Fishing and hunting report for the week of Jan. 11

FISHING Missouri

BULL SHOALS: 49 degrees, clear, 5.4 feet low. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports: All species fair. Largemouth: if it’s sunny, try jerkbait around docks; if cloudy and windy, crankbaits around chunk rock or bluffs can be productive, fish are hitting jigs well near bluffs ends. Crappie fair along brush piles in 35-40 feet of water. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: Hot spot has been Rim Shoals. Try 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 nymph rigs have been very effective (John’s current favorite is a Y2K (#10) with a ruby midge (#14) suspended below it). Use weight to get your flies down.

TANEYCOMO: mid 40s, mostly clear, less water running mornings. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: The warmer it gets, the less water they will run in the morning. Best fish caught in past week were down just above Powersite dam dam on black rooster tails. Most productive jigs were black and pink. For dock fisherman, nightcrawlers and powerbait are productive.

NORFORK: 47 degrees, stained, 5.8 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Fish remain on dead winter patterns. Walleyes, stripers, and black bass excellent on main-lake flats in 30-40 feet of water with live shad and jigging spoons; crappies remain slow, but try 1/8-ounce spoons on main-lake core of engineer brush piles in 25-29 feet of water.

LONGVIEW: 100 percent ice-covered, 0.5 foot low. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Some fishing available around the dock during marina hours from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Rest of lake is completely frozen.

POMME DE TERRE: 37 degrees, mostly clear, 0.5 feet low. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: Crappie good off bluffs, docks, and on top of brush piles with jigs; all other species slow.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS: mid 30s, clear, about 5 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Fishing is slow. Crappie on the main lake using jerkbaits and crappie jigs. Slightly stained in the back end of coves, but main lake is clear. 38 degrees. 4 foot low. Back of Gravois and Niangua were frozen in as of Jan. 7.

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

STOCKTON: mid 30s, clear, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Crappie great on jigs just off bottom near cover in about 30 feet of water; walleyes good in 30 feet of water. All other species slow.

JACOMO: 100 percent ice-covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species slow. Aerators have been on most days, but turned off Jan. 9 and water has frozen up around marina.

BLUE SPRINGS: 100 percent ice-covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species slow. Aerators have been on most days to allow fishing around docks.

TABLE ROCK: 45s, clear, 5.2 feet low. Outlook: Pete’s Professional Guide Service reports: All species slow. Suspended jerk bait for largemouth on main lake and secondary points around submerged timber has been productive. Some big crappie hitting the suspended jerk baits as well.

TRUMAN: Mid 30s, clear, about 1 foot low. Outlook: Cody’s Guide Service reports: Everything still frozen for the most part, not many people able to get out until Jan. 9. Crappie have been good off the bluffs and brush piles in main lake.

SMITHVILLE: 100 percent ice-covered, 1.25 feet 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. One report of good crappie caught on jigs in the open water around Little Platte dock.

Kansas

SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: No report.

KILL CREEK PARK: No report.

COFFEY COUNTY: 64 degrees at hot-water outlet, clear, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: White bass – excellent; largemouth – fair; wiper – fair.

MELVERN: 32 degrees, 98 percent ice-covered, clear, 0.9 feet low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: Crappie - poor to fair using black jigs, dark jigs, and minnows. Catching a lot of 6- to 9-inch fish around the docks. Numbers above 10 inches are increasing, particularly in early morning and mid-afternoon. Black ice jigs near the bottom at the docks were extremely productive over the weekend, producing several 20 count limits; White bass poor to fair in areas near flooded timber at the west end of lake and at the docks through the ice; Walleye poor, but with a few being caught in the spillway area east of the dam. All other species slow.

CLINTON: 100 percent ice-covered, 1 foot high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: 8-9 inches of ice. Crappie – most productive around marina and Coon Creek boat ramp area on ice spoons.

POMONA: 100 percent ice-covered, clear, 2 feet below normal pool. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: Ice remains 6-8 inches thick in most places. Crappie excellent around dock brush piles on jigs through the ice. Be cautious of thin ice.

