Fishing report: Water temps creeping toward, into the lower 50s

Here’s the fishing report for areas around Kansas City in Kansas and Missouri for the week of March 22.

Missouri

BULL SHOALS: Upper 40/low 50s, murky, about normal. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports: white bass – moving into the back of creeks where it gets skinny on white swim jigs or beetle spins; largemouth bass – fair to good and are moving into the creeks and heading towards spawning areas. The 45-degree banks are still holding a lot of fish. In clear water, jerk baits over brush piles and along points are still catching fish. If you have wind, crank baits like wiggle warts or rock crawlers are picking up fish in the 8-10 foot zone. Jig bite has been the best. Walleye – bite has been picking up on a jerk bait the last couple hours of the day on long, bushy shallow points. Crappie – fair in 20 feet brush piles and docks; white bass – good on white swim jigs or beetle spins; wipers – slow, but starting to run. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Brothers reports: On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals. There have been shad coming through the dam. There are also some caddis coming off in the afternoon. 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 (my current favorite is a pink worm with a prince nymph (#14) suspended below it). Use weight to get your flies down.

TANEYCOMO: 43 degrees, clear, running 2 units all day Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: fishing is fair. Still not seeing the shad come over the dam in large quantities. The best bite continues down around the Landing, but the fish have moved out of the creeks. Dark colored jigs, jig and float (white and pink), red/gold spoons, nightcrawlers, minnows or Powerbait can all be productive. Near the dam, drifting brown and gray scuds has been productive as well as white jigs.

NORFORK: low 50s, stained, 0.25 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: white bass – are in prespawn back in creeks in 20 feet of water; walleye – are in prespawn back in creeks in 20 feet of water using half-ounce “Bink’s White Spoon”; bass — are in prespawn and fair to good halfway back in coves with crankbaits; crappie — not spawning yet, but can be found in brush in 25 feet; stripers — fair in 25-35 feet of water on spoons and trolling.

LONGVIEW: 44 degrees, 2 feet of clarity, 1.5 feet high. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: crappie – excellent around the marina on jigs, both numbers and quality sizes are being caught; bass – poor; walleye – still no reports but should be turning on in coming weeks as water temperature nears 50 degrees. Trolling crankbaits along the dam, as well as casting paddletail swimbaits or crankbaits from the bank parallel to the shoreline should be productive as they move into the rocks to spawn. Fishing is available around the dock during marina hours from 7am-1pm. Special note from Tyler: If you’re a social media user, the “Lee’s Summit Area Fishing” Facebook group has an engaged membership that posts regular updates throughout the week.

POMME DE TERRE: 46 degrees, about 1 foot of clarity, 1.8 feet high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: crappie – fair around the docks in deep water and off brush piles using minnows and jigs tipped with crappie nuggets; bass – good on crank baits, jerk baits, and spinner baits; all other species – slow or few reports.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 46 degrees, muddy, about 5 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: crappie – fair around brush piles and shad balls in the main channel; bass – slow to tfiar on jigs and tube baits. Fishing has been tougher in the last week and heavy rain has muddied up the water.

REED AREA: 40 degrees, murky, full pool. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: crappie – scattered but good on sunny days using tube jigs and minnows near brush piles; trout – excellent (after last week’s stocking) on Powerbait, inline spinners and small jigs on windy banks; channel catfish – good where water is flowing into lake; all other species slow. Special note from Tyler: If you’re a social media user, the “Lee’s Summit Area Fishing” Facebook group has an engaged membership that posts regular updates throughout the week.

STOCKTON: mid to upper 40s, main lake – stained, creeks - muddy, about 2.7 feet high. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: all species have been slow. A few white bass and walleye have been caught here and there. Fishing should pick up in the next week.

JACOMO: 42 degrees, mostly clear, a little high Outlook: Lake Jacomo Marina reports: crappie – slow, but some caught around the dock; catfish – slow; white bass – mixed in with crappie; walleye – no reports; bluegill – fair on waxworms and redworms; largemouth – fair on shiners, worm rigs, and paddle tail swimbaits. Special note from Tyler: If you’re a social media user, the “Lee’s Summit Area Fishing” Facebook group has an engaged membership that posts regular updates throughout the week.

