbs of feed a week out of three feeders. You will see more big fish feed than you ever have. It is unreal for a lake right at 100 acres.
Any suggestions. I like using wild worms, especially nightcrawlers. For years, I've dug them, but after 3 back surgeries, it's an awful lot more work then it used to be. Mainly use them for cats, but mainly get just enough for catchin' perch for bait now. Sometimes though, a flathead just likes a big glob of worms. A friend suggested making a shocker out of 110 volts, but I read a lot of negative info online about this. Tried a method I read, bout using to copper rods 6 feet apart, then hooking up jumpercables to my truck while it was running. No luck with this. Anyone have a trick for collecting worms. If I have to, I'll keep diggin, and buy a really big bottle of aleeve. Commercial worms just don't have the same pazazz as wild worms I think. Thanks for any info.
I pick up several dozen worms a year. Big fat nightcrawlers after a good shower my buddies and i may pick up 30 or 40 dozen a night, we catch 90% of all our flatheads in worms. Now this is rod and reel fishing not setlines where i do use perch.have caught several flats over 20 this yr and 2 over 40 and many small ones all on my picked up "free" night crawlers.
Never dug night crawlers before, hence the name night crawlers.Dug alot of sod worms though. Beat night crawlers 10 to 0. Buddy caught a yellow cat at emporia last saturday over 70lbs, sod worms.
the way we found nightcrawlers was to lay out big sections of carpet and keep them wet. A steel drum split lengthwise with drain holes drilled into the bottom will keep worms until the end of may. Refrigeration will be needed after that. It's easier though to find them at night during the heavy rain storms.
I pick up crawlers when I find them in the yard. I've got a pretty good spot to dig along a local river. My main occupation has me working the midnight shift, so that rules out picking them up at night. Thanks for all the good tips.
I've lived here all my life, so I know the pitts by name, not by there #. If is the pit that Big Brutus sets on, there are walleye in it. The ones I have caught were caught by accident while bass fishing with crankbaits. Never really specificly targeted them.
Catman I was asking you about pit 41 that pit is located 1 mile south of brutus and back west 1 mile then south 1/2 mile the pit you were talking about you said you have walleye while bass fishing were the walleye any size???? pr bait shop says there are big walleye in there I am new as for fishing these pits for walleye I wished there was more interest in SE kansas for fishing for walleye people really don't know what they are missing because I go to Minnesota every year for walleye and Northen pike what a riot lots of fun thanks
Gunsmith-Now I know which pit your talking about. I never have caught any out of that particular one. I do know of an 8 plus pounder coming from it about 20 years ago. Older locals tell me that was the first pit that was stocked with walleye. I don't know for sure. As far as size, the north pit of section 24, on the west side (split boat ramps) I've caught two from it between 20-22 inches. The one I caught in Brutus pit was to short to even measure. Now we've caught about a half dozen legal keepers up at Bone Creek. But that was 6-7 years ago. They were big enough we didn't even measure them, we knew they were keepers. Late winter, to early sping, there are reports of one or two big fish being caught at the dam in Baxter. A buddy of fine saw a bonafide 10 pounder caught there this past spring. I believe him because he to goes to Canada. As for interest in SEK. I wish they would have filled the trout lake with walleye instead of what they put in it. I'm gonna catch some flak over this, but please remember this is only MY opinion. There is a lot of people who fish for the trout, and I have to. Just is if I'm gonna pay to fish a lake, I want to fish for fish thay have some "shoulders" on them. Again, this is my opinion, not my intent to start an argument.
Catman Yes I wish the state would stock more walleye in these pits. What.I mean is more than a 100 fish per acre.This means all the other predators thats in the pits so the young walleye would have a chance to live and grow big. I don't think there is much interest in this area for walleye fishing. This is just my opinion.Because there so hard to catch.I am a Gunsmith by trade. If you would like to lean about guns and what makes them tick. Iam the kind of person that like to teach people. The right way about guns and shooting. I've been Gunsmithing for 30 yrs plus. My grandfather taught me gunsmithing in Iowa. He Gunsmithed for 65yrs.I had a very good teacher. I have access to new gun parts and old parts. Also new and used guns. I would be interested in getting to know you?????????????????? You can contact me at
Gunsmith, I'll keep your number handy. I do some shooting and hunting also. Not as much shooting anymore since my kids came along. My oldest girl is starting to show interest in shooting, so maybe our family can pick it up again.Just in this morning from "fishing" for a rod and reel that got pulled from the boat Sat. evening. Luckily after about an hour, I was able to hook it a little ways from where it went in. This was a gift from my wife years ago, so it was very special to me, and luckily I found it. With about a 5 lb. channel cat still on it. Lost it at the boat, but the rod and reel meent more to me than the fish anyway.
Going camping over at Chetopa this weekend. Inquiring if anyone up in the J. Redmond area has any idea what the Corps. is gonna do with the gates in the the next couple of days. I been keeping track of the release and flow rates on the net. Just wondering if anyone up there has talked to anyone that has anything to do with the reservoir.? Thanks for any info.
Catman, glad you were able to retrieve your rod and reel. you had mentioned earlier about worms. you might want to try the catalpa worms they are out now.
Catman, noticed you did not mention the tub of bait you were using. has there been something said about not mentioning brands on here. looking at the tubs here I was able to determine which one I believe you are using. Have you moved away from the impact?
Baxter Bait, nothing been said about brands being mentioned. Just figured everyone has their opion of what they want to use. I haven't moved from the impact. I been fishing still water last couple of trips, so we've been sticking with the Secret 7. Will be fishing running water this weekend, so we'll break out the Sudden Impact. Good to hear from you. Noticed you've not blogged lately. Boy, I can't wait for the weekend.
sounds like you pit fisherman have all the ingredients for growing 20# plus walleye assuming the trout and walleye are living together. Let's hope somebody will be there to pull that feat off someday.
Sean, have a question. How old is a 15" channel cat? I've been catching them at the State Lake and most are 16-18" range. They sure are purty cats! Tasty too! Just wondering the age it takes to reach the 15" mark. Secret 7 dip bait is knocking them out, along with regular Spam in the can! I'm gonna try some bacon flavoured Spam next week. Thanks,
Baxter Bait-I use spam fresh out of the can and even leave out of the fridge in between trips. Just don't let the heat get to it! Keep in an airtight container. I cut it into small chunks and fish on a Bill Dance Whisker Sticker hook. [kahle]. It stays on surprisingly good. When they are looking for meat they bite pretty good on it, but other times won't touch it. The very first time I used Spam was several years ago on Wilson State Lake up north of Altoona, and I fished all night with it as my only bait. I caught 4 channels about 3-4 lbs and then at 6 am I caught my personal best at 27 lbs. Needless to say I was sold on Spam! It's just another fun bait to add to the arsenal! And if ya get hungry, well just take some crackers with ya and have a Spam snack! If you look up the Arkansas or maybe the Missouri blue cat record many years ago it was caught on a hunk of Spam. 103 lbs! Just like all baits it don't work all the time tho from my experience.
Baxter Bait, Didn't get to fish a whole lot this weekend, but did some. As for the sudden impact, works pretty good in hot weather. Stays on the hook good to, or as well as you can expect in water flowing 10,000 + cfs. I have used in in normal flows and it stays on extremely well. We have had as good luck as sinker on the Secret7. We were able to anchor in an eddie Friday evening and caught one on Secret 7, 5 or 6 other bites.
The catfish are first stocked in October and 8 inches in length on average (age I); they typically will reach 15 inches by their 2nd year in the lake (age III) and 20 inches by age VI.
I will have to give spam a try. Looks like the catfish should be going hard with all this runoff.
Has anybody noticed how the fish health at Coffey County seems to have gone down drastically the past few years? The crappie used to be nice and plump, and although we still catch hundreds of them, they are not nearly as thick and almost all of them are 13 3/4". We used to pull 50-70 walleye a day out of it, and I haven't caught a walleye in 2 years. The smallmouth seem to be doing well, and it has a killer white bass population. I've pulled more whites out in the last 2 years than ever before. The catfishing has remained consistent. What changed the the crappie and walleye took a nose dive?
If fishing the pits after dark, watch for other boats that don't have navigation lights. Darn near hit one last night. You can buy non permenant lights at Wal-Mart for a little bit of nothing. That's what we have. When not in use, they can be stored away. A lot of people think you don't have to have them in the pits, but they are considered SFL's. Nothing else, wave a flash light to let boats know you are there. Been experiencing a lot of this on the rivers and Crawford SFL this year, more than in the past. I don't know why. I'll take my chances with lights, and let people know where I'm at. If I'm taking a midnight swim, it's gonna be in a pool, where I won't lose my gear.
after reading infishermans walleye manual, I read that they say we are going through what is called warm water burn out. Our waters here are warmer, hence faster growth, and sooner death. 5-6 years average lifespan. Deeper/cooler water will slow that a little I think. If they spawn at coffey co., we have smallmouth and white bass feeding on newly hatched fry supposedly. Common sense tells me they are. If there are more whites than largemouth, then the lake isn't deep enough and the white bass are eating everything else, but this is just my opinion. Stocking 6-8" walleye fingerlings in late fall will help a little, but alot of those big white bass need to be moved elsewhere. John Redmond basin area for example. That used to be quality white bass fishing in the day, but not anymore. 3 million walleye fry per year would be nice at coffey, but what are they to eat? Someone has some work to do there, but if no one is fishing it why bother.
Maybe the walleye used the overflow spillway at coffey county lake and swam to the neosho river. A 13 3/4" catching length for crappie average is good for any lake isn't it. Sounds good to me unless they are all skinny and pale colored.
today might be a big fish possibility. We are on a new moon phase, but fri. or sat. may be a better opportunity for better fishing. (16th/8th moon phase) I would wait, but stay there as late as possible if you are still going today.
Alot of people watch moon phases, wind direction, barometer and etc. I know this all can improve your odds of success, and I've tried a lot of it over the years, wish I would have kept records to see how well it all worked. About the only thing I watch now is the cows. Old saying, if the cows are a eatin', then the fish are a bitin'. But I know for a fact, you can't catch fish if you stay at home. So if the feening arises, grab the fishin' poles and hit the water! Good luck.
from my experience- high barometer reading-little or no fish. exception for that are trout after front passes. little wind and cold, bright sunny days. use powerbait blue/yellow mixed. wind- some fish know where to be before the wind starts up. Here is a pattern I started about ten years ago. Day 1 after front passes- poor/so-so fishing. Day 2 after front is a little better. Day 3 will be better than Day 1 and 2 combined. Day 4 will be the best after the front passes. If we're lucky for days 5 and 6 (not often) of stable weather after a front, it's usually can't miss. If you want, try using the moon phases for post-spawn walleye, spawning flathead/channels in early june (rivers), and the sept/oct. phases (after water turns a bit) for nightime walleye fishing with shallow running crankbaits, especially with the full moon glowing with little/no clouds.
anyone know where i could find some contour maps of Osage sfl? would love to try crappie and walleye fishing there and @ carbondale...I have a map of carbondale...
Go to that baitshack/marina-office at the s.w. corner of lake if it is still there. Ask if there any oldtimers that might know who might have one or see if he/she knows if one was ever made.