PERRY: 100 percent ice-covered 2 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: 8-9 inches of ice. Crappie have been very productive around brush piles in Apple Valley, Rock Creek, and Thompsonville areas. Numbers and keepers being caught. Fishing near docks at marina has been productive as well. Jigging tiny spoons in “Swedish Pimple” color have been excellent. Be cautious of thin ice areas.

MILFORD: 100 percent ice-covered, clear, 0.5 feet low. Outlook: Jan Kissinger Milford Fishing Guide reports: All species slow. Lake is 100 percent ice-covered but the ice is not safe to walk on after the warmer days have come through. Highly recommended to avoid ice fishing.

HILLSDALE: 100 percent ice-covered, fairly clear, about 0.7 feet low. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: lake is still 100 percent ice-covered, but melting, about 3 inches thick and not suitable for ice fishing.

LA CYGNE: low 50s at the hot-water outlet, clear, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: Crappies good on minnows or jigs; largemouth bass slow; white bass good; channel cats good.

GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): 99 percent ice-covered, about 0.2 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: 100 percent ice-covered. As of Jan. 9, many anglers still fishing west of the causeway, primarily around the Boller Point area and along the refuge line. The ice has deteriorated due to warmer weather and will do so more on Wednesday before next cold spell hits. Ice approx. 6 inches on west end, but there are thinner areas and even some open water. The remainder of the lake is probably not safe to get on now. The park pond is 4-5 inches except around the tube, but the ice does not look good; advised to stay off the park pond until the next cold snap refreezes it. 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.

Fair numbers of white bass with a few stripers and wipers mixed in on the west end. Use extreme caution when ice fishing and always fish with a partner.

TUTTLE CREEK: 90 percent ice-covered, open water 32 degrees, stained, about 2 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism reports: all species slow. Lake is mostly ice, but the ice is not thick enough to get out on. No ability to get boats on the water currently.

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

WILSON: low 30s, clear, 0.2’ feet high. Outlook: Hines Guide Service reports: Strong wind broke up ice on main lake on Jan. 9, but cold temperatures in coming weekend expected to freeze lake up again. Stripers and perch caught near Horseshoe Bend through the ice in the past week. Be cautious of thin ice.

EL DORADO: 44 degrees, clear, 3.5 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: No recent report. During winter, crappie and white bass can be productive in timbered creek channels in the upper part of the reservoir or near brush piles in the lower lake.

HUNTING Missouri

Ducks and Coots — North and Middle Zone Closed, South zone open

Kansas

Ducks and Coots — High Plains Unit opens again Jan. 20-28, Low Plains Late Zone opens again Jan. 20-28, Low Plains Southeast Zone open until Jan. 28; Canadas: Open until Feb. 18.

MARAIS DES CYGNES: Virtually no waterfowl most days. Water is frozen. Ice thick enough to support the weight of a vehicle at the A-East boat ramp as of Jan. 5. Last week: 12 ducks taken by 50 hunters = 0.2 hunter success.

NEOSHO: 500 mixed ducks, mostly mallards; 100 percent ice-covered as of Jan. 4. Ice is 5 inches plus thick in most places. Hunting likely very poor.

PERRY: About 50,000 Mallards were observed on Lake Perry (Jan. 5) in the few open water pools. About 12,000 Canadas also observed. Wetlands and the Delaware River have iced over.

TUTTLE CREEK: Marshes and most of river are frozen; 60 ducks, 50 Canadas observed.

MILFORD: Duck season in zone is now closed and will re-open January 20th-28th.

QUIVIRA: 99 percent ice-covered. No ducks, 90 Snows and 70 Canadas observed. Waterfowl estimates can also be obtained by calling the refuge phone number 620-486-2393 and ask for extension 105, or the same number after business hours (7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday) for a recorded message.

MELVERN: All wetlands are frozen as of now, no ducks seen. On Milford Reservoir: about 2,000 ducks, mostly mallards; 5,000-6,000 geese, mostly Canadas. Use caution when hunting in icy conditions.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Fishing and hunting report for the week of Jan. 11."