Fishing and hunting report for the week of Jan. 4

FISHING

Missouri

BULL SHOALS: mid 40s, clear, 4 feet low. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports: All species fair. Threadfin shad have moved out to mouths of main lake. Wiggle warts on 45 degree banks with chunk rock is productive if wind present. Jerkbait bite is good on sunny around docks. A-rigs, dropshot and dragging jigs also productive for deep bite. Fish seem to be holding at 28-30 feet of water off secondary points. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: More wadeable water available in near future. Trout good near The Narrows on olive woolly buggers (#8, #10), Y2Ks (#14, #12), prince nymphs (#14), zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead #16, #18), pheasant tails (#14), ruby midges (#18), root beer midges (#18), pink and cerise San Juan worms (#10), and sowbugs (#16). Double fly anymph rigs have also been very effective. Use lead to get your flies down.

TANEYCOMO: 48 degrees, mostly clear, running water hard in mornings, off in afternoon. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Trout good on dark colored jigs, black, black and olive, sculpin, etc. When watter is running, try 1/8th oz, otherwise try 1/16th oz. Trophy area and below have been most productive. Great midge hatch on 1/1 in the afternoon so try #16 and #18 zebra midge in brown or black. For dock fisherman, nightcrawlers and powerbait are productive.

NORFORK: 50 degrees, stained, 2.5 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Walleyes, stripers, and black bass excellent on main-lake flats in 30-40 foot of water on live shad and jigging spoons; crappies have slowed, but try 1/8th oz spoons on main-lake core of engineer brush piles in 25-29 feet of water.

LONGVIEW: 30s, ice covered, 0.5 foot low. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Nobody fishing due to extreme cold. No way to launch a boat. 90% of lake is frozen.

POMME DE TERRE: 40 degrees, clarity improving, 0.5 feet low. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: All species slow. Bass fair on jerk baits and Alabama rigs in the shallows; walleyes poor to fair on crankbaits; crappies fair on jigs or minnows 10 feet down over brush piles. Beware of ice cover around boat ramps.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS: low 30s, clear, about 5 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Nobody fishing due to extreme cold. Beware of ice cover around ramps, many are iced in.

REED AREA: Completely frozen. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: 100% ice covered, no fishing activity.

STOCKTON: mid 30s, clear, about 3.5 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Coves are icing in. Lake itself is open. Crappie were underneath schools of shad last week in main lake and coves. Walleye being caught under shad as well in 30 feet of water. Beware of ice cover around ramps.

JACOMO: Low to mid-30s, ice covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species slow. Little to no open water.

BLUE SPRINGS: Low to mid-30s, ice covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species slow. Little to no open water.

TABLE ROCK: 30s, dingy, 4.7 feet low. Outlook: White River Lodge reports: No report. Outside temps averaging in single digits and feels colder with wind chill, nobody fishing due to extreme cold. Beware of ice cover around ramps.

TRUMAN: Mid to upper-30s, clear, about 1 foot low. Outlook: Guide Bob Bates reports: Still open water down around the Dam, mile Long bridge. Catfish – fair to good casting to deep water with cut bait about 6” off bottom; Crappie – good on swarm jigs and ¼ oz assorted crappie jigs, holding in 20-25 feet of water, but will concentrate more around brush piles in deeper water as temperature cools; Hybrid/White bass: very slow. Beware of ice cover around ramps - Shawnee Bend, State Park, Bucksaw, Sterrett Creek still open, and Turpin Creek frozen over.

SMITHVILLE: 34 degrees, 100% ice covered, 1 foot low. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: All species slow. Lake is completely frozen over. Only fishing is at Camp Branch and Little Platte at the docks.

Kansas

SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: No report.

KILL CREEK PARK: No report.

COFFEY COUNTY: 64 degrees at hot-water outlet, clear, about 3.5 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: No boats allowed right now due to ice. Largemouth and wiper bite good before ice cover expanded. Some areas still accessible for bank fishing.

MELVERN: 34 degrees, clear, 0.5 feet low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: All species slow. Ice cover increasing. Crappie - smaller sizes being caught around docks using red jigs, dark jigs and minnows. Larger fish bite is improving, particularly in early morning and mid-afternoon. Try established brush piles west of Turkey Point Park in 15-20 feet. Smallmouth - can be caught along the shoreline and rip rap face of the dam using spoons and shallow crankbaits. White bass can be found in areas of flooded timber at west end of lake. Largemouth – try open water nearer rock shorelines with shallow crankbaits and around the docks on jigs. Channel catfish – try minnows and bluegill near the dock. Blue Catfish – try cut bait near the docks. Walleye – crankbaits and spinners near the northwest end of the lake and near the rip rap/jetty walls. Beware of ice cover around boat ramps.

CLINTON: 30s, ice covered, 1 foot high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: Ice fishing taking place since Friday. All species slow. Ice around 4” inch thick. Crappie – most productive around marina on ice spoons.