When I've had the chance too, I've done it in my own yard. Since I work nights, I don't always have an opportunity. One tip, stay away from areaa that have been treated with chemicals. Alot of my neighbors treat their yards, so it's like the worms "flock" to my yard. My wife objects to me digging of the entire yard though.lol.
Water was too high above redmond, but if you found the right spots above it was great. Caught 3 flatheads in 10 minutes on a rising Neosho middle of last week. Could've caught more, but it was getting hard for me to land them by myself.
Peter Pan Park in Emporia used to have a boatload of nightcrawlers. Since I got them started in my yard I haven't had to go look anywhere else.
Sean L. are there 100 pound or bigger flathead catfish encountered during public fish salvage in the stilling basins? ex. John Redmond basin (or others)
The simple answer is no there are no 100 pound flatheads found at the stilling basin clean outs. Here at Elk City the largest are typically in the 40 lb range, with an occasional 60showing up.
However, this does not mean that larger fish are not in the system. Fish are very perceptive of dropping flows. When the COE is going to do a clean out/ inspection they will typically drop the flow rate in stages to give the fish present the time to move downstream to deeper water. In a few instances after a high water year the gate changes were not staged but very sudden. When this took place larger fish (up to 80 lbs) were trapped.
While I do not participate in all salvages throughout the state a 100 lb flathead is an extremely rare occurrence. If one shows up in a salvage operation it will make the news for sure.
I'm wondering if anyone else is having as poor luck bass fishing as I am. I haven't bass fished much this year, but when I have, done poorly. I haven't even cleaned a bass this year. My dad and nephew hasn't done real great either. We just haven't caught the numbers we have in the last 4-5 years. Could Largemouth Bass virus have hit the Strip Pits like it did Crawford SFL a couple of years ago? Maybe just over harvest? Poor spawning last couple of years? I'm just baffled.
Try to fish the smaller pits. The fish will be easier to figure. Look for frog activity. Fish water where dead trees have fallen in over the years. During the day use a realistic looking plastic crawdad or jig/pig combo. Consider downsizing lures and line. If frogs are present right at dark, throw a leopard frog pattern zara spook. Don't move it until the ripples from lure hitting water have smoothed out. Do your best to make it look as real as possible when working across the water. If I have confidence in my lure selection, one thing to do is to find a grasshopper and throw him far out into the water. When the hopper moves, move your lure just like him. When it stops, don't move your lure. About 8-10 ft from end of cast, really start moving lure to make it look like it's trying to escape. If it doesn't work on the first try, there ain't nothing there. Fish during windy periods. More than likely, the bass are suspended and stressed, but trying is better than staying home.
Thanks for the tips, but this isn't my first rodeo. Everything you've mentioned has been tried. I've been talking to several friends who haven't been doing good bass fishing this year. It's not like we all have been making mistakes everytime we go out. I'm thinking if several people are having the same results pretty much, then the problem lies within the bodies of water.? I serve on a D.U. committee with the caretaker of the MLWA in CK county. I think I'll try to get a hold of him, maybe he has some insight. Will pass on any info I get.
Ask around to see if any of the bass are swimming around in circles, upside down or floating dead. That will be lmbv. If not, more likely over harvest, like you suggested, or a smarter breed of bass. My opinion here- No lmbv and 4-5 years of so-so fishing, bass are bigger and territorial. Check the size of the sunfish excluding bluegill. Big sunfish- Bigger bass. A bunch of little sunfish, pick another pit. A longshot here is that the flathead and snapping turtles done ate everything. Between you and the MLWA caretaker would be something to look forward to.
I don't even bass fish in the daytime anymore. 20 years ago I started fishing at night for bass and haven't looked back since. Mainly to avoid the crowds on Big Hill, especially tournaments on weekends. Starting on the weeks of the full moon and weeks of the dark moon, in July and continuing thru October and even November some years. I have fished most lakes in my area, with my favs being Wilson and Bourbon State lakes. Those lakes have good populations of spotted bass along with largemouth. I don't waste my time before midnite and fish thru early daylite swithching over to topwater. Spinnerbait with colorado blade, jigs, crankbaits, BIG worms [look like snakes], all dark colors. Have had many 100 plus catch nights, along with many surprise fish such as big channel cats and drum, crappie and occasional walleye. Nothing like slaying them at 2 or 3 in the morning and you are the only one on the lake!! If I lived by those strip pits I would be on those suckers at night!
Now that I've thought about it, it could be over harvest of bass. If people are catching and keeping spawning bass, it could deplete numbers some. If the male bass are being kept during nesting duties/fry guarding, that would be reason for even fewer fish for the future. I don't know if the bass resumes his duties after being caught or abandons the eggs/fry.?
Sean- I have caught several channel cats at the Elk Lake this summer and in the past that have little red dots or pimples on their sides. Some have just a few and others have a bunch. They seem to look healthy other than that, but are they safe to eat? What is this condition? Thanks,
If you get the chance give me a call here at the store. 856-2600. There is a gentleman that would like for me to pass you along his contact information he would like to discuss bass fishing in the pits and stuff with you.
on a side note the bait shop in chetopa has been closed for a few weeks. I heard that there is a chance it might be open this weekend. river is suppose to be down but the fish are biting there is what I was told.
Baxter Bait, I was gone for a few days, and been busy getting ready for school. Got a couple of open house/meet and greets tonight. Will try and give you a call tomorrow. Thank,and don't give up on me.
Just watched the video on KDWP home page. good video do have one suggestion. the video states it is hard to tell the difference between the carp and bait fish (I assume they mean shad). would suggest giving some identifying characteristics of the carp and maybe a side by side shot of a small carp and a shad to point out the differences. Just my thought.
I understand the concern for aquatic infestation, asian carp and such, but how far does the law go on the bait fish, and or bait? Is frozen shad or jarred bait legal then where does is stop. How many people catch there perch in the river to set lines? I would venture to say none. How many people catch there striped frogs at the location you are going to fish? I know i like to have my bait before i go. Who wants to go fishing and have to catch bait if possible where you are going to fish? I just don't care to load up and plan a day and then get the wind let out of my sails because of no bait. What about minnows from the local bait shop?
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Hello all
Would really like to know if anybody has been on the water yet, At either Melvern or Pomona. Thanks!
Dont know who to call so thought I'd try this.The Neosho river below Humboldt dam is covered with huge rafts of foam.The dam at Iola doesnt have this also the water is cleaner looking at Iola.I suspect Iola is dumping raw sewage.Anyone know who to call.
Call your county health department. They then can get you in contact with someone at the state level.
The foam is caused by inorganics in the water. Sewage is organic. Iola does legally release treated water back into the river though as do thousands of other cities on rivers throughout the US.
Itching to get back on Toronto lake. Didn't have much luck last year so I want to amp up my odds with some tech. Thinking about putting a fishfinder/GPS on my old beater fishing boat and also getting a new trolling motor. Anybody have a suggestion? Does anybody have any experience with those side-scanning sonars from Hummingbird? It adds about $500 to the cost of the unit so I want to make sure it is worth the extra bucks before I end up spending more on the unit than I did on the boat.
Think long and hard about it. My personal experience, I just have a plain on depth finder with a temp. sensor. I just need to know depth, bottom contour, and temp. I would like to get hand held gps to mark brush piles and other features, and I could also use it hunting. I think I'm a little scared to learn about the side imaging units. I don't even understand the pictures you see in magizines. My unit, $100 bucks.
Hey Clay, I have forgotten, where is Ladd Bridge above Fall River Res. Trying to plan a trip up there for crappie.
catman are those biologist guys in lawrence mapping toronto anytime soon ?
This is first I've heard of that. But I have only been up to toronto one time, enjoyed, just haven't been able to make it back. I believe a good map would be great.
Catman I'm sorry for no responce quickly. I have been busy with work. The easiesy way I can tell you how to find it is off 99 highway at Climax. You turn and go East on the road just past Climax to the north. you will run right into it. You can also get to it from the east but I would most likely get you lost. They catching Crappie there right now when the water isn't froze. If you have anymore questions let me know I haven't had a chance to get out but I'm planning a trip to Toronto next weekend.
Clay, looks like a long hual by boat. Is there boat access at Ladd Bridge, or public access to fish from shore there?
Yes there is a ramp and its in pretty good shape. The banks are steep along the river at that point but you can fish from the bridge and down around the sides. It would ne a long haul with a boat but it would pay off here in a bit if you want some good white bass fishing as well.
Catman: Thanks for the comment re tech. Can you elaborate on the temp? I'm not clear on the relationship between temp and where the fish are.
Took my boy and fished from bank at Toronto in one of the coves. No bites but weather was nice and it was fun to spend time with my little fishing buddy.
Newbie, this time of year, I do better in warmer water. May only be a degree or two, but it makes a difference. Then I concentrate on water temp closer to the spawn, depending on the species I'm chasin'.
Fished Melvern Last Week had to break ice, Turkey Point boat ramp open. Good fishing. Lots of boats, Lots of limits on Crappie. Need to get rid of some ice for more area to fish. Pomona no bites, Melvern is hot right now, Get fishing.
Baxter Bait. Have you ever kicked around the idea of movin' your shop to columbus? I knew ol Jack from the One Stop for years and never really understood his business hours. I know his passing recently has probly changed the hours some to. I was told his son is now running it. But I just don't understand why you wouldn't be open all weekend in the spring summer months. And why would you run out of bait. It's been this way for years though. I would think a bait shop smack dab in the middle of all the fishin' holes we have around us could profit. Might not retire from it, but do alright maybe. Just a thought.
Baxter Bait. Have you ever kicked around the idea of movin' your shop to columbus? I knew ol Jack from the One Stop for years and never really understood his business hours. I know his passing recently has probly changed the hours some to. I was told his son is now running it. But I just don't understand why you wouldn't be open all weekend in the spring summer months. And why would you run out of bait. It's been this way for years though. I would think a bait shop smack dab in the middle of all the fishin' holes we have around us could profit. Might not retire from it, but do alright maybe. Just a thought.
Folks: Saw a fishing show on ESPN over the weekend where the "fishing expert" said that it was better to use dark colored jigs and lures in cloudy water because they show up better to the fish. That seems counter-intuitive since most of the bait fish (what our fish will be looking for) are silver or white. Any comments?
Newbie, In stained/muddy water a darker lure will show a better silhouette than a lighter colored one. Also the fish in muddier water typically won't be as spooky or picky as fish in clear water. By the time they come up close enough to see your lure, their minds are gonna be on how to get your lure in their mouth as opposed to what it looks like. It's the same reason black/dark blue jigs/spinnerbaits/buzzbaits are popular for nighttime fishing.
Besides in the case of a jig, you're more often trying to imitate a craw than a baitfish so darker colors are the norm.
Don't get too caught up in the color game, I know guys that fish tournaments nationwide that are only passionate about 2-3 colors. The rest are just fluff. You'll go broke trying to own every color of paca craws and senkos :) Good luck & tight lines!
Baxter Bait, I'd use your shop, but I fish mainly north, northwest of Columbus, Baxter would be way out of my way. That's why I asked. I filled my bait tank this weekend that I keep my perch in for setlining. The fish truck is coming to the COOP next week, so I'm gonna buy a pound of minnows and be done with it. Are you carrying any of Jeff Williams' new Secret 7 dip bait? Only heard good things about it and plan on trying it. See a place in Galena, and BO's 1 stop in Pittsburg is supposed to have it.