BLUE SPRINGS: 46 degrees, slightly stained, 0.5 feet high Outlook: Blue Springs Lake Marina reports: crappie – fair around the dock with good numbers being caught, but sizes are on the small side. No reports yet of wipers. Channel catfish – fair on nightcrawlers lake wide. Special note from Tyler: If you’re a social media user, the “Lee’s Summit Area Fishing” Facebook group has an engaged membership that posts regular updates throughout the week.

TABLE ROCK: upper 40s/low 50s, main lake - stained, some river channels still murky, 0.4 feet low. Outlook: Eric Prey of Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: All bass species – good to excellent. Most of the fish have moved shallow in less than 10 feet of water. Stick baits are working well just inside of points. Wiggle warts and rock crawlers are also working well in 5-8 feet of water. Ned rig working well in gravel. Crappie and white bass are picking up in Long Creek and the King’s on jigs and road runners. Try targeting crappie around standing timber and in brush piles. Spoonbill – excellent up the James with many limits being caught every day.

TRUMAN: 44 degrees, stained, about 1.6 feet high. Outlook: Truman Lake Guide Service reports: crappie – fair in the creeks, but fluctuating temperature is moving them in and out. The upper Grand River seems to be best currently. Spider rigging is proving very productive with minnows. Anglers using jigs are also doing well. Some reports of fish being caught in 3 to 5 feet of water would indicate the spawn is near, but water temp needs to reach 55 or better. White bass/hybrids – slow to fair below the dam, but haven’t quite turned on anywhere else. Jeff Faulkenberry Outdoors reports: blue catfish – excellent in 10 to 12 feet of water in the creeks where freshwater from rain is flowing in on cut shad. Special note from Tyler: If you’re a social media user, the “Truman Lake Area Fishing” Facebook group has an engaged membership that posts regular updates throughout the week. This is a great place to find information for below Truman Dam.

SMITHVILLE: low to mid 40s, clear, 2.1 feet low. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle: crappie – fair to good around the docks about 10-12 feet down in 20 feet of water; channel catfish – fair on cut bait like shad sides in 10-12 feet of water; walleye – still no report, but should be turning on in the next week.

Kansas

SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: 48 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: trout – good on small spinners or Powerbait; crappie/panfish – poor to fair on worms or small jigs; caffish – poor; bass/wipers – poor.

KILL CREEK PARK: 45 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: trout – good on small spinners or Powerbait; crappie/panfish – poor to fair on worms or small jigs; bass – poor; catfish – poor.

COFFEY COUNTY: Upper 60s degrees at hot-water outlet, clear, 4 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: largemouth – good; smallmouth – fair to good; white bass – outstanding; wipers – fair and getting better; walleye – slow; crappie – fair; catfish species – slow to fair.

MELVERN: 44 degrees, visibility around 7 feet, 1.4 feet low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: crappie – fair numbers of 6 to 9 inch fish around the docks and in the crack by the heated dock using dark jigs and minnows with 10 inch fish or better biting more in the early morning or mid-afternoon; smallmouth – poor to fair and can be found 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: 46 degrees, murky, 0.25 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports: Crappie – fair on jigs and getting better. Courtesy docks at all boat ramps in Bloomington Park are in the water and ready for use.

POMONA: low 40s, murky, 1.6 feet low. Outlook: no updated report submitted this week. Last week’s report said crappie were picking back up in the river and out on the lake on jigs.

PERRY: mid 40s, clear (could change with rain), about 2 feet low Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappie – good around the docks and off brush piles on the lake in 17 feet of water using red/chartreuse jigs. Anglers are having luck near the Slough Creek bridge as well. Sauger – picking up around the SE corner of the dam in 15-20 feet of water; blue cats – getting better on the north end of the lake on shad sides; white bass – no updated reports. Courtesy docks are available at all Corps managed boat ramps.

