Fishing report: Things have been slow because of weather
Here's the fishing report for areas around Kansas City in Missouri and Kansas for the week of April 12.
Missouri
BULL SHOALS: low to mid 50s, clear, 5.2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Del Colvin reports most fishing has been slow with the poor weather. Bass expected to be pulling up on beds soon. Try flukes, swimbaits, jigs or Carolina rig. Smallmouths have been in 15-20 feet of water, but largemouths have been primarily in 10 feet or less. Crappie starting to pick up around the docks; white bass — reports have been sporadic, but mostly slow; all other species, slow or no reports. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Brothers reports: The White has fished better. There are 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: 46 degrees, clear, 2 units running Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: the flood gates have closed and things seem to be getting back to normal. Drifting night crawlers has been good in main channel, along with sculpin/ginger marabou jigs. Spoons have caught fish as well. Fish have been seen midging, so Zebra midges should be working.
NORFORK: mid 50s, main lake clear, creeks slightly stained, about 6 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: stripers/hybrids — good night bite still going using stick baits for first two hours after dark; white bass good during the daytime back in the creek in 25-30 feet of water on spoons; bass still slow; crappie slow or no reports.
LONGVIEW: 49 degrees, murky, 0.5 feet high. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: weather has shut off most of the fishing. Some walleye caught at the dam in last week. MDC conducted sampling in the last week and shocked up good numbers of fish, including a giant 27.5 inch female walleye pushing double digits. Crappie have been slow around the dock, but good ones are there. All species slow. Fishing is available around the dock during marina hours from 7a.m.-3p.m. 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. “Live” videos of the walleye sampling can be found there.
POMME DE TERRE: 50 degrees, 2.5 feet of clarity, 2.5 feet low. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: fishing activity has been minimal with poor weather. All species slow.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 46 degrees, stained, about 4 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: due to the poor weather, all species have been slow.
REED AREA: 43 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: crappie — good fishing before the cold front. Sunny days are best using tube jigs under a bobber; trout fair on Power Bait, inline spinners and small jigs on windy banks; largemouth bass good before the cold front on slow moving baits; 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 fishing updates throughout the week.
STOCKTON: 51 degrees, clear, about 3 feet high. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: crappie good on jigs and minnows; bass very good on wiggle warts on bluff ends and A-Rigs on main lake points; white bass good up the rivers on jigs; walleye slow or no reports. Special Note from Tyler: if you’re a social media user, the “Stockton Lake Fishing” Facebook group has an engaged membership that provides excellent daily updates.
JACOMO: mid to high 40s, slightly stained, a little high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait & Tackle reports: fishing activity has been extremely slow with poor weather. All species poor or no reports. 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 fishing updates throughout the week.
BLUE SPRINGS: mid to high 40s, stained, 0.6 feet high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait & Tackle reports: fishing activity has been extremely slow with poor weather. All species poor or no reports. 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 fishing updates throughout the week.
TABLE ROCK: low 50s, creeks muddy, mid-lake stained, dam clear, 0.8 feet high. Outlook: Eric Prey of Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: bass being caught on swimbaits and crankbaits and starting to bite on a Ned Rig. The main lake and secondary points gravel mixed with rock have been best. Early morning and windy days they are less than 10 feet, on calm days they are 12-18 feet deep. Crappie picked up in last week, most in brush piles back in the creeks using crappie jigs or minnows in less than 15 feet of water; all other species slow or no reports.
TRUMAN: low to mid 40s, murky, 2 feet high. Outlook: Jeff Faulkenberry Endless Season Guide Service reports: all species have slowed way down. If you’re going for crappie, try spider rigging to cover as much ground as you can. Cody’s Guide Service reports: spoonbill continues to be excellent. 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 daily updates for below Truman Dam.
SMITHVILLE: low 40s, clear, 2 feet low. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: very little fishing activity due to weather. Crappie slow to fair and still deep near brush piles. Expect the north end of the lake in the Platte Arm to turn on first when weather warms. Walleye are spawning on the dam