Catman, I understand. Would not make sense for people that live in columbus and the surrounding area to come to baxter for bait when you have PR's, Angelo's and The one stop. If you are ever in Baxter this is an open invite to anyone to just swing in and say hello.
I do have the secret 7 dip bait. According to the bait shop in chetopa he can not keep it on the shelf.
bait shop in indy used to carry kentucky stink shad sides does anyone carry them now
Hey guys, this is the "DOCK SQUAWK" board. Not the fishing reports board! Please read the header under dock squawk to see what this means. We are posting reports on two different boards. This one is for issues concerning fishing regs, concerns, biologist questions, legal matters, licensing, etc. I'm gettin dizzy goin back an forth between the two! LOL.
As for Secret 7 dip bait, the stuff works pretty well if the fish are in the mood for it. But beware, when the water snakes get a whiff of it, they will come right on in to yer tub! There's something in there they like!
Hey Sean, I still don't see a buoy marking the island at the Montgomery State Lake. What did you find out on that? It could be a safety issue.
Also can you report on any improvements, or such that might be in the works for the lakes you are in charge of?
What's the latest on the zebra mussel challenge? Thanks in advance!
Hey Sinker,
The buoy at Montgomery SFL broke free of its chain but I have it. I would like to get a new one as this one is a little faded. I have been waiting for the weather to get a little nicer before putting it out. I agree it can become a safety issue but, the lake level will have to drop at least 4 foot before it does. They way Southeast Kansas is looking right now, we are a long way from that.
As far as projects in my district the biggest one will be replacing the gravel low water crossing with a concrete one and the addition of a new boat ramp and courtesy dock on the North West side of Wilson SFL.
There will be a new addition to the public water in my district. Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks will be obtaining approximately 3,000 acres of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in Parsons. I am very excited about the pond resources that can be available to the public. There are still a few hoops to jump but I hope to get some sampling and public access to these ponds in the very near future.
So far we are Zebra Mussel free in the district. I will be conducting veliger sampling on Big Hill Res., Elk City Res., Parsons City Lake and The Neosho River at Chetopa this summer. All waters in my district have artificial substrate samplers that are checked monthly during the spring and summer. Remember to Clean, Drain and Dry your boat and tackle.
Thanks for the interest!
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Thanks for helping me try to decipher the new regs. down in OK. I sat down and read the paddlefish pamplet last night and it made some of the regs. a little more clear. I did talk to a friend that let them clean one of his fish last year and he said they did a great job. Said there was nothing but white meat left. He was in a bit of a hurry, so they gave him a comparable amount of fish that had been donated thay would be equivilant of his catch. Maybe this isn't a bad deal after all. Still don't know of I'm ready to drop approx. $100 for wife and I to go fishin'. Maybe another year or two of OK selling eggs, maybe the nonres. price will go down. Lets hope. Any word on crappie in the strip pits nw of Columbus??
out of state fisherman; i would like to know when the river gos up high enought to paddlefish.who can you call? thanks frank
Fellow Paddlefish snaggers,
When is snagging best?? This is a very common question this time of year. So I decided to post a little information to help you determine the best time to hit the river.
The Neosho needs to be running around 8,000 Cubic feet per second (cfs.) to get fish moving up from Miami, Oklahoma. The best fishing at Chetopa occurs at 10,000-15,000 cfs. Once the river gets up past 20,000 cfs it becomes difficult to snag and the park starts to flood. The snagging is also best when the river is rising once it starts to drop paddlefish will head down stream to deeper holes.
Here is a link to gauging stations in Kansas, I use the flow at Parsons when I plan my trips.
http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=ks&w=map
For Paddlefish in the Neosho River the releases from John Redmond have the greatest importance. Here is a link for the reservoirs in the Tulsa District.
http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/old_resvrept.htm
Although water temp and photoperiod play a part, flow rate determine success.
Hope this helps.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Sean, where would be the best place to fish for walleye that's close to Montgomery County?
Sinker,
The best percid fishery I have in the district would be the saugeye in Parsons City Lake. I have been stocking them to keep the crappie density low enough to increase growth. As a side benefit they have really developed in to a great addition for local anglers. This past falls sample showed the highest catch of >22” saugeye in the state. Fish for them just like you would for walleye. This time of year I would concentrate on the face of the dam.
If your heart is set for a walleye I would look at Hillsdale. The lake is 2hours away but the drive is worth the shot at trophy sized fish.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
I would like to know why the Melvern fishing report has not been updated since Jan. It seems like other regions update the reports more than region 5 and include more information. Region one even give GPS coordinates for the fish attractors they put out. Region 5 does not provide any information.
Hey Sean you seem to be the only KDWP person that responds on this blog. Can you tell us what/who is responsible for updating the fishing reports and providing information on the lakes. The reports we get from Melvern are almost useless they are so old.
Looking to fish for largemouth this spring at big hill this spring, any helpful info on the reservoir?
Blackdog40-good point. Also, who takes care of the public fishing images gallery on this site. My wife and I enjoy looking at the good luck of others in the gallery, but it has not been updated in quite some time. I agree about the reports, what was happening a month ago isn't going to do us any good.
well it seems every message board has one. that one "holier than thou" person who loves to spout off his opinions as if they were fact and talk down on people as if he is so much better. well mr. Anonymous, here is my response to you:
you want to preach poor ethics. poor ethics is coming onto a message board and showing off your copy/paste abilities by pasting a 1 page article that shares your opinion. it doesn't impress me. the article you shared even contradicts itself by stating "Many of us have caught fish with engorged hooks, so we know that fish CAN live that way." and "most hooks will simply rust out after a short time." the article also does not explain the method they used to test what they claim and they are vague with their results. i'm not really sure how you're coming up with your percentages either by claiming i'm killing 50% of the fish i catch. i had already done my research on the consequences of releasing a fish that has swallowed a hook and for every article i found that says it's harmful, i found 2 that claim it's totally harmless and the hook simply works itself loose and falls out or it quickly gets dissolved. you may want to check out a few yourself:
http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/detailed.php?id=9
http://www.watershed-alliance.com/articles/enjoy/TROUT%20SEASON.pdf
http://www.nativefish.asn.au/cr.html
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=372674
http://www.hookoff.com/wp/
http://www.harborestuary.org/pdf/njsgC&R.pdf
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/nature/icefish.htm
whether or not trout is good to eat is debatable and again, a matter of opinion. some people like it, some don't. i'm not a big fish eater so i'm not interested in eating the trout i catch. you say many people would love to have my trout to eat. well, they should go buy a fishing license and trout stamp like i have to do and go catch their own fish. you suggest i catch my limit and then go home. sorry but i like to fish a little bit longer than the 20 minutes or so it would take on a good day to catch 5 fish. you claim their are "many" locations that do not support catch and release when it comes to trout fishing but i did a search and could not find any. i only found a trout group that didn't allow it's members to catch and release. i did, however, find several locations that ONLY allowed catch and release during certain times of the year. here are only a few:
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/seasons/earlytrout.htm
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/trout/index.html (scroll down to the "outdoor calendar")
http://www.examiner.com/x-/x-1948-Ozarks-Travel-Examiner~y2009m11d10-Catch-and-release-Trout-Season-open
http://northernillinoisflytyers.blogspot.com/2010/03/wisconsin-early-catch-release-trout.html
the bottom line is that there is no clear-cut evidence at this point to prove that releasing a fish that has swallowed a hook dies from the swallowed hook. i'm sure if there was, the state of Kansas would make laws and regulations to address this issue. i believe that fish are far more resilient than you give them credit for. i'm a very ethical fisherman. i'm respectful of other fishermen in the area and offer up my advice and info to those new to the pit areas when they ask me questions. i pay my license, stamp, and boat fees and i pick up other people's trash at the pits on a regular basis. and on a final note, both of our opinions on this matter are irrelevant because it's not illegal to catch and release trout. so unless kansas changes the regulations, i'm going to continue to fish the way i always have and you can go find someone else to preach to about something else because i'm through with this subject with you sir.
to everyone else reading, sorry about this rant but i'm a little irritated. i thought i was being helpful by sharing my fishing reports with everyone on here but perhaps i should find another message board that doesn't have such condescending, judgmental people on it? at the very least, if i do decide to make a report on here in the future, i'll be sure to keep out most of the details.
Blackdog40 and Catman,
The fisheries biologists are responsible for updating the fishing reports in their district. During the peak fishing seasons they should be updated weekly. I know I have fallen short in this task in the past, and it is not intentional most of the time it is just an overlooked task. Trying to accomplish my weekly plans in forty hours is a challenge and sometimes I just run out of time.
I try to provide the most up to date quality information that I can. However, quality information can be a hard commodity to come by as many anglers are tight lipped and realize that I write the reports. This was the reason for creation of the public fishing report blog.
I am not sure who is responsible for updating the public fishing gallery. I will run this up the chain to Pratt.
Also keep in mind at the bottom of every page on the KDWP web site there is a “Contact Us” button. If there is a problem or you have questions that are not being answered let us know.
KSbass,
You can almost split the Reservoir in half at Timber Hill boat ramp; Largemouth Bass in the northern half are more numerous and are bigger on average. This is due to warmer water temps and higher nutrient levels. Water temp before the weekend snow was 49 degrees and bass fishing was a little slow according to the bass tournament reports.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Thanks for the response Sean. You where very PC. If I read between the lines someone is falling down on the job. That would be the biologist responsible for Melvern, Redmond and Coffey county. I wonder who that would be L.Y.
Sean, thanks for the response. I to understand how easy it is to simply run out of time in the week.
Sean,
Realizing the burden of updating fishing reports and supplying anglers with information about lakes bestowed upon the KDWP, I have made a site to help out. I review Kansas bass lakes and all the factors that effect bass on the lakes (cover, vegetation, nuisances species, lake history, etc.) I draw on my own experiences fishing several BASS clubs, KBCFN state tournaments, TBF tournaments, and the Triton Teams series and the experiences of the many veteran Kansas bass anglers i have talked to along the way. My recent articles include Perry Reservoir, Big Hill, Sedgwick County Park, and El Dorado. Enjoy!!
www.kansasbass.blogspot.com
Pitfish
You are too easily offended. Don't wear your emotions on your sleeve man. There will always be people that think they are so much better than everybody else. You just have to let it roll off. You paid for your license, it's not illegal to catch and release. Fooey on what everybody else says.
Even if some of the fish that get hooked die, it is still better for the fishery to catch and release than to take home a limit on every trip. Typical self righteous bank fishermen, think they are being ethical while they clean out the lake. If you want to be ethical, go to the grocery store to buy your trout.
Sean,
I enjoy fishing the smaller community lakes at time,could u tell me a bit about the Edna city lake and the 2 Altamont lakes. Which of the lakes at altamont is the better lake? Thank You
ksfisherman35,
Edna still requires anglers to purchase a city permit to fish the lake. Channel catfish are stocked annually, the lake has a moderate density bass population and other sunfish are relatively sparse.
Altamont is enrolled in the Community Fisheries Assistance Program, so no city permit is required. Both lakes are stocked annually with catfish. The big lake has a great largemouth bass population, Crappie are good as well, bluegill are numerous but top out around 7 inches. The small lake does not get sampled as it is very difficult to get a boat in that lake, however it has the same species but I have never caught a bass over 2.5 pounds in the. When I fish it I generally stick to the big lake.
