Fishing report: Here comes the sun, and a long-awaited warm-up for area lakes

Here’s the fishing report for areas around Kansas City in Kansas and Missouri for the week of Feb. 15.

Missouri

BULL SHOALS: 41 degrees, clear, 6.7 feet low. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports: not much fishing activity in the last week. Largemouth – the bite has been better deep. Try the A-rig, spoons, or drop shot. A shad kill has been going on in past week since the cold. Bass can be good when sunny on jerk baits around docks and brush piles. Crank bait bite is working parallel to the bank with wiggle warts, rock crawler, etc. Keep the boat in 8-10 feet. That bite should really pick up with warming trend. Crappie – fair in brush piles.

Below the dam: On the White, the hot spot has been Bull Shoals State Park. 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 (current favorite is a Y2K (#10) with a ruby midge (#14) suspended below it). Use weight to get your flies down.

TANEYCOMO: 44 degrees, clear, running water hard in the mornings until about 10am and then none rest of the day, no water run past couple of weekends Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Trout continue to hit black, black/gray, gray/white above and below Fall Creek. At the landing, they are still catching numbers on Berkley pink worm on a jig head about 5-7 feet deep under a float. Fly fishing below the dam on #16 and #18 scuds has been productive.

NORFORK: 42 degrees, clear (8 feet of visibility), 8.4 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: same pattern is persisting. Rain expected soon and that could change things. As of now, bass – excellent in the creek channel swings and turns using ¼ oz. spoon in 30 feet of water; crappie and walleye –slow in brush piles at the bottom in 30 feet of water; stripers – slow.

LONGVIEW: mid 30s, degrees, 2.5-3 feet of clarity, 0.3 feet low. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Crappie – fair to good around the marina. Most of the rest of the lake is ice covered. No ability to put boat in. Fishing available around the dock during marina hours from 7am-1pm.

POMME DE TERRE: 37 degrees, 4-5 feet clarity, about 0.15 feet high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: Crappie – slow to fair on jigs above brush piles in about 15-20 feet. All other species – no report.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 34 degrees, clear, about 5 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Crappie – good using jigs and jerk baits, still relating to shad balls in main lake; largemouth bass – good on jerk baits or jigs on chunk rock points.

REED AREA: frozen, clear, lakes 6 inches low. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: Lakes are ice covered, but should break open in coming days. Trout were recently stocked in Coot and Plover Lakes. Other local areas that were stocked with trout include: Chaumiere Lake, Fountain Bluff, Jesse James Park Lake, and Johnston Lake.

STOCKTON: uppers 30s, clear, 4.6 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Crappie - good on jigs under schools of shad in 30-50 ft. All other species – no report.

JACOMO: mostly ice, 34 degrees, normal Outlook: Lake Jacomo Marina reports: Mostly ice covered with little to no fishing in past week. Fishing available around the marina, but has been slow.

BLUE SPRINGS: majority ice covered, low to mid 30s, normal Outlook: Blue Springs Lake Marina reports: lake is mostly ice covered. Fishing has been very slow even around the marina. Ice is not thick enough to be walking on.

TABLE ROCK: 44 degrees, clear, about 6.5 feet low. Outlook: Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: fishing is slow. Most largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are being caught on crank baits, jerk baits, jigs. River arms are better than main lake or dam area. Catching a few on a spoon and a drop shot. Crappie – getting better in King’s River and Long Creek. Live minnows below floats around standing cedar trees and brush piles in 10-15 feet have been productive.

TRUMAN: ice covered, 34 degrees, stained, about 0.45 feet low. Outlook: Jeff Faulkenberry’s Endless Season Guide Service reports: virtually entire lake is frozen over as of 2/12. Ice expected to thaw by end of week.

SMITHVILLE: 90% ice covered, 32 degrees, about 2 feet low. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: Lake is mostly ice covered. Ice is not safe to be fishing on. Some open water around the marinas that have agitators running.

Kansas

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

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

COFFEY COUNTY: low to mid 60s at hot-water outlet, clear, about 3.5 to 4 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: catching most fish in the warm water discharge area. Largemouth – slow to fair; wipers – good; all other species slow or no report.

MELVERN: 32 degrees, visibility around 7 feet, 1.2 feet low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: wind and ice have increased. Crappie - poor to fair around the docks and in the heated dock areas using red and dark jigs. Numbers above 10" are increasing/ particularly in early morning and mid-afternoon, mostly on the south docks. Smallmouth – poor, but try along the shoreline and rip rap face of the dam using spoons and shallow crankbaits; white bass - fair lake wide on jigs and minnows; all other species poor with no reports.

CLINTON: frozen, clear, normal. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports: most of the lake is iced over. Boat ramp one and two are down. Crappie – fair on jigs in 12-14 feet of water around the docks. Courtesy docks at all boat ramps in Bloomington Park have been pulled for the winter.

POMONA: 95% ice covered, 32 degrees, clear, about 1.8 feet low. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: lake is mostly frozen over. Boat ramps are closed due to ice. Crappie – quantity and good sizes of 15”+ continue to be good near docks on ice jigs; all other species – no report. Walking on ice is ill advised.

PERRY: 100% ice covered, clear, 0.8 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: lake is iced back over. Ice fishing going on in Rock Creek. Crappie – fair on ice jigs; white bass – good through the ice all over with quite a few caught around marinas. Ice spoons are most productive. Try Swedish pimple” style.

MILFORD: 75% ice covered, 34 degrees, clear, about 3 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide Service reports: lake is mostly frozen. Fishing activity isn’t expected to pick up for another week or two. There will be some fishing below the dam as long as they are producing any water. Might catch a Walleye, Wiper or catfish.

HILLSDALE: 95% frozen, 32 degrees, 1.6 feet low. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: little has changed in past week. Ice present throughout most of lake. Crappie – fair on jigs and minnows deep around the dock. Fishing around the marina is available for $7 a day. Ramps are closed.

LA CYGNE: 48 degrees at the hot-water outlet, clear, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: not much fishing activity in the past week due to cold temperature. One report each on largemouth and crappie, both were biting well over the weekend. All other species – no updated reported.

GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): 50% ice, about 1.2 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: As of 2/12, new ice has formed on the west end and there were a few anglers out today. The ice won't last long with expected warmer weather approaching. The boat ramps are still locked up with ice and can't be used now. The only other options for anglers now are to fish off the docks in marina cove, fish the outlet below the dam (trout permit required), or trout fish on the park pond. The park pond has about 4 inches of ice on it as of Monday, February 12th.

TUTTLE CREEK: some ice, open water 32 degrees, about 1.8 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide service reports: lake is mostly frozen, but with a lot of wind and a couple warm days it may come open. Best judgment as of right now is that it may be mid-March before action picks up. No fishing activity to report.

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

WILSON: 100% ice coverage, 0.1 feet high. Outlook: Hines Guide Service reports: Lake is still frozen as of 2/13, but anticipating open water in coming days with forecasted temperature and wind.

EL DORADO: majority ice, low 30s, clear, about 3.8 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: lake is ice covered. No fishing activity to report. Anticipating open water hopefully by the weekend with the warm temperatures and wind.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Fishing report: Here comes the sun, and a long-awaited warm-up for area lakes."