Outdoors report: Warming again after early-week bout with the white stuff
FISHING Missouri
BULL SHOALS: mid to upper 40s, clear, 5.8 feet low. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports: Largemouth – good. If it’s sunny, try jerk baits around docks. If cloudy and windy, try wiggle wart or throw a jig near bluffs ends. Spoons working well in 20-35 feet of water, but need to use ½ oz. or ¾ oz. depending on depth. Look for loons and gulls as they will be eating shad and fishing that area could be productive. Some shad are dying off with the sudden warm up over the weekend; 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, the hot spot has been the Rim Shoals. 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 sow bugs (#16). Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Use weight to get your flies down.
TANEYCOMO: 45 degrees, mostly clear, running little water in past week Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Trout continue to hit gray, white, chartreuse and lighter color jigs. Further down, spoons, crankbaits, and rooster tails have worked well with aggressive chasing from trout. A lot of rainbows being caught down lake from the Landing to Monkey Island.
NORFORK: 42 degrees, clear, 8 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Not much has changed from week to week. 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: majority ice coverage, 35 degrees, clear, 0.3 feet low. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Ice is thin, 2-3 inches. Crappie are biting well around the docks on jigs. No minnows available currently so you will have to bring your own. Fishing available around the dock during marina hours from 7am-1pm.
POMME DE TERRE: 34 degrees, mostly clear, 0.1 feet low. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: All species slow. Ice is still prevalent on lake, but boat launches are open and clear.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 34 degrees, clear, about 5.4 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: All species slow. Quite a few people got out in the last week and had very little luck on crappie or bass.
REED AREA: Completely frozen. Special note: It was mistakenly reported last week that trout have been stocked recently in Coot and Plover Lake. That is incorrect. Stocking for these lakes occurs mid-November, mid-February and mid-March. The fish stocking hotline is 816-525-0300 ext. 4001. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: 100% ice covered. Ice is thinning in many areas. Extreme caution advised. Ice fishing is at your own risk.
STOCKTON: 37 degrees, clear, 3.75 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Majority of lake froze last week. Some open water down by the dam. All species slow.
JACOMO: mostly ice covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: little to no fishing in past week. Ice is rotten and breaking up. Some fishing available around the marina.
BLUE SPRINGS: mostly ice covered, normal Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: little to no fishing in past week. Ice is rotten and breaking up. Some fishing available around the marina.
TABLE ROCK: 45 degrees, clear, 6.3 feet low. Outlook: Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: All species slow. Most largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are being caught on jerk baits suspended in 15-25 foot on main lake and secondary points. Crappie – good on bobby garland baby shad or small white jigs up the James or Long Creek.
TRUMAN: 35 degrees, clear, about 0.7 feet low. Outlook: Richard Bowling’s Guide Service reports: Crappie - excellent in 25-30ft of water. Try two pole trolling double minnow rigs using live bait. Make sure to move very slow. For jig rigs, use a 1/4 oz. head on the bottom and a 1/16th on top with blk/pink, blk/char, blue/white or white/char colors. Fish the bluffs and bluff ends. The crappie are relating to shad balls more so than brush so pay attention to your locator.
Shawnee Bend ramp is open. Windsor crossing ramp has open water, but channel has lots of ice. Bucksaw ramp has ice but channel is open.
SMITHVILLE: 100% ice covered, about 1.7 feet low. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: All species slow. Fishing has even been slow around marinas and docks. No boat ramps are open.
Kansas
SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: No report available until end of February.
KILL CREEK PARK: No report available until end of February.
COFFEY COUNTY: low 60s at hot-water outlet, clear, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: White bass – excellent; all other species – slow.
MELVERN: 33 degrees, 15% ice covered, clear, 1 foot low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: very little has changed from week to week. 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: mostly ice covered, 1.1 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports reports: no updated report. Crappie – last week, most productive around marina and Coon Creek boat ramp area on ice spoons. Beware of thinning and rotten ice. Courtesy docks at all boat ramps in Bloomington Park have been pulled for the winter.
POMONA: 90% ice covered, 32 degrees in open water, about 1.7 feet low. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: Ice is opening up on main areas of lake, but boat ramps remained closed. All species slow. Use extreme caution when ice fishing.
