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REGION 1

CEDAR BLUFF RESERVOIR     (6,869 Acres)

Updated 1/25/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 2144.0 Temperature:

Inflow: 20 cfs Outflow: 0 cfs Level:  15.34 feet low

Black Crappie  Fair Black crappie abundance increased slightly over what it has been over the past five years, but still remains moderate. A wide size range of fish is available with a respectable proportion of the population 10 inches and larger. Production and recruitment has been sufficient to replace fish lost to angler harvest over the past several years. And a stronger 2010 year class was established due to high water two springs ago. This stronger 2010 year class increased overall crappie numbers some, but don't expect the crappie fishing to be as good as it was back in the late '90's.

 White Crappie  Fair White crappie abundance increased over what we saw last year and indicated moderate numbers of fish. The primary factor causing the increased abundance metric was good survival of the relatively strong 2010 year class which results in a population dominated by small, young fish. Although small fish are numerous a wide size range of fish is available with some real nice fish up to 15 inches present. Although it is unlikely that crappie fishing will be as good as it was in the late '90's we may realize a noticeable uptick in crappie fishing due to the high water experienced during the 2010 spring.

 Largemouth Bass  Poor Largemouth bass abundance was similar to what has been observed over the past four years, and indicated moderate to low abundance. A wide length range of fish is available but larger fish dominate the population.

 Walleye  Good  Walleye abundance remains good primarily due to the establishment of a very strong 2010 year class, but a moderate 2011 year class was established. Fish in the 14 to 16 inch range currently dominate the population although numbers of fish 18 inches and larger are solid.

 White Bass  Good  White bass abundance was relatively stable at a moderate level. A wide range of sizes are available and the abundance of larger fish 15+ inches increased over what we saw last year. Excellent shad production during 2011 meant ample forage resulting in larger fish and thicker fillets.  

  The daily Creel Limit for Wipers is 2.

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GLEN ELDER RESERVOIR (12,586 Acres)
(WACONDA)

Updated  1/20/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1455.6 Temperature: 

Inflow: 20 cfs Outflow: 1501 cfs Level: 9.55 feet high

Walleye  Good  16-22 inches and 9-11 inches  We collected a very nice sample of walleye during fall netting with all of the adult fish between 16 and 22 inches. Nearly 50% of the adults were over the 18 inch minimum length limit. We also saw fair numbers of age-0 fish indicating a 2011 year class was produced.

 White Bass  Good  11-15 inches and 6-9 inches  White bass numbers were up during our 2011 fall sampling with most of the adults between 11 and 15 inches or 1-2 pounds, and only a few over 15 inches. There was also a big year class of whites produced so expect to catch many of those 7 to 10 inch fish as well.

 Wipers  Fair  17-22 inches with a few up to 26 inches  Our sampling indicated a decline in the wiper numbers due to the lack of stocking since 2008. These fish continue to grow well with several of those 3 year olds already reaching 5 pounds. Fish from the 2006 stocking are still out there and will run 6 to 9 pounds. I plan to stock wipers here in 2012.

 Channel Catfish  Good  All Sizes  We had one of our best channel catfish samples this fall with good numbers of all sizes collected. The greatest number of catfish were between 14 and 25 inches, but several nice fish over 30 inches were collected as well with the biggest 16.2 pounds. Anglers should expect good angling success for these guys in 2012.

 Crappie  Good  8 to 15 inches  Despite very low catches in the nets due to cold water temperatures, I expect another good crappie year in 2012. There are still plenty of 10-12 inch fish with some smaller 7-9 inch guys coming into the population. Fish up to 16 inches can be found as well, but they will be fewer in number this year. High numbers of 2-4 inch crappie were collected and may lead to a nice 2011 year class if they can survive.

 Black Bass  Good  6-20 inches  The bass population is still dominated by smallmouth bass between 9 and 19 inches, but we saw much better numbers of largemouth bass while sampling last spring. These guys range from 11 to 16 inches and should provide some good action as well. Smallies up to 6 pounds were reported by anglers last year so look out for some trophies as well.