POMONA: 33 degrees, clear, normal pool. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: Lake is 100% ice covered. Crappie were doing great before the ice, and still are great around dock brush piles on ice jigs. Be cautious of thin ice.

PERRY: Low 30s, 100% ice covered, 2 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: All species slow. Be cautious of thin ice areas. Crappie – fair at Perry marina, but water agitators around boat dock have slowed fishing temporarily, should rebound as fish become acclimated.

MILFORD: Low 30s, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide Service reports: All species slow. Wind has kept Milford open as of 12/31, but expecting it to freeze tight with the first calm wind. Running some water, and a few fish might be caught below the dam.

HILLSDALE: 34 degrees, fairly clear, about ½ foot high. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: lake is 99% ice covered. Ramps are frozen.Ramps starting to freeze, use extreme caution.

LA CYGNE: 60 degrees at the hot-water outlet, clear, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: Crappies good on minnows or jigs; largemouth bass slow); white bass fair. A lot of open water still making the lake fishable by boat, but beware of ice buildup around ramps.

GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): low to mid 30s, clear, about ½ foot low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: 100% ice covered. Ice is 8 inches thick west of the causeway. There is also safe ice in the state park coves. Anglers have been catching some white bass, wipers, and striped bass along the river channel, but fishing has generally been slow. Crappie have been slow, but some caught on the brush piles. The park pond is 7-8 inches thick except around the tube and anglers are cautioned to stay away from the tube if ice fishing on the pond. Use extreme caution when ice fishing and always fish with a partner!

TUTTLE CREEK: 34 degrees, stained, about 2 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide service reports: all species slow, some caught below spillway. Carnahan and Stockdale should be good ice fishing when it’s thick enough.

WYANDOTTE: Lake closed for the season. Opens up first Saturday in March when they will stock trout.

WILSON: Lower 30s, clear, 0.2’ feet high. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: Some good ice formation from Elm Creek and Duvall and westward. Crappie, white bass, walleye, black bass, channel catfish - slow; Striped Bass – fair to good under the ice with medium-sized spoons and road runners near Horseshoe Bend and Elm Creek; White perch – good under the ice using small spoons and road runners. Try Horseshoe Bend and Elm Creek areas; Blue Catfish – good on cut bait. All boat ramps usable, but use caution and beware of ice cover buildup.

EL DORADO: 60s, clear, 3.5 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: No recent reports due to extreme cold. New crappie creel limit of 20/day effective January 1, 2018.

HUNTING

Missouri

BOB BROWN: 5,015 ducks, mostly mallards. Last week, 15 hunters averaged 1.4 ducks apiece.

NODAWAY VALLEY: 1,250 ducks, mostly mallards. Last week, 3 hunters averaged 2 ducks apiece.

LOESS BLUFFS: 4,799 ducks, mostly mallards.

MONTROSE: 16,400 ducks, mostly mallards and mixed divers, some gadwalls and ring-necked; 31,100 geese, mostly snow geese. Last week, 31 hunters averaged 0.32 ducks apiece.

FOUR RIVERS: 25,630 ducks, mostly mallards. Last week, 23 hunters averaged 0.7 ducks apiece.

SCHELL-OSAGE: 15,170 ducks, mostly mallards and some shovelers; 107 Canada geese. Last week, 12 hunters averaged 0.08 ducks apiece.

GRAND PASS: 175,000 ducks, mostly mallards; 300 geese, mostly Canada geese. Last week, 34 hunters averaged 0.47 ducks apiece.

FOUNTAIN GROVE: 158,250 ducks, mostly mallards, some ring-necked and pintails; 21,200 geese, mostly snow geese. Last week, 10 hunters averaged 0 ducks apiece.

SWAN LAKE: 2,520 mallards; 55 Canada geese, 163 Trumpeter Swans. Habitat 98% frozen. To access the online draw, go to https://swanlake.recaccess.com/

Kansas

CHEYENNE BOTTOMS: Less than 100 ducks, mostly mallards; Around 5,000 geese, mostly Canadas.

MARAIS DES CYGNES: About 300 ducks. Habitat frozen.

NEOSHO: 35,000 ducks, mostly mallards; 400 Canada geese, 500 snow geese and 350 white-fronted geese.

PERRY: Less than 1,000 ducks, mostly Mallards and some Gadwalls, Shovelers, and Divers. Wetlands and the Delaware River will remain iced over for a while.

TUTTLE CREEK: 60 ducks; 50 Canada geese.

MILFORD: About 350 ducks; 700 geese. All wetlands are frozen as of now, please use caution when hunting.

QUIVIRA: 415 ducks, mostly mallards; 70 geese, mostly Canadas.

MELVERN: No ducks in the marshes. About 3000 Canadas and 1000 Snows seen on the reservoir itself intermixed with about 1500 mallards.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Fishing and hunting report for the week of Jan. 4."