Cold has persisted, but break in the weather is coming (and so is the KC Sports Show)

FISHING Missouri

BULL SHOALS: mid 40s, clear, 5.6 feet low. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports: Very few people fishing due to extreme cold. Expects the pattern to be similar to last week. Largemouth – if it’s sunny, try jerkbait around docks; if cloudy and windy, fish are hitting jigs well near bluffs ends. A-rigs were productive in past week as well; crappie – fair along brush piles in 35-40 feet of water.

Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Bros. Guide Service reports:

On the White, we had little wadable water with more generation On the White, the hot spot has been the Narrows. The hot flies were 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 with a ruby midge (#14) suspended below it). Use weight to get your flies down.

TANEYCOMO: 45 degrees, mostly clear, running water hard in mornings, and slowing down or off in afternoons Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: For size and numbers, the trophy area has been the best. Trout are hitting gray, white, chartreuse and lighter color jigs. Further down, spoons, crankbaits, and rooster tails have worked well with aggressive chasing from trout.

NORFORK: 45 degrees, clearing up, 6.2 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Bass, crappie, walleye – fair in brush piles at the bottom in 30 feet of water. Try 1/8oz spoons. Stripers have moved deeper, suspending around 40 feet mark in 70-80 feet of water. Spoons (1 oz) and trolling umbrella rigs has been productive.

LONGVIEW: 100% ice covered, 0.4 feet low. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: No report. Fishing available around the dock during marina hours from 7am-1pm.

POMME DE TERRE: 34 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. Extreme cold has prevented many from going

LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 33 degrees, clear, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Crappie – slow, but can be productive using sonar and side imaging to find schools of shad and throw crappie jigs into the schools. Shallow water areas are frozen, but most of the lake is open.

REED AREA: Completely frozen. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: 100% ice covered, ice on most ponds is thick enough to walk on and trout have just been stocked in several of them including Coot and Plover.

STOCKTON: 37 degrees, clear, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Crappie – very good under schools of shad in 18-30 feet of water; walleyes – good in 30 feet of water. Main lake is open, all the tributaries are frozen. All other species slow. Be cautious of ice around boat ramps.

JACOMO: 100% ice covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species very slow. Some fishing available around the marina.

BLUE SPRINGS: 100% ice covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: some crappie caught, but all species slow. Some fishing available around the marina.

TABLE ROCK: Mid 40s, clear, 5.7 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. Aunt’s Creek area and James arm have been good for crappie. Float and fly, works near vertical bluffs.

TRUMAN: Majority ice covered, about 0.8 feet low. Outlook: Jeff Faulkenberry’s Endless Season Guide Service reports: Everything still frozen for the most part except down by the dam. Geese keeping a few spots open. Hopeful the warmer weather will open up some water by the coming weekend.

SMITHVILLE: 100% ice covered, about 1.75 feet low. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: All species slow. Lake is completely frozen over with 8-10 inches of ice. Ice is expected to be plenty thick through the weekend. Only open water fishing is at Camp Branch and Little Platte at the docks.

Kansas

SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: No report available until end of February.

KILL CREEK PARK: No report available until end of February.

COFFEY COUNTY: 64 degrees at hot-water outlet, clear, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: White bass – excellent; largemouth – good; smallmouth – good; all other species slow.

MELVERN: 34 degrees, 50% ice covered, clear, normal. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: The main body of the lake has opened up from ice, but all boat ramps are still iced in. Crappie – numbers good, but poor size, on black jigs, dark jigs, and minnows. Catching a lot of 6-9" around the docks. 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% ice covered, 1.1 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports reports: 4-6 inches of ice. Crappie – most productive around marina and Coon Creek boat ramp area on ice spoons. Courtesy docks at all boat ramps in Bloomington Park have been pulled for the winter.

POMONA: 100% ice covered, about 1.5 feet low. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: Ice remains 6-8 inches thick in most places. Crappie – fair around dock brush piles on jigs through the ice. All other species slow. Use caution on ice as it has thawed and refrozen. Some open water in the main channel.

PERRY: 100% ice covered, 2 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: 9 inches or more of ice. Crappie continue to be very productive around brush piles in Apple Valley, Rock Creek, and Thompsonville areas. Fishing near docks at marina has been productive as well. Jigging tiny spoons in “Swedish Pimple” color have been excellent. Decent white bass numbers being caught with similar methods. One report of several 1-2 pounders being caught while fishing for crappie around the marina.

MILFORD: 50-75%% ice covered, 34 degrees, clear, 0.5 feet low. Outlook: Jan Kissinger Milford Fishing Guide reports: All species slow. Much of lake has opened up as of the weekend while coves remain iced covered.

HILLSDALE: 100% ice covered, about 0.7 feet low. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: lake is still 100% ice covered. Melting did occur with warm temps late last week, but ice is thickening again with cold snap. Ice fishing not recommended. Fishing around the marina is available for $7 a day, but all species have been slow.

LA CYGNE: low 50s at the hot-water outlet, clear, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: Crappies - slow; largemouth bass - good; white bass – good; wipers – slow, but good sizes being caught.

GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): 99% ice covered, about 0.9 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: As of Friday afternoon, January 12, there are still anglers fishing west of the causeway, primarily around the Boller Point area and near the brush piles. There are thin spots where the lake opened up this week, but most of the ice is 6 to 8 inches. There is also a large open hole under the causeway bridge that should be avoided. Anglers are catching fair numbers of white bass with stripers and wipers mixed in on the west end. A few anglers have found some very nice crappie as well. As always, use extreme caution when ice fishing and always fish with a partner!!!

TUTTLE CREEK: Majority ice covered, open water 32 degrees, stained, about 2.1 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide service reports: all species slow. Tuttle is and has been frozen enough to ice fish, but may vary in thickness. Recommended to avoid ice fishing on main lake.

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

WILSON: 50% ice coverage, low 30s, clear, 0.25 feet high. Outlook: Hines Guide Service reports: Warmer temps late last week melted much of ice, but refreezing is occurring with cold temps moving back in. Be cautious of thin ice. Horseshoe Bend has still been the go to spot for stripers and perch, but fishing has been slow.

EL DORADO: 100% ice coverage, 3.5 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: The lake did reopen a bit with the warmer and windier conditions of last week. It has since refrozen except for a few small areas where the waterfowl are keeping it open. Ice is considered unreliable and spotty. Ice fishing not recommended. Where safe, 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^th, Low Plains Late Zone opens again Jan 20-28^th, Low Plains Southeast Zone open until Jan 28^th; Canadas – Open until Feb 18th

MARAIS DES CYGNES: Virtually no waterfowl most days. Water is frozen. As of 1/11, ice is rotten and may have water on top of the ice. Ice expected to strengthen and build with recent cold temps.

NEOSHO: As of January 11, 25,000 mixed ducks, mostly mallards. Any water that was open then is now 100% ice covered, between 3-5 inches.

TUTTLE CREEK: Marshes and most of river are frozen.

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

QUIVIRA: 100% ice covered. 0 ducks and geese observed as of Jan 16. 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 - 4:00 Monday through Friday) for a recorded message.

MELVERN: 50% ice cover. All wetlands are frozen as of now, no ducks seen. On Milford Reservoir: about 750 ducks, a third mallards. Please use caution when hunting in icy conditions.

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Cold has persisted, but break in the weather is coming (and so is the KC Sports Show)."