The city also maintains a park there that has camping and other activities available. I have included a link top the City of Altamont lake page.
http://www.altamontks.com/lake1.htm
Thanks for the interest
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Sean,
Thank You for the response and keep up the good work!!
Anonyomous students-I mainly fish for catfish. In the the pitts, I use livers, and dip baits. They are starting to bite some, but it's still a little cool. I usually start on the creeks and rivers this time of year. July, I really start hittin the pitts for cats. Same with bass, July 4th and beyond, we love it. The hotter the better. Purple plastic worm and 1/16 ounce weight. That's all we throw. If I do fish for bass right now, jig and pig, dark colors. Crappie, minnows and jigs. The basics. A boat is helpful, but not necessary. I've an uncle who catches tons of fish walking the pitts, and he has a bass tracker boat. I don't walkem as much, but I do walk to some pot holes. Just remember, keep it simple. Fishin' the pitts isn't like fishin' a huge lake or reservouir. I've fished them my whole life, and can't imagine not fishin them. At times they can be tough, but most of the time, they are awsome!
I can't speak for the pitts around pittsburg. The ones over around West Mineral/Hallowell/Columbus I can though. Some are better than others. Don't get mean wrong, some of the practices of the state drives me nuts. But over here, they close a section of pitts for 2-3 years at a time to all fishing activities. Then they are stocked, and allow the fish to grow. Feeders are placed in the the pitts to suppliment the growth. Since David Jenkin to over as the caretaker, he has worked a lot on creating habitat for fish and wildlife. He went along pitts and used a chainsaw to fall trees in the water to provide cover. He keeps the are mowed down as much as possible too. Over the last 5 years in my opinion the fishin' has gotten as good as it was when I was a young boy, I'm 32 now. I've caught more nice sized bass (3-5 pounders), and my crappie are bigger also. Now with the 15 inch minimum on cats we don't keep as many, but in the next few years, we will have some dandies. This is only my personal opinion. From what you said, I really don't think I'll try the pitts around Pittsburg.
Baxter Bait-How is the flow on spring river? I looked at the corps. website and checked stream guage. Thinking about putting my boat in after school today. I don't have a jet pump, but I have a short shaft motor with a rock gaurd on it. Been 7 years since I had a boat below Baxter. Been lots of high water since then curious about Caddies Island. Changed any over years? Think I could get below it without a jet? Thanks.
Catman,
Sorry I missed you post yesterday. I closed midday to attend my kids track meet in Columbus (only one of the year I am going to attend). When I was at the river Tuesday seen some debris flowing. As of yesterday the concrete walkway on the west side was still submerged by about 4 inches (be aware the handrail is no longer there). I have never been fortunate enough to own a boat so dont have any information about Caddies Island but first chance I get will ask some of the customers and get back with you.
Catman,
A customer claims that at the current level you could reach Caddis Island with out a jet
Baxter Bait, thanks for the info. I was unable to make it down last night, but did go this morning. See my post under reports.
chetopa is way down some spoonbill caught, whitebass good, lost all my hooks i bought at baxter baits.he has a lot of cool stuff in his store besides fishing gear.stop in and say hi
Ozark Rob,
It was good to meet you. I heard that the only place that they were having any luck with the spoonbill at chetopa was right next to the dam. Also heard that there was a lot of rain up north so they expect the river to rise.
Fall River, Are there any concerns about the sediment issues with this lake. I read an article that states that the lake carries 30% (I believe this percentage is accurate, but not 100% sure) less volume now then when originally created. Anyone that has boated on this lake knows that the north is shallow and if the lake is low could potentially get a boater and family in trouble. Or is this just the fate of older lakes. If this is the case what would be the remaining life span (years of good use) of this lake?
Hey Indigo, I'm supposed to go to farlington next weekend chasing crappies. You said you caught some channels using secret 7. Were they keepers, or dinks? Quite a few or just a couple? Just wonderin if I need to take my tub along in case the crappies don't pan out. Also my family and I are planning a campout in a couple of weeks, so I'll have a little more time to concentrate on the cats then. Thanks.
Sean, questions for you. What is the policy for sinking some crappie habitat in the area lakes? Such as brush piles or stake beds? Also, do you have any knowledge of saugeye coming in to crappie lights at night? Checked out Parsons City Lake over the weekend. Did not fish but was told by some locals that they are really catching some big crappies over there now. Sounds like your plan with the saugeye has worked out!
Anonymous: Many of us around the reservoirs are concerned about sedimentation. Fall River, and her sister Toronto, where I hang out, are at the end of their designed sediment storage life meaning they are pretty much filled in. Everyone I talk to from the Army Corp of Engineers to State Parks and Lake managers are pretty clear that not much will be done with these lakes going forward. They are all nice folks, its just that dredging the lakes is crazy expensive and the funds are not there. Enjoy them for what they are but don't expect any improvements. Especially Toronto and Fall River since they are in the Tulsa District and seem to be step children of the bigger Oklahoma lakes in that district. Sorry to be a negative Nancy. They are still great places to fish and boat with your family but the economic realities are against us on improving these two lakes.
Newbie, thanks for the input. I was pretty sure that with the economic downturn that this would be miniscule in regards to where money would go with the KDWP. There's a bridge (near Ladd) that was nocked out a couple years ago in the Fall River fishing area that doesn't appear will ever be fixed. That was an old bridge too, what ever hit that must have been massive.
By being at the end of the designed sediment storage life does that mean that these lakes will no longer fill with sediment?
Anonymous: The sediment keeps coming and will eventually fill the entire basin behind the dam. That of course is hundreds of years away but as it fills in, the reservoir becomes less like a usable lake and more like a wide, flat swamp. Most of these lakes were built before the environmental movement of the 1970s. I've read some articles that suggest that even after adjusting for inflation, it is 15 times more expensive to dredge a lake than it was to build the original dam. I think I saw a projected cost of $1 billion just to dredge Toronto. Add in all the EPA requirements and Sierra club legal battles that would ensue, its likely no one alive today will see a significant change to these Corp of Engineers lakes.
This is all kind of a buzz kill...I think I'll go fishing.
Heard its just about prime in the pitts for crappie. A good friend of mine gone out past three days catchin nice slabs on hair jigs. Will Friday ever get here?? lol
Sean,
Are the fish safe to eat at the Spring River - Baxter Springs?
The website posts:
"The Spring River from the confluence of Center Creek to the Kansas/Oklahoma border (Cherokee County) for shellfish (mussels, clams, and crayfish) because of lead and cadmium levels; "
Do lead and cadmium contaminate fish?
Thx. SG
going pike fishng monday and tuesday at Kingman Co lake, will post results Tuesday early PM.
Sorry for the late reply Friends, I have been playing catch up after walleye spawn.
Sinker,
Walleye and the like do not like lights; their eyes are designed to gather light in the depths. If I were to fish by a crappie light I would be fishing well off to the side and deep.
In order to place brush piles in any public water, a federal 404 permit is required. I have to contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers each year I place brush piles.
SG,
The consumption advisory on the Spring River is for Crayfish and freshwater mussles. Crayfish are very fatty and store contaminants in their fat. Mussles are filter feeders and can be very long lived. These organisms will accumulate Lead and Cadmium at faster rates than fish. Fish can accumulate these heavy metals as well when they feed on crayfish. However, The Kansas Department of Health and Environment have tested fish in the Spring River and any contaminants found were below levels that would warrant consumption advisory. For More information on the KDHE Fish Tissue Monitoring Program follow this link.
http://www.kdheks.gov/befs/fish_tissue_monitoring.htm
Thanks
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Sean, just read your first newsletter. Good job! Only wish you will be able to do more than 2 a year. LOL! Always interesting to read about what's up in our area.
Planning an assult on Crawford SFL(Farlington) this weekend. Chasing crappie and cats. Will post report on sunday. Good luck!
Holy Cow! There is only one dip bait for me now, Secret 7!!!! See my last post on the report side, and you will see why. Believe, it works. And you don't even have to load up your bait holder, just get some on it, and HANG ON. My only suggestion, don't mess with the smaller container, get the bigger tub. Might seem a little pricier at the time, but when you run out, and have to stop fishin to go get more, it won't seem silly. I started with the smaller, and luckily, bought a larger tub early Saturday. Glad I did. My wifes best friend, who never catfished, got to using it, and had a blast catching cats hand over fist. My seven yr. old daughter was even fishin on bottom and catchin them. Lots of laughs, and big smiles had by all. I recommend this bait to anyone!!
Sinker,
Thank you for giving out team catfish website. It did not even cross my mind to mention it when I was talking about where to find secret seven. This is definetly a viable option. I would caution everyone to check their local supplier first to see if they have it in stock. Always a good idea to spend money in your own town and you might save just a little bit on price also.
i have tried the secret seven and had no luck with it yet.hmmmm
Ozark,
did you try any other baits with any luck. Just curious. I had a customer in that said the other day he was fishing using sonny's and they stopped biting so he switched to secret 7 and started catching them again and then they stopped biting on the secret 7 so he switched back to sonny's and started catching them again. Did not question him on how many bites he was getting or how long he fished etc. not sure why the cats would be so picky but that is what I was told. maybe it is something similiar to a jig color working for a bit and then having to change colors. I dont quite understand that either. I could see it the water conditions changed. maybe that is why I consider myself more of a feeder then a fisherman. yep me and Patrick F McManus lol
Ozark, don't give up on the secret 7. I've only got to use it last weekend for the first time, and under the pitiful conditions we experienced, I was amazed how many fish we caught. Who knows, my opinion might change after a few mor outings testing it, but right now, it'll stay in my boat.
fisherman bob here, this is my first message on this forum. I really appreciate those that freely contribute here. I mainly fish the state fishing lakes and community lakes from shore. Usually panfish but I catch my share of bass and catfish as well and I don't use live bait ever. Have a great year fishing!
Fisherman bob, welcome. There is quite a variety of bloggers on this forum, that makes it interesting and entertaining. I fish anywhere theres water. Mainly the Neosho River and the strip pits. I do branch out though. Mainly for catfish, crappie and bass. I'll use any legal bait. Live, dead, or artificial. Good fishin!
I read on the region 5 state fishing report that the Corps. is working on the gates J. Redmond. That we could expect wider than normal water fluctations this year on the Neosho River. Does this mean the river is gonna be up and down every other day. Is it gonna be lower than normal. Seems like the last 4-5 years it has run at flood stage or higher most of the spring and summer. Been a few years since it was at or close to normal for the majority of the summer.
Is there anywhere a person can get leeches? Looking for a couple lbs.
Sean, check the fishing reports board for my question about Elk Lake crappie. Thanks.
HAs the idea of stocking blues into our resevoirs ever been talked about they have seemed to do really well in grand,oologah an etc..
ksfisherman36, I agree. I believe I've read on KDWP's website that there hatcheries even produce bluecat. If so, where are they going? Are we selling them? I say stock them in our waters and get them established. There has been scientific studies that show they prey on zebra muscles. My be a preventive measure to start. Atleast they might help control them. They also will help control the rough fish problem in some of our waters. Our flathead population can only eat so many rough fish. Plus it would add another great sportfishing opportunity here in the state. Yes, I know they will impact the present sport fishery to a degree, but look to other states on this mangement practice, they seem to be getting it to work. Bing on the blues!!