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KANOPOLIS RESERVOIR  (16,000 Acres)

Updated  1/23/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1463.0 Temperature: 

Inflow: 60 cfs Outflow: 117 cfs Level:3.34 feet high

Channel Catfish  Fair  Variety  Liver, shrimp, and other prepared baits will continue to work. Cut bait is a popular fall and winter bait and often the fishing is really good in the upper end where the river comes into the lake. Chumming the south side humps is ongoing and guys are using worms and dip baits.

 Crappie  Fair  Variety of Sizes - mostly 11 to 12 inches  As the water cools off the fish will begin to move shallower along the dam and around the boat docks. Try small jigs and small slab spoons. Should just get better and better as the water cools down.

 Trout  The seep stream will be stocked January 25th with 1,400 more rainbow trout. Many trout are still being caught from the previous stockings, so fishing should be great!

 Walleye/Saugeye  Fair  Variety  As the water cools down the fish should be moving around a bit more. Sometimes saugeye can be taken on shad colored crankbaits around the rocks. You will want switch to small slab spoons now too - got a report on spoons from 7.5 feet of water. MAKE SURE YOU THROW BACK ALL THOSE UNDER 15 INCHES - there are still some of those out there!!!!! We had a significant dieoff of these species the week of Aug 8 - lost somewhere between 1500 and 2000 fish with initial indications the cause due to heat and handling related stress that led to bacterial/fungal infection on the outside of the fish. Fall sampling indicates that the kill had little effect on the population and good recruitment this year indicates that saugeye and walleye numbers will actually be higher in 2011.

 White Bass  Fair  All sizes - lots of 9 to 11 inch fish  There are lots of white bass in the lake and a lot of shad too. Look for schooling activity and watch for the birds. Windblown points are often good places to wade fish in the fall and winter. Any shad type lure should work but slab spoons are the bait of choice with boat anglers. White bass numbers in fall netting samples were tremendous and a wide range of sizes will be caught this winter and next year.  

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KIRWIN RESERVOIR (5,000 Acres)

Updated 1/25/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1729.3 Temperature:

Inflow: 10 cfs Outflow: 80 cfs Level: 1.33 feet high

Walleye  Good  Majority 20 to 25 inches  Walleye fishing should be good as numbers are up this year with 16% being in the 15 to 20 inch size range, 54% being in the 20 to 25 inch size range and 5% over 25 inches. Therefore 75% are over the 15 inch length limit. The remaining 6% being young of the year (YOY) fish. The largest fish sampled weighted 8.7 lbs. Rated #2 in state for density.

 White Bass  Good  Majority 6 to 9 inches Numbers are up from last year with the majority of fish being in the 6 to 9 inch size range accounting for 40%. Fish 9 to 12 inches accounted for 23%, 12 to 15 inch fish accounted for 25% and fish over 15 inches accounted for 6%. The biggest fish weighted 3.1 lbs.

 Wiper  Good  Majority 8 to 11 inches  Numbers are up from last year with the majority of fish being in the 8 to 11 inch size range accounting for 34%. Fish 11 to 15 inches accounted for 21%, 15 to 20 inch fish accounted for 32% and fish over 20 inches accounted for 3%. The biggest fish weighted 7.1 lbs.

 Channel Catfish  Fair  Majority 12 to 15 inches  Catfishing should be fair with the numbers down slightly from last year. The population is still fairly young with fish 12 to 15 inches being 38% and fish 16 to 19 inches accounted for 19% 20 inch + fish accounted for 13% and the remainder were YOY fish. Biggest fish weighted 9.5 lbs.

 Crappie  Good  Majority 2 to 5 inches  Although low numbers of fish were caught in the trap nets due to cold fronts passing through crappie fishing should be good for black crappie and white crappie. Had a really good crappie spawn for both with 43% of the blacks and 83 % of the whites being 2 to 5 inches. However, the density rating for black crappie is #1 in the state.