MILFORD: 45 degrees, clear, 2.8 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide Service reports: crappie – fair in brush from 10 to 30 feet deep on jigs; blue catfish – fair above the town of Milford on cut bait; all other species – slow.

HILLSDALE: mid to upper 40s, murky, 1.5 feet low. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: crappie – fair with a lot of short fish being caught on jigs; channel catfish – fair on chicken livers and fish guts; largemouth – slow, but picking up; white bass – slow, but picking up; walleye – still no report from anglers.

LA CYGNE: 52 degrees at hot water outlet, 2 feet of clarity, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: All catfish species – fair to good on cut shad or chicken liver. Blue catfish over 60 pounds were caught in the last week. Crappie – still biting, but a little slower this past week on jigs; bass – some big fish were caught in last week, but fishing was fairly slow overall. Try in the riprap areas using crank baits, plastic worms or spinner baits. White bass/wipers – slow or no report this week.

GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): 43 degrees, clear, about 1.1 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: Crappie – fair off the river channel in 20-25 feet of water around brush piles and other natural cover using small jigs and spoons; walleye – fair along the river channel on the lower end of the reservoir and off the main lake points near Walnut Creek and along the state park shoreline using plastic swim baits and jigging raps. The walleye have also moved to the dam in preparation for the annual spawn and anglers have started fishing the dam after dark. Catches have been minimal thus far, but should pick up as the spawn progresses. Floating jerk baits should be most productive. White bass/wipers – fair, but no big numbers yet. As the spring spawn commences in mid-April, anglers will have much better success fishing for white bass along the dam and causeway and up the rivers. Currently, anglers may find some fish hanging out along the river channel on the west end and may be able to catch a few using slab spoons. Glen Elder Pond: trout – excellent in either the outlet area or in the pond using a variety of small jigs and inline spinner baits as well as salmon eggs, Powerbait, and cheese. Latest batch was stocked March 5^th. Anglers fishing the park pond and the Glen Elder outlet between now and April 15 must purchase a trout stamp ($14.50) if age 16-74 and must adhere to a daily creel limit of 5 fish per day. Anglers 15 and younger may fish the park pond without a trout stamp, but the daily creel limit is 2 trout per day.

TUTTLE CREEK: 45 degrees, mostly clear, 0.4 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide Service reports: water is still cold, but getting better. Crappie – slow to fair as high as 10 feet and as deep as 30 feet; all other species – slow.

WYANDOTTE: 45 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Wyandotte Boat Rental reports: more trout were stocked this past Thursday and those are being caught well on Cleos and Powerbait; catfish – best bite is at night on liver or shad, liver, or nightcrawlers; all other species - slow.

WILSON: low 40s, clear (6 feet or more clarity), 0.1 feet high Outlook: Hines Guide Service reports: stripers continue to be good slabbing in 25-30 feet of water; smallmouth – a few reports but still slow; All other species – slow or no report.

EL DORADO: upper 40s/low 50s, stained to muddy, 4 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: nothing has changed in last week. blue catfish – fair on fresh cut bait on wind-blown points and shorelines. The slot limit is 25-35” with no more than two fish over 35” kept. White bass – slow to fair in shallow water during the warmer days casting jigs or plastic swimbaits; wipers – slow; white perch – fair on humps and ledges using worms in 8-11 feet of water; white crappie (20/day limit effective Jan 1, 2018) – fair to good on jigs or minnows near brush or timbered creek channels 9-11 feet down; channel catfish – fair on windy shorelines on fresh cut shad; walleye – slow to fair, but will improve in coming weeks as the spawn progresses. They are in prespawn mode and are moving in to the spawning areas on the dam and other rocky points and shorelines. Casting floating jerk baits, suspending crankbaits, or working jigs and minnow combos along rocky shorelines after dark are good tactics during the walleye spawn.

Tyler Mahoney is a Rockhurst University-educated outdoors fanatic who works to support his hunting and fishing habits. Read more of his next-generation insight at mahoneyoutdoors.com.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Fishing report: Water temps creeping toward, into the lower 50s."