Catman i agree i would love to see blues in Elk City or big hil or some where close I would also like to see some refining to our Flathead regs i think to many big fish are kept by greedy anglers i like Okla's law on u r only allowed one blue aday over 30 or 35 inches i dont remeber exact length without looking
Sinker,
It has been a great crappie year at Elk City, the best since 1997 as far as I am concerned. I agree the spawn is all over the board though as you stated. I caught females that were running egg on April 25th and females on April 30th that looked like they were days away from ripe. I don’t have an explanation on why it is so spread out but it does extend the opportunities for anglers. Take advantage of this friends it may be another decade before we see it at this level again.
Catman and Ksfisherman36,
Good dialog going on blue catfish. Milford, John Redmond, Tuttle Creek, ElDorado, Clinton, Perry, Melvern, Wilson, Cheney, and Kanopolis Reservoirs have been stocked with Bluecats within the last 10 years. I have been looking at Elk City as a possibility but need to get a better idea of what are the requirements to establish a self sustaining population. Specifically, I am unsure if I have the size of reservoir with Elk City. They can be caught in the spillway of Elk City during times of water release.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Catman, Glad to hear your dad is enjoying retirement have not seen him in years.
If my sales are any indication you are not the only one that has not been able to get on the water.
I hear they are calling for lots of rain and maybe some flooding (hopefully nothing major). With the spawn being sporatic like it is I am cautiously optomistic that we may get one more white bass run up here at the dam but the window of oppurtunity is quickly closing. Spring river did not sustain a good enough flow (in my opinion) to produce a long spawning run at least not here at baxter.
There is a chance I might get some of the new sudden impact bait in this week. If I do as soon as I hear any word on how it works I will pass it along.
Sean L, thanks for the reply. Please keep us posted. I admit, I hadn't thought about the size of the impoundment, but, I see know. I wish the res. you mentioned were closer. We do gettem mirgrating up from Grand Lake, OK usSpring River and Neosho, but I've not seen the huge ones like you do in a res. Biggest I've seen caught was maybe 25-30 pounds.
Friends,
The recent rains have the Neosho in great shape for the end of the season. I am hearing a lot of inquiries/rumors about the snagging season being extended through the end of the month. This is not correct, the season will still close at Midnight Sat, the 15th. I only wish I was going to be at Chetopa, it should be good.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
this site needs a place for photos and baxter bait you ned a site so we can post photos. i snagged a nice spoonbill at chetopa on friday. its on my facebook page (hightjr@yahoo.com)
Wish we had a Baxter bait up near Ottawa, you guys down thier are lucky to have such a helpfull bait shop keep it up and may move south!! Fishing on the river of swans has just picked up and should be getting better every day weather permitting. went to pomona last week and caught nothing all day but had one good bight while going to the bathroom!!:-(
Ozark,
I am new to face book but do have a account for the store. I tried to set up a fishing page hoping it would allow friends of the store to post their pictures. If you can not let me know. you should be able to find the store on facebook by the store email address of jws_bait@yahoo
Anonymous,
thanks. There are people a lot more knowledgeable on here then I am I just pass on what information I hear.
all,
I never hear of any fishing tournaments around the baxter or columbus area. I hear more about tournaments down in oklahoma. Is there a site available that would have listings of tournaments in region 5? when I hear of a tournament down in Okla would you guys like for me to post any information that I hear on here?
The last kansas tournament I heard of was the kids tournament at West Mineral and only heard about it the day or two before. Sounds like they gave out some really nice prizes to the kids and lots of them.
Baxter Bait, I like that the Sudden Impact isn't as messy and the Secret 7. We only got to fish a couple of hours, so I will require more research.lol. The river was falling, so I think that shut the fish down some. I like being able to use just a treble hook while fishing it. Although, I'm gonna buy some bulk dip tubing, and rig be up some diptubes using standard "j" hooks, maybe some small circle hooks for my daughters. So far, I like the Sudden Impact.
Catman, thanks for the info. I think it might become more popular then teh just the secret 7 simply for the reasons you mention. I heard you could just use a plain treble hook with it. do you think it has a enough fiber or is sticky enough to use a plain J hook.
the secret 7 is messy you have to have a stick to rub it into you sponge and dont get none on your hands it takes dawn or a good grease cutter to clean it up
Don't get me wrong, I really like the Secret 7 a lot!! I tried the Sudden Impact because with the fibers it'll stay on the hook in fast current. As far as using a J hook, not really for sure. May have to try it while researching it.
All,
Heard there were 2 Asian carp caught at the chetopa dam. Not sure of the exact date but during the snagging season. The person who told me seen one caught and seen a picture of another one. he was just there watching but says that he is positive they were asian carp. Had the eye low on the head.
I have passed this information along to the Emporia Research Office and they are sending the information on.
Just a reminder that if you catch or find any Aquatic Nuisance species, do not release back into the water and contact the Emporia Research Office at (620) 342-0658. (the lady I talked to was very polite). or your local KDWP Office. Region 5 phone is (620) 431-0380.
For a list of Aquatic Nuisance Species see page 28 & 29 of the 2010 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary
Catman,
I was under the impression that the sudden impact was pretty much the same formula as the secret 7. The difference being the fibers that were added. since you have used both does this seem to be correct as far as you can tell I.E. smell and color.
I think if the sudden impact could be used with just a j hook that would be a big selling point. It would have to be awfully sticky to use in a river that way but if it could be used in still water I am sure there would be some interest in it.
spring river is up at baxter. I believe it is higher then it got to earlier this week. This morning it was starting into the parking area at the dam.
Walleye fishing. I have fished Melvern and Glen Elder for Walleye and crappie that last couple of weeks. I continue to see people keeping under sized Wallys.
I never see in enforcement action. No one is checking for the short fish so they will be kept by people who do not care. More of these than we need. A regulation is only as good as the enforcement of the regulation.
Why do we have so many different regulations for crappie. One lake is 50 no length limit then another is 20 10 inch limit. Why not just go with 20 daily limit and the 10 inches and that why no one get confused. 20 fish a day should be plenty for everyone.
Baxter Bait-That's the way I understand it. That the two are the same except for the fibers. The smell seems to be the same, the color of this tub of Sudden Impact was a little lighter. But, I understand the color is dependent on the age of the cheese used in dip and dough baits. So each batch will vary. I do believe the color of a dip worm/tube matters though. I personally prefer red, or orange. I don't know if you was to spray some of the Dead Red spray on the Sudden Impact if that would matter.? Hope everyone understands I'm not pushing the Team Catfish products. They work for me, just letting everyone know about them so they know there is more dips and doughs out there than what is at the local Wal-Mart. Good luck.
Take your dead minnows and pour the Dead Red spray liquid over them and let soak for an hour or so, then go fish! You might be able to freeze what you don't use, haven't tried that yet. It works!
Catman, dont think anyone would say you were trying to generate sales for team catfish. everyone has their own preference when it comes to baits and lures. there is a ton of varieties out there and some sale better then others. myself I have always had good luck with catfish charlie but normally just use livers or cut bait.
Sonny's super sticky is really good. I have had excellent results with it.
Earlier someone was asking about the availablity for leaches in SE KS. I have not heard of any bait shops carring them in SE KS. There is a bait shop in Carthage that carries them. I have been asking customers to see if there would be a demand and no one claims to want to use them. I could get them in if there was a demand for them.
Blackdog, the sonnys and the secret seven have been my biggest sales. Danny King is starting to pick up in sales also. Of the sonnys the blood formula sales more then the regular. Danny kings the regular formula out sales the blood and garlic. which formula of sonnys have you had the best luck with?
Spring river is dropping at baxter. Went by there about 6:00 this morning and looked like it has dropped about 3'
heard reports of some flat heads being caught here at the dam in baxter yesterday.
Heard the neosho river was into the park at miami yesterday. been told that you can catch some good cats when it is up into the park at miami.
I use them both. I have not found much difference in the two.
blackdog,
thanks. sometimes get asked what people like better. Since I have never used it personally like to get feedback from people that have.
Sean- what can you tell about the crappie in Montgomery Co. State Lake? Have you done any net sampling for them? If so, what size and how does the population look? I've heard about some big ones caught there in past years. Thanks,
Sinker,
I sample them with trapnets in the fall. There are both black and white crappie in Montgomery SFL but they are at a relatively low abundance. The nice thing is they are in very good condition, fat and sassy. They tend to concentrate around the brush piles in the lake especially the west dock, in early fall and spring. I have a hard time finding them during the summer.
The last creel survey I did on Montgomery was in 2007. During that time there were an estimated 755 crappie harvested at MGSL. Average length for crappie harvested was 9.5-10 inches.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Just in from weekend camp out at Crawford SFL. See my blog on the fishing reports about our success. Kudos to the C.O.'s and staff up there. I understand with all the people out this weekend, it's hard to catch all violators. We witnessed a boat Sunday night without nav. lights on twice. Both times, we saw them, it was almost to late if you know what I mean. Then we saw several people keeping channel cats under the length limit. We did try and find a park ranger when we almost hit the boat, but we never could find one. I know they have other areas up around there they patrol. We always see them in the park, so I think it they were away from the park. They keep it well patroled and we have NEVER had a problem up there. I would say the presence keeps the trouble down. It is just frustrating when we try to abide by the law, then we see someone blatenly breaking the law.
Catman, was also at Crawford State Park. Unfortunately, my friends and I had a very different experience. We set up camp on Wednesday night. We had 3 tents and thought we might have one too many. On Thursday afternoon we were informed by the Park Ranger Mr. Larson that we could only have 1 tent unless there were kids (rule flyers still say 2). There were only 2 sites left. We asked if we could pay extra as we were at a large primitive site. The answer was no. We could all got to Osage Bluff point or leave the park. Keep in mind we had a fishing boat and were planning on bank fishing. Osage Bluff point has no access to water so that was out. We even offered to take 2 tents down and sleep on the ground, again NO. We went to the main office where the "Park Manager" was called and were told here is your money back you may leave. This would not have been that bad had we not camped at a similar large primitive site 3 weeks before and had 4 tents. The Ranger checked us all out and never said anything about the limit. We were not loud and did not "party". Where was the Ranger Wednesday, or why didn't the camp host let us know? We ended up going to Bourbon SFL. Free camping and better fishing. By the way, wy are the people who live on the Crawford allowed to party all night, ski late, and break other rules? This park has very select enforcement. Doubt I will return.
Pyro99, sounds like you had an AWFUL experience. I know if the day comes when this happens to me, it will be our last time there also. I heard people talking of some rule changes that weren't very clear. I can't say what exactly they were, I didn't pay thay much attention. I will pay better attention next time.
Bourbon County Lake is an awesome little lake. Even better during the week when crowds are much lighter! Black crappie, spotted bass, largemouth bass, walleye, cats, perch, and I swear I caught some saugeye there a few years ago. It don't get any better than that!!
Well it is getting frustrating fishing by the rules and catching some decent fish but then sit and watch people in boats and across the river snagging nice flatheads and keeping everyone of them,this is so very frustrating!!!! This occured at Chetopa at the dam,they do it every year and nothing seems to very happen to them,they even do it in the broad daylight.