 Largemouth Bass  Fair  Majority 12 to 15 inches  The bass fishery is starting to come around and should be fair. The majority of fish were in the 12 to 15 inch size range accounting for 68% and fish 15 to 20 inches accounted for 4%. Density rating for the state is #8.

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LOVEWELL RESERVOIR  (2,986 Acres)

Updated 1/19/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1582.6 Temperature: 

Inflow: 20 cfs Outflow: 112 cfs Level: 4.60 feet high

Walleye  Fair  17-25 in. and 8-10 in.  Walleye numbers collected during fall sampling look similar to last year's totals with most of the adults between 17 and 25 inches. Over 80% of the adults were greater than the 18 inch length limit. Fortunately, good numbers of 8-10 inch walleye were also collected indicating there is a year class coming on.

 White Bass  Good  10-16 in. and 5-8 in.  White bass numbers were up this fall thanks to a strong 2010 year class. Fish between 10 and 16 inches will be most common, but there is also a decent 2011 year class of whites which will be represented with 5 to 8 inch fish. Anglers should see improved white bass angling in 2012.

 Wipers  Fair  19-21" 14-15 " and 8-10 inches  Wiper numbers look similar to last year, but size structure will be smaller. Lack of recruitment in recent years has led to a lack of larger wipers with only 7 over 15 inches collected. Two younger year classes are showing up, though, with 8-10 inch age-0 fish and 14-15 inch age-1 fish collected. Wipers will be stocked annually.

 Channel Catfish  Good  Mostly 17 to 28 inches  Catfish numbers were down this fall compared to last, but a strong population remains in the reservoir. Anglers may see a slight decline in catch rates in 2012, but fish between 17 and 28 inches are still fairly common with the occasional trophy over 15 pounds.  

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KEITH SEBELIUS RESERVOIR   (2,300 Acres)
(NORTON)

Updated 1/25/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 2304.3 Temperature:

Inflow: 5 cfs Outflow 1 cfs Level: 6.40 feet low

Saugeye  Good  Majority 13 to 18 inches  Saugeye fishing should be good as numbers are up this year with 67% being in the 13 to 18 inch size range and 15% being over 18 inches. The remaining 18% being young of the year (YOY) fish. The largest fish sampled weighted 7.4 lbs. Rated #1 in state for density.

 Wiper  Good  Majority 15 to 20 inches  Numbers are up from last year with the majority of fish being in the 15 to 20 inch size range accounting for 83% and fish 20 to 25 inches accounted for 9%. The biggest fish weighted 5.14 lbs. Density rating for the state is #2.

 Channel Catfish  Good  Majority 16 to 24 inches  Catfishing should be good with the numbers up considerably from last year. The population is dominated by 16 to 24 inch fish accounting for 61%, fish 24 to 28 inches accounted for 24% and 20 inch + fish accounted for 12% and the remainder were YOY fish. Biggest fish weighted 18.3 lbs. Density rating for the state is #1.

 Crappie  Good & Fair  Majority 2 to 5 inches  Crappie fishing should be good for black crappie and fair for white crappie. Had a really good crappie spawn for both with 97% of the blacks and 90% of the whites being 2 to 5 inches. However, the density rating for black crappie is #2 in the state.

 Largemouth/Spotted Bass  Good  Majority 4 to 8 inches  Numbers are up from last year with the majority of the largemouth being in the 4 to 8 inch size range accounting for 40%. Fish 8 to 12 inches accounted for 22%, 12 to 15 inch fish accounted for 27% and fish over 15 inches accounted for 11%. The biggest fish weighted 3.4 lbs. Density rating for the state is #1. Spotted bass numbers are down from last year, however, the fishing should be good as well. The majority of spot's are in the 11 to 14 inch size range accounting for 55% and 14 inch + fish accounted for 24%. Density rating for the state is #1.