PERRY: 75% ice covered, 1.8 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: Ice still 9-12 inches thick in most areas. In the past week, fishermen have been doing very well near the marinas with lots of white bass mixed in with the crappie at Perry Marina. Agitators are on around the marinas so you don’t have to deal with the ice. Regular ice spoons are most productive. Be cautious of thin ice!!
MILFORD: 90% ice covered, 34 degrees, clear, 0.8 feet low. Outlook: Jan Kissinger Milford Fishing Guide reports: Very few people fishing. All species slow. Ice fishing not recommended. Fishing below the tubes may be productive.
HILLSDALE: 95% ice covered, about 0.6 feet low. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: lost some ice with the warm spell. Ice fishing not recommended. Crappie are on the bottom right now in about 25 feet of water. 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, low. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: As of 1/20, the Linn County Marina boat ramps are both open, and the main body of the lake is open. Crappie – improving, but numbers fair at best. Good sizes being caught, some around 14 inches. Length limit was lifted recently; largemouth bass – good, with excellent sizes being caught over the weekend; white bass – good; wipers – slow, but good sizes being caught.
GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): 80% ice covered, about 0.8 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: As of 1/23, the ice is deteriorating very quickly now and won't last much longer with the upcoming forecast for warmer weather. Anglers continue to report 7 inches of ice west of the causeway, but also caution that there are more and more thin patches that will soon be open water. It is best to avoid future ice fishing as it is very risky. The park pond is also opening up around the shoreline and anglers should be able to start fishing open water now for trout. The remainder of the reservoir is also not safe for ice fishing and all of the boat ramps are locked up. Things may open up much more in a week or so depending on wind and temperatures. As water opens, expectations for crappie – fair to good off the river channel in 20-25 feet around established brush piles and marina docks on small jigs and spoons; Walleye – good around the dam, off the north shore points, near Harry’s Island, and off the river channel between Schoen’s Cove and the Cawker causeway with jig and crawler being most productive; white bass – good to excellent lake wide with larger fish caught west of the causeway and in Walnut Creek.
TUTTLE CREEK: Majority ice covered, open water 32 degrees, about 2.1 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide service reports: Tuttle is iced over, but unsafe. It is recommended to avoid ice fishing!
WYANDOTTE: Lake closed for the season. Opens up first Saturday in March when they will stock trout.
WILSON: 75% ice coverage, clear, 0.1 feet high. Outlook: Hines Guide Service reports: No report due to lack of fishing activity. Ice is coming off, highly recommended to avoid ice fishing. Lucas boat ramp is open.
EL DORADO: majority ice covered, about 4.5 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: All fishing activity slow. Lake is still majority ice covered, but ice is considered unreliable and spotty. As of 1/22, ice was breaking up with high winds, but boat ramps still iced in. Ice fishing not recommended. When safe during the winter months, 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 20-28th, Low Plains Late Zone opens again Jan 20-28th, Low Plains Southeast Zone open until Jan 28th; Canadas – Open until Feb 18th
MARAIS DES CYGNES: Waterfowl numbers are variable with weather and ice, but they are moving back into the Wildlife Area with anticipated open water. County Park ramps are open, but the 399th Street ramp is still likely frozen in. A Linn County Parks pass is required to launch at the Marina. There were few waterfowl at La Cygne Wildlife Area this week; harvest has slowed dramatically. Access may be challenging due to shelf ice around marsh edges. Ice is getting very rotten and weak and can be dangerous. USE CAUTION.
NEOSHO: As of January 22 - 25,000 mixed ducks, mostly Mallards. Area is nearly 100% water. ATTENTION: Swans are present on the area and are not legal to be harvested in the state of Kansas!
MILFORD: Last week, approximately 1,600 ducks and 3,000 geese were observed on the main lake. All wetlands are frozen as of now, please use caution when hunting. Expected hunting success is poor - most waterfowl were observed on open water on reservoir. Some waterfowl are using the river.
QUIVIRA: 90% ice covered. 310 ducks, mostly mallards, and 400 geese, mostly snows, observed as of Jan 19. 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: 90% ice cover. On the refuge - no ducks seen. On the reservoir: 25 Goldeneyes, 100 Shovelers, 50 Mallards, 50 Common Mergansers; all wetlands on Melvern are frozen over.
This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Outdoors report: Warming again after early-week bout with the white stuff."