The phone number for operation game thief is 1-877-426-3843.
It is frustrating to see people breaking the law on fish and game. There is only a very few game wardens compared to regular law enforcement. They each have a big area to cover. Chances are by the time they get to where you are at, the ones in question are long gone. You can always sneak around and get tag numbers, descriptions of cars and trucks and if you have cell phone camera, snap some pics! Anything can help them track them down, or if they run into them later they already have activity against them. Us guys and gals that abide by the law need to help out when we can. Trouble is some people get caught and get their hands slapped, then go right out and continue to do their dirty deeds! We need a 3 strikes yer out rule! And like Baxter Bait check the phone number for Operation Game Thief.
It is frustrating. This last deer season I was issued a ticket. I didn't have a ink pen on me (it was in my other coveralls). I had shot a small doe. I thought, I'd just drive the 3 miles to my inlaws house and tag it. I had my tag in my pocket. Low and behold, when I got to the gate at the road, a CO was sitting there. I know I was in the wrong, he was doing his job. He even stated he knew it was an honest mistake, but had to issue a citation. I went to court, paid my fine, and even took all my critisism I was do. This is the only violation I've ever had. Then I sit and watch others break the law over and over. Whether it's snaggers, telephoners, or the guys running the nets below Chetopa. One of these days, the state will make some serious change when these guys get caught. That is if the local attornies and judges uphold the charges. In my case, they sure did.
The thing I see is that you never see anyone checking. I fish at least two times a week and I have not been checked in the last 20 years. The only time I see a Fish and game officer is on the road. If we are going to have rules then they have to be enforced and the resources have to be deployed so that they can be.
Blackdog, I think that goes to what sinker was saying about not having enough conservation officers.
I heard that on memorial weekend they were checking people at baxter dam. I have also heard of the local baxter PD checking people prior to memorial weekend.
I know I have been checked a few times out at the sportsman pits. most of them have been when i was at the trout pit but there have been a couple of times when I was in area twelve which is over south of scammon.
If you are fishing generally the same area and not being checked I would hope that sean or some other official would relay this information on so that they could make sure to get some more coverage in that area. definetly appears to be a need for more visibilty at your fishing hole to be able to go that long and not be checked.
To start off with, I'm a setliner. I love it and I do it as much as I can. Matter of fact, were were gonna run some lines this weekend, but we needed to get some things done so we rod and reel fished below Chetopa last night. Remember, this is free fishing weekend in our state.I don't know how many PVC jigpoles we could have counted in about a mile and half down river. Don't know how many more were on down river. They were all made the same with a "t" fitting on the end. We did the math. At 8 lines per person, they would have needed a pontoon boat to haul all the legal people they would have needed to legally check thay amount of lines. Ok, last weekeand was Memorial Weekend, lots of people, state may have made several checks. I don't know. Ok, this weekend, several more people out, state has to know this, could also make more checks. I don't know. We saw boats from KS, MO, and OK. Don't know who the lines belonged to. I know with the short number of C. O.'s and budget cuts it is difficult to patrol. In that case, maybe they ought do paperwork during the middle of the week, and patrol on the more 'high traffic" weekends. I don't know. I'm like everyone else. I'm just frustrated. We also ran into the issue of boats without lights. I guess I need to refer to the regs., due you not have to have them on the rivers? On a different note, there is a new sign at the park in Chetopa stating the Neosho River now contains the Asian Carp. Is this the so called "flying fish" you see on T.V.? Or is there other varieties? This worries me for safty reasons. I normally have my 2 young daughters with me. Need to know what preperations I need to take.
it is the same guys everytime and i have worn my phone out making calls..very frustrating!!
To start off with, I'm a setliner. I love it and I do it as much as I can. Matter of fact, were were gonna run some lines this weekend, but we needed to get some things done so we rod and reel fished below Chetopa last night. Remember, this is free fishing weekend in our state.I don't know how many PVC jigpoles we could have counted in about a mile and half down river. Don't know how many more were on down river. They were all made the same with a "t" fitting on the end. We did the math. At 8 lines per person, they would have needed a pontoon boat to haul all the legal people they would have needed to legally check thay amount of lines. Ok, last weekeand was Memorial Weekend, lots of people, state may have made several checks. I don't know. Ok, this weekend, several more people out, state has to know this, could also make more checks. I don't know. We saw boats from KS, MO, and OK. Don't know who the lines belonged to. I know with the short number of C. O.'s and budget cuts it is difficult to patrol. In that case, maybe they ought do paperwork during the middle of the week, and patrol on the more 'high traffic" weekends. I don't know. I'm like everyone else. I'm just frustrated. We also ran into the issue of boats without lights. I guess I need to refer to the regs., due you not have to have them on the rivers? On a different note, there is a new sign at the park in Chetopa stating the Neosho River now contains the Asian Carp. Is this the so called "flying fish" you see on T.V.? Or is there other varieties? This worries me for safty reasons. I normally have my 2 young daughters with me. Need to know what preperations I need to take.
the guys running boats at night at chetopa with no lights are the snaggers
ALOT OF MY FRUSTRATIONS COMES WITH WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A GAME WARDEN TO CONTACT A CITIZEN BACK? IF I WAS TO CALL THE LOCAL POLICE OR SHERRIFF THEY WOULD SEND AN OFFICER TO TAKE MY COMPLAINT BUT I HAVE YET TO TAL TO A WARDEN OR ANYONE FROM KDWP. THE NETS ARE BELOW AND ABOVE CHETOPA AND I THINK ALOT OF THE FISH THAT ARE SNAGGED AND CAUGHT IN NETS IS BEING SOLD. CATMAN I LOVE TO RUN SOME LINES BUT CAN NVER FIND A GOOD SAFE PARTNER I FISH CHETOPA ALOT, I BET WE HAVE FISHED TOGETHER AND DONT EVEN KNOW IT,LOL.
ksfisherman36- we probally have. Years ago, I did use operation game thief, and got a quick response from the local C.O.. But that had to be 14-15 years ago. I know they have an awful lot to do in there job over a very large area. And it not exactlly a job I would want to do. But our tax dollars should at least get us a call back saying they don't think it would be benificial to persue this case. Or I would even settle for, "with the states current budget crisis, we can't afford the gas for me to come and investigate, and the overtime the state may have to pay me and other officers to persue a case that the local attornies are more than likely gonna throw out. So thank you for calling and sorry we can't afford to help you." Heck, I would even settle for that. It just makes a person want to join the crowd, but then when that person gets caught, that's the one they will make an example out of. Ksfisherman36, we need to get a hold of each other some time, maybe do some setlining. I have a friend just transplanted from Texas wanting to try it. I'm from the Columbus area, and he's from Girard. Good fishin.
YA catman a phone call of any kind would please me,but oh well,Edna area here email is ksfisherman33@yahoo.com drop me a line sometime
Went down to the dam on 99 at Emporia. Saw about 10 "sportsman" fishing on the South side of the old bridge. All had rigs that were set up for snagging saw a couple of flatheads on the ground. This is a normal practice there when the Cottonwood gets up. This has been going on for decades. It seems like everyone but the fish and game folks knows about the snagging there. I did go to the fish and game office and tell them about it. Hope something was done.
Anyone know why posts aren't showing up on the fishing report side. i have tried to post several times in the last few weeks but none have shown up. The last post is from 3 weeks ago. What's up???
Pyro99- In the upper right hand of the blog box you'll see 1-200, I think. Then right beside it, it'll say newer, and newest. Click on newest. That section is out of space, so there is a new page.
Well right about now I ought to be coming in from checking our setlines.But I'm not. Yesterday evening, wife and kids and I went over to Spring River above Riverton to put in some setlines. This is were I cut my teeth on the river. I figured since the Neosho River was so high, I would go up Spring and fish the Shawnee Creek. We had 4 lines set when a man on a 4 wheeler came and motioned us over to the bank. He told us that the creek was under his private ownership and that we would have to leave. Said there was an offical sign at the mouth of the creek explaining this. I've read that land owners own to the center of the river/creek in KS, except for the 3 navigable waterways. This is the first time I have ever been asked to leave. We pulled our lines and left. I didn't need an conflict. At the mouth, grown up in brush, there was a sign from KDWP stating private property. I really think the state of KS needs to reevaluate this law. I find it hard to beleave a landowner could own a flowing body of water. Do they then own the fish and game that migrate up the creek from the river? Does this not sound like the days of Kings, when royalty owned the land and game? I don't have a problem with people owning land, but a flowing body of water? Do the laws of number of setlines pertain to private waters? If so, our local C. O.'s need to take a boat ride up there. Just frustrating. I know Rep. Doug Gatewood, so next time I visit with him, I'm gonna bring this up. Like I said, this is the first time I have ever ran into this before. I understand a few years back a landowner put a cable across Shoal Creek in the same attempt. My wife said our last 2 or 3 trips to the Spring River have ended in bad experiences so we neen to sratch it off our list. I think we'll just keep fishing the Neosho River, seem to have better luck there anyhow. Just thought it would be neat to fish my boyhood waters. Guess not. Thanks Kansas.
I used to live years ago in New Jersey. I had many run-ins with people who accused me of trespassing when trout fishing. Oftentimes I was IN the water wading and told to leave. I'm not sure of the law in Kansas concerning who owns what when it comes to the streams and rivers but in New Jersey it is clearly written that a stream or river that is maintained by the fisheries and wildlife department is NOT private property and people are allowed to fish it as long as they stay within ten feet of the bank. I wonder how the law in Kansas is written concerning this? Be interesting to find out...
I enjoy the State Fishing Lakes (Lyon Co., Osage Co., Miami Co., etc.) Last weekend I went to Osage Co. for the first time. Saturday was hot and humid and I did real good on crappie by the boat ramp and dam. Caught a bunch of nice, fat 9-12 inchers. Anybody having any good luck at the State Fishing Lakes or smaller community lakes?
Fishermanbob-we fish Crawford SFL quite a bit and usually do real well. On Memorial weekend we caught several channal cats, but all except 6 if I remember were short. Less than the 15 in. min. We also caught a lot of crappie, also were just short of being keepers by what we look for. None the less, they all were fun catching.
I too enjoy setting lines and fishing rivers. In all my years of fishing the Verdigris and Elk rivers I have never run into any landowners asking me to leave. I don't agree with the laws either. Stating the owner has property rights to the middle of the river? I thought any water that the state helped to stock was public fishing? How many fish have escaped impoundments during flooding times that were stocked by the state? So in essence the state HAS stocked the rivers! As long as I was not trespassing on the owners property to get to the water, I would be tempted to just move my lines to the other side of the river! I think the property should end at the waters edge. What if every landowner would take the stance of enforcing current law? How would anyone get to fish on a river? I'm sorry-but I think anyone that pushes that on anyone is just being an asshole! At least on any fisherman who is just fishing legally. Catman- report back as to what is said on this matter if you would!