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WEBSTER RESERVOIR    (3,740 Acres)

Updated 1/25/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool:1892.5 Temperature: 

Inflow: 20 cfs Outflow: 85 cfs Level: 1.40 feet low

Wipers  Good  Majority 15 to 20 inches  Numbers are down slightly from last year, however, the fishing should be good. 15 to 20 inch fish accounted for 45% and 20 to 25 inch fish accounted for 14% and fish over 25 inches accounted for 3%. The biggest fish sampled weighted 11.0 lbs.

 White Bass  Fair  Majority 12 to 15 inches Numbers are down from last year with the majority of fish being in the 12 to 15 inch size range accounting for 51%. Fish over 15 inches accounted for 9% and the biggest fish weighted 1.7 lbs.

 Walleye  Good  Majority 15 to 28 inches  Walleye fishing should be good as numbers are up this year with 47% being over 15 inches and another 47% being in the 13 to 15 inch size range and the remaining 6% being young of the year (YOY) fish. The largest fish sampled weighted 8.8 lbs. Rated #1 in state for density.

 Channel Catfish  Fair  Majority 11 to 15 inches  Catfishing should be fair with the numbers up slightly from last year. The population is still fairly young with fish 11 to 15 inches being 41% and fish 16 to 19 inches accounted for 35% and 24% were YOY fish.

 Crappie  Good & Fair  Majority 2 to 5 inches  Although low numbers of fish were caught in the trap nets due to cold fronts passing through crappie fishing should be good for black crappie and fair for white crappie. Had a really good crappie spawn for both with 78% of the blacks and 94 % of the whites being 2 to 5 inches. However, the density rating for black crappie is #3 in the state.

 Largemouth Bass  Fair  Majority 12 to 15 inches  The bass fishery is starting to come around and should be fair. the majority of fish were in the 12 to 15 inch size range accounting for 47% and fish 15 to 20 inches accounted for 31%. Density rating for the state is #4.

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WILSON RESERVOIR  (1,917 Acres)

Updated 1/20/2012

Lake Map

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1516.0 Temperature:

Inflow: 10 cfs Outflow: 15 cfs Level: 0.97 feet high

Walleye  Good  17-20"  Walleye numbers were down in the 2011 fall sample, but still remain strong and should provide good fishing again in 2012. Three size groups were represented with a nice year class collected this fall. Of the adults netted, 80% were over 15 inches. Of the total catch, however, 43% were legal size due to the inclusion of the 2011 year class.

 Stripers  Good  13-16"  Striped bass catch rates increased this fall with a wide variety of sizes represented in the sample. The bulk of the catch was between 18 and 26 inches with fish up to 28 inches collected, as well as some one year old 13-16 inch stripers. Body condition was slightly improved over last year as well.

 White Perch  Good  6-8"  White perch numbers are similar to last year, but size structure is much improved. With the majority of perch between 9 and 12 inches and some over 13 inches collected, anglers should be satisfied with the white perch fishing in 2012. Lower numbers of young fish also indicates the predators are helping to keep their numbers in check.

 White Bass  Fair  6-9"  There's not a lot of white bass in Wilson right now, but there are some really quality fish. Fall sampling revealed a moderate number of 13 to 17 inch whites with the biggest weighing in at 2.3 pounds. These fish are in excellent shape right now. A small year class was produced in 2011 as well so there may be some fish recruiting into the population in the next few years.

 Channel Catfish  Good  11-15"  Channel catfish numbers were similar to last year, but size structure was improved as indicated by 3/4 of the fish between 16 and 23 inches. Fish over 9 pounds were collected and many in the 3-6 pound range were found as well.

 Blue Catfish  Poor  19-20"  We only collected four blue catfish during fall sampling indicating their numbers remain fairly low. Please continue to release all blue catfish you catch as we are trying to produce a naturally reproducing population at Wilson.

 Crappie  Poor  11-13"  There are a few crappie in Wilson and anglers may be able to find them during the colder months congregated around the brush piles. They are all quality size right now due to the lack of recruitment of younger fish into the population and anglers will be pleased with their condition.

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