Sinker, I agree. What's to say a landowner upstream decides, hm, I think I'll just put a dam accross this creek, and make my own little reservoir. Now, more than likely, this body of water is flowing into a bigger body of water that is more than likely supplying water to a town/city. Now how does ownership justify this? This could be argued till the sun comes up. Likewise, I've never been asked to leave. I think the magority of landowners don't have a problem, till fisherman start getting out onto there land. I can repsect that. If your fishing, your really don't need to be out trapzing around their property. In a situation like this, I have to wonder, is there something illegal going on in this area? Also, I am a true believer that some people are just naturally grumpy, and are not happy unless they are being grumpy to others. If this would have happened a few years ago before my daughters were born, I probably would have had a confrontation with this man. When my daughters were born, I mellowed, and I'm certainly not going to make problems when there with me in the boat. So, it's back to the Neosho River.
catman,
thanks for you comment on the asian carp sign at chetopa. I had called the state a while back to report of hearing of asain carps being caught at chetopa. sounds like the did some follow-up and confirmed this.
I got in some team catfish sudden impact and fished it and danny kings. I was using a bare treble hook when fishing. In my opinion the Danny kings stayed on better then the sudden impact. The sudden impact stayed on good just not quite as good as the danny kings. I got more bites on the sudden impact then I did on the danny kings
Bloggers, I applogize for harping on this, I'm gonna try and drop it. Anyhow, If a landowner has ownership to the center of a river/creek, are they being taxed on the land that lies within the river? How is my situation different than a landowner owning to the center of a county road. Can he keep people from driving down his side of the road legally? I tell you, KS must have had some morons writing the laws years ago, because some of them just don't make sense. I talked to a friend of my who fishes Spring River a lot, and he USED to fish Shawnee Creek. He had a run in with the same landowner, said the guy is a real jerk. I just glad there are still decent landowners who respect fisherman and allow us access to creeks and rivers. To any landowners on this blog, thank you.
If the water is not for public use why can you only set 8 limb lines or only keep 5 flatheads?
Just to make this post apply to the fishing report, fished the back of big hill 3 trot lines and 8 limb lines between us, one channel, used shad sides, cut and live perch. Had t limb lines and my gps stolen from my truck, the boys did not lock the truck back up. Camped @ timber hill
Previous post, sorry to hear of your bad luck. Years ago, I too had my limblines stolen. As to your post, I too agree, there are many "gray" areas on this law. If you look at my previous post on this subject, I said there were countless limblines up the Shawnee. They all had a 2 liter pop bottle tied to them as a float. There were way more than what 4 people could fish if you can only use 8 on private on private waters. And I was maybe only up in the creek a 100 yds. But I don't know if statewide regulations apply to private waters. I really wish someone from the state could give me some insight on this on the blog.
See alot of people using dip and sponge baits on here. I have huge success on premo, just my luck maybe danny king also. FYI ditch the sponge, use a small square of batting out of a pillow, dab it in your tub real good and fish. You cant pull this stuff off of your hook. When you rebait step on it and wring the water out as not to water down your bait. Best stuff i have used.
Thanks for the pillow batting tip. I will try this. One little tip I can share, We've been using the 2 inch diptubes with a sponge from Magic Bait. First, I take the tube off, and cut it in half. Now, I have to bait. Except, I've just been using a regular 2/0 "j" hook with the tube. The bait I'm using is very sticky, so I really don't need the sponge. And with the "j" hook, we have less fish swallow the hook. If we won't bigger baits, we put both pieces of tube on the hook. Or we us the treble and sponge/tube for the kids.I will try the batting trick this weekend.
To the previous post. Is the pillow batting you're using foam like in a couch cushion, or is it the poly fiber fill like you would put in a homemade doll??
Poly fiber catman works great get a lifetime supply at wal-mart, cheap. I got a paper sacke full at a yard sale for a quarter. FYI been catching many 12 to 17 pound channel cats at Elm Creek lake in Bourbon county, tear you up. Been doing it all spring. I would put this little lake up against any in the state. Try it!
Not sure about this year but last they where feeding 1200lbs of feed a week out of three feeders. You will see more big fish feed than you ever have. It is unreal for a lake right at 100 acres.
Any suggestions. I like using wild worms, especially nightcrawlers. For years, I've dug them, but after 3 back surgeries, it's an awful lot more work then it used to be. Mainly use them for cats, but mainly get just enough for catchin' perch for bait now. Sometimes though, a flathead just likes a big glob of worms. A friend suggested making a shocker out of 110 volts, but I read a lot of negative info online about this. Tried a method I read, bout using to copper rods 6 feet apart, then hooking up jumpercables to my truck while it was running. No luck with this. Anyone have a trick for collecting worms. If I have to, I'll keep diggin, and buy a really big bottle of aleeve. Commercial worms just don't have the same pazazz as wild worms I think. Thanks for any info.
I pick up several dozen worms a year. Big fat nightcrawlers after a good shower my buddies and i may pick up 30 or 40 dozen a night, we catch 90% of all our flatheads in worms. Now this is rod and reel fishing not setlines where i do use perch.have caught several flats over 20 this yr and 2 over 40 and many small ones all on my picked up "free" night crawlers.
Them wild worms are to dangerous!
Never dug night crawlers before, hence the name night crawlers.Dug alot of sod worms though. Beat night crawlers 10 to 0. Buddy caught a yellow cat at emporia last saturday over 70lbs, sod worms.
the way we found nightcrawlers was to lay out big sections of carpet and keep them wet. A steel drum split lengthwise with drain holes drilled into the bottom will keep worms until the end of may. Refrigeration will be needed after that. It's easier though to find them at night during the heavy rain storms.
I pick up crawlers when I find them in the yard. I've got a pretty good spot to dig along a local river. My main occupation has me working the midnight shift, so that rules out picking them up at night. Thanks for all the good tips.
It's good to hear that the Cottonwood still has big catfish.
he's still there.
Is pit 41 good walleye fishing
this pit is by big brutus.
right now in this hot weather
they would be hard to catch????
any help would be appreciated
I've lived here all my life, so I know the pitts by name, not by there #. If is the pit that Big Brutus sets on, there are walleye in it. The ones I have caught were caught by accident while bass fishing with crankbaits. Never really specificly targeted them.
Catman
I was asking you about pit 41
that pit is located 1 mile
south of brutus and back west
1 mile then south 1/2 mile
the pit you were talking
about you said you have
walleye while bass fishing
were the walleye any size????
pr bait shop says there are
big walleye in there
I am new as for fishing these
pits for walleye
I wished there was more
interest in SE kansas for
fishing for walleye
people really don't know
what they are missing
because I go to Minnesota
every year for walleye and
Northen pike what a riot
lots of fun thanks
your local
Gunsmith
Gunsmith-Now I know which pit your talking about. I never have caught any out of that particular one. I do know of an 8 plus pounder coming from it about 20 years ago. Older locals tell me that was the first pit that was stocked with walleye. I don't know for sure. As far as size, the north pit of section 24, on the west side (split boat ramps) I've caught two from it between 20-22 inches. The one I caught in Brutus pit was to short to even measure. Now we've caught about a half dozen legal keepers up at Bone Creek. But that was 6-7 years ago. They were big enough we didn't even measure them, we knew they were keepers. Late winter, to early sping, there are reports of one or two big fish being caught at the dam in Baxter. A buddy of fine saw a bonafide 10 pounder caught there this past spring. I believe him because he to goes to Canada. As for interest in SEK. I wish they would have filled the trout lake with walleye instead of what they put in it. I'm gonna catch some flak over this, but please remember this is only MY opinion. There is a lot of people who fish for the trout, and I have to. Just is if I'm gonna pay to fish a lake, I want to fish for fish thay have some "shoulders" on them. Again, this is my opinion, not my intent to start an argument.
Catman
Yes I wish the state would stock more walleye in these pits. What.I mean is more than a 100 fish per acre.This means all the other predators thats in the pits so the young walleye would have a chance to live and grow big. I don't think there is much interest in this area for walleye fishing.
This is just my opinion.Because there so hard to catch.I am a Gunsmith by trade. If you would like to lean about guns and what makes them tick. Iam the kind of person that like to teach people.
The right way about guns and shooting. I've been Gunsmithing for 30 yrs plus. My grandfather taught me gunsmithing in Iowa.
He Gunsmithed for 65yrs.I had a very good teacher. I have access to new gun parts and old parts.
Also new and used guns.
I would be interested in getting to know you??????????????????
You can contact me at
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Hepler,ks
Shop 620-358-4302
cell 620-249-8158
Restaurant 620-724-7440
If I can be any help let me know
Thanks Dave
Gunsmith, I'll keep your number handy. I do some shooting and hunting also. Not as much shooting anymore since my kids came along. My oldest girl is starting to show interest in shooting, so maybe our family can pick it up again.Just in this morning from "fishing" for a rod and reel that got pulled from the boat Sat. evening. Luckily after about an hour, I was able to hook it a little ways from where it went in. This was a gift from my wife years ago, so it was very special to me, and luckily I found it. With about a 5 lb. channel cat still on it. Lost it at the boat, but the rod and reel meent more to me than the fish anyway.
Going camping over at Chetopa this weekend. Inquiring if anyone up in the J. Redmond area has any idea what the Corps. is gonna do with the gates in the the next couple of days. I been keeping track of the release and flow rates on the net. Just wondering if anyone up there has talked to anyone that has anything to do with the reservoir.? Thanks for any info.
Catman, glad you were able to retrieve your rod and reel. you had mentioned earlier about worms. you might want to try the catalpa worms they are out now.
Catman, noticed you did not mention the tub of bait you were using. has there been something said about not mentioning brands on here. looking at the tubs here I was able to determine which one I believe you are using. Have you moved away from the impact?
Baxter Bait, nothing been said about brands being mentioned. Just figured everyone has their opion of what they want to use. I haven't moved from the impact. I been fishing still water last couple of trips, so we've been sticking with the Secret 7. Will be fishing running water this weekend, so we'll break out the Sudden Impact. Good to hear from you. Noticed you've not blogged lately. Boy, I can't wait for the weekend.
sounds like you pit fisherman have all the ingredients for growing 20# plus walleye assuming the trout and walleye are living together. Let's hope somebody will be there to pull that feat off someday.
Catman,
let me know how the impact works for you when it is hot. I hear the other popular bait with fibers in it does not do quite as good in the hot weather.
business has slowed a lot since the mercury started to rise. imagine a lot of fisherman have shifted over to night fishing during this heat.
Sean, have a question. How old is a 15" channel cat? I've been catching them at the State Lake and most are 16-18" range. They sure are purty cats! Tasty too! Just wondering the age it takes to reach the 15" mark. Secret 7 dip bait is knocking them out, along with regular Spam in the can! I'm gonna try some bacon flavoured Spam next week. Thanks,
Sinker, when you are fishing with spam to you cut it up and then let it set out to harden or do you use it fresh? If fresh does it stay on very good?
Baxter Bait-I use spam fresh out of the can and even leave out of the fridge in between trips. Just don't let the heat get to it! Keep in an airtight container. I cut it into small chunks and fish on a Bill Dance Whisker Sticker hook. [kahle]. It stays on surprisingly good. When they are looking for meat they bite pretty good on it, but other times won't touch it. The very first time I used Spam was several years ago on Wilson State Lake up north of Altoona, and I fished all night with it as my only bait. I caught 4 channels about 3-4 lbs and then at 6 am I caught my personal best at 27 lbs. Needless to say I was sold on Spam! It's just another fun bait to add to the arsenal! And if ya get hungry, well just take some crackers with ya and have a Spam snack! If you look up the Arkansas or maybe the Missouri blue cat record many years ago it was caught on a hunk of Spam. 103 lbs! Just like all baits it don't work all the time tho from my experience.
Baxter Bait, Didn't get to fish a whole lot this weekend, but did some. As for the sudden impact, works pretty good in hot weather. Stays on the hook good to, or as well as you can expect in water flowing 10,000 + cfs. I have used in in normal flows and it stays on extremely well. We have had as good luck as sinker on the Secret7. We were able to anchor in an eddie Friday evening and caught one on Secret 7, 5 or 6 other bites.
Sinker,
The catfish are first stocked in October and 8 inches in length on average (age I); they typically will reach 15 inches by their 2nd year in the lake (age III) and 20 inches by age VI.
I will have to give spam a try. Looks like the catfish should be going hard with all this runoff.
Thanks for the interest.
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
Has anybody noticed how the fish health at Coffey County seems to have gone down drastically the past few years? The crappie used to be nice and plump, and although we still catch hundreds of them, they are not nearly as thick and almost all of them are 13 3/4". We used to pull 50-70 walleye a day out of it, and I haven't caught a walleye in 2 years. The smallmouth seem to be doing well, and it has a killer white bass population. I've pulled more whites out in the last 2 years than ever before. The catfishing has remained consistent. What changed the the crappie and walleye took a nose dive?
well if you take fifty fish of any kind a day from a smaller lake, there wont be many left in future years.!!!!
If fishing the pits after dark, watch for other boats that don't have navigation lights. Darn near hit one last night. You can buy non permenant lights at Wal-Mart for a little bit of nothing. That's what we have. When not in use, they can be stored away. A lot of people think you don't have to have them in the pits, but they are considered SFL's. Nothing else, wave a flash light to let boats know you are there. Been experiencing a lot of this on the rivers and Crawford SFL this year, more than in the past. I don't know why. I'll take my chances with lights, and let people know where I'm at. If I'm taking a midnight swim, it's gonna be in a pool, where I won't lose my gear.
Pull was a bad choice of words. Catch 50-70 a day would have been worded better.
huh?
after reading infishermans walleye manual, I read that they say we are going through what is called warm water burn out. Our waters here are warmer, hence faster growth, and sooner death. 5-6 years average lifespan. Deeper/cooler water will slow that a little I think. If they spawn at coffey co., we have smallmouth and white bass feeding on newly hatched fry supposedly. Common sense tells me they are. If there are more whites than largemouth, then the lake isn't deep enough and the white bass are eating everything else, but this is just my opinion. Stocking 6-8" walleye fingerlings in late fall will help a little, but alot of those big white bass need to be moved elsewhere. John Redmond basin area for example. That used to be quality white bass fishing in the day, but not anymore. 3 million walleye fry per year would be nice at coffey, but what are they to eat? Someone has some work to do there, but if no one is fishing it why bother.
Maybe the walleye used the overflow spillway at coffey county lake and swam to the neosho river. A 13 3/4" catching length for crappie average is good for any lake isn't it. Sounds good to me unless they are all skinny and pale colored.
I'm thinking about heading to Coffey Co lake tonight. In search of white bass and crappie. I'll post geotags if I get on some fish.
today might be a big fish possibility. We are on a new moon phase, but fri. or sat. may be a better opportunity for better fishing. (16th/8th moon phase) I would wait, but stay there as late as possible if you are still going today.
Alot of people watch moon phases, wind direction, barometer and etc. I know this all can improve your odds of success, and I've tried a lot of it over the years, wish I would have kept records to see how well it all worked. About the only thing I watch now is the cows. Old saying, if the cows are a eatin', then the fish are a bitin'. But I know for a fact, you can't catch fish if you stay at home. So if the feening arises, grab the fishin' poles and hit the water! Good luck.
from my experience-
high barometer reading-little or no fish. exception for that are trout after front passes. little wind and cold, bright sunny days. use powerbait blue/yellow mixed.
wind- some fish know where to be before the wind starts up. Here is a pattern I started about ten years ago. Day 1 after front passes- poor/so-so fishing. Day 2 after front is a little better. Day 3 will be better than Day 1 and 2 combined. Day 4 will be the best after the front passes. If we're lucky for days 5 and 6 (not often) of stable weather after a front, it's usually can't miss.
If you want, try using the moon phases for post-spawn walleye, spawning flathead/channels in early june (rivers), and the sept/oct. phases (after water turns a bit) for nightime walleye fishing with shallow running crankbaits, especially with the full moon glowing with little/no clouds.
anyone know where i could find some contour maps of Osage sfl? would love to try crappie and walleye fishing there and @ carbondale...I have a map of carbondale...
Go to that baitshack/marina-office at the s.w. corner of lake if it is still there. Ask if there any oldtimers that might know who might have one or see if he/she knows if one was ever made.
Anybody with any decent catches from below Redmond dam in the past month. That was a lot of water being released.
Where can a guy pick nightcrawlers at.
Any local parks or what towns to go.
If anyone knows where there is a.
Place let me know.
Thanks
When I've had the chance too, I've done it in my own yard. Since I work nights, I don't always have an opportunity. One tip, stay away from areaa that have been treated with chemicals. Alot of my neighbors treat their yards, so it's like the worms "flock" to my yard. My wife objects to me digging of the entire yard though.lol.
Water was too high above redmond, but if you found the right spots above it was great. Caught 3 flatheads in 10 minutes on a rising Neosho middle of last week. Could've caught more, but it was getting hard for me to land them by myself.
Peter Pan Park in Emporia used to have a boatload of nightcrawlers. Since I got them started in my yard I haven't had to go look anywhere else.
Sean L. are there 100 pound or bigger flathead catfish encountered during public fish salvage in the stilling basins? ex. John Redmond basin (or others)
The simple answer is no there are no 100 pound flatheads found at the stilling basin clean outs. Here at Elk City the largest are typically in the 40 lb range, with an occasional 60showing up.
However, this does not mean that larger fish are not in the system. Fish are very perceptive of dropping flows. When the COE is going to do a clean out/ inspection they will typically drop the flow rate in stages to give the fish present the time to move downstream to deeper water. In a few instances after a high water year the gate changes were not staged but very sudden. When this took place larger fish (up to 80 lbs) were trapped.
While I do not participate in all salvages throughout the state a 100 lb flathead is an extremely rare occurrence. If one shows up in a salvage operation it will make the news for sure.
Thanks
Sean Lynott
District Fisheries Biologist
I'm wondering if anyone else is having as poor luck bass fishing as I am. I haven't bass fished much this year, but when I have, done poorly. I haven't even cleaned a bass this year. My dad and nephew hasn't done real great either. We just haven't caught the numbers we have in the last 4-5 years. Could Largemouth Bass virus have hit the Strip Pits like it did Crawford SFL a couple of years ago? Maybe just over harvest? Poor spawning last couple of years? I'm just baffled.
Try to fish the smaller pits. The fish will be easier to figure. Look for frog activity. Fish water where dead trees have fallen in over the years. During the day use a realistic looking plastic crawdad or jig/pig combo. Consider downsizing lures and line. If frogs are present right at dark, throw a leopard frog pattern zara spook. Don't move it until the ripples from lure hitting water have smoothed out. Do your best to make it look as real as possible when working across the water. If I have confidence in my lure selection, one thing to do is to find a grasshopper and throw him far out into the water. When the hopper moves, move your lure just like him. When it stops, don't move your lure. About 8-10 ft from end of cast, really start moving lure to make it look like it's trying to escape. If it doesn't work on the first try, there ain't nothing there. Fish during windy periods. More than likely, the bass are suspended and stressed, but trying is better than staying home.
Thanks for the tips, but this isn't my first rodeo. Everything you've mentioned has been tried. I've been talking to several friends who haven't been doing good bass fishing this year. It's not like we all have been making mistakes everytime we go out. I'm thinking if several people are having the same results pretty much, then the problem lies within the bodies of water.? I serve on a D.U. committee with the caretaker of the MLWA in CK county. I think I'll try to get a hold of him, maybe he has some insight. Will pass on any info I get.
Ask around to see if any of the bass are swimming around in circles, upside down or floating dead. That will be lmbv. If not, more likely over harvest, like you suggested, or a smarter breed of bass. My opinion here- No lmbv and 4-5 years of so-so fishing, bass are bigger and territorial. Check the size of the sunfish excluding bluegill. Big sunfish- Bigger bass. A bunch of little sunfish, pick another pit.
A longshot here is that the flathead and snapping turtles done ate everything.
Between you and the MLWA caretaker would be something to look forward to.
I don't even bass fish in the daytime anymore. 20 years ago I started fishing at night for bass and haven't looked back since. Mainly to avoid the crowds on Big Hill, especially tournaments on weekends. Starting on the weeks of the full moon and weeks of the dark moon, in July and continuing thru October and even November some years. I have fished most lakes in my area, with my favs being Wilson and Bourbon State lakes. Those lakes have good populations of spotted bass along with largemouth. I don't waste my time before midnite and fish thru early daylite swithching over to topwater. Spinnerbait with colorado blade, jigs, crankbaits, BIG worms [look like snakes], all dark colors. Have had many 100 plus catch nights, along with many surprise fish such as big channel cats and drum, crappie and occasional walleye. Nothing like slaying them at 2 or 3 in the morning and you are the only one on the lake!! If I lived by those strip pits I would be on those suckers at night!
Now that I've thought about it, it could be over harvest of bass. If people are catching and keeping spawning bass, it could deplete numbers some. If the male bass are being kept during nesting duties/fry guarding, that would be reason for even fewer fish for the future. I don't know if the bass resumes his duties after being caught or abandons the eggs/fry.?
Sean- I have caught several channel cats at the Elk Lake this summer and in the past that have little red dots or pimples on their sides. Some have just a few and others have a bunch. They seem to look healthy other than that, but are they safe to eat? What is this condition? Thanks,
Catman,
If you get the chance give me a call here at the store. 856-2600. There is a gentleman that would like for me to pass you along his contact information he would like to discuss bass fishing in the pits and stuff with you.
on a side note the bait shop in chetopa has been closed for a few weeks. I heard that there is a chance it might be open this weekend. river is suppose to be down but the fish are biting there is what I was told.
Baxter Bait, I was gone for a few days, and been busy getting ready for school. Got a couple of open house/meet and greets tonight. Will try and give you a call tomorrow. Thank,and don't give up on me.
Catman,
Not a problem been crazy around here the last couple of days with getting kids ready for school and stuff.
Just watched the video on KDWP home page. good video do have one suggestion. the video states it is hard to tell the difference between the carp and bait fish (I assume they mean shad). would suggest giving some identifying characteristics of the carp and maybe a side by side shot of a small carp and a shad to point out the differences. Just my thought.
I understand the concern for aquatic infestation, asian carp and such, but how far does the law go on the bait fish, and or bait? Is frozen shad or jarred bait legal then where does is stop. How many people catch there perch in the river to set lines? I would venture to say none. How many people catch there striped frogs at the location you are going to fish? I know i like to have my bait before i go. Who wants to go fishing and have to catch bait if possible where you are going to fish? I just don't care to load up and plan a day and then get the wind let out of my sails because of no bait. What about minnows from the local bait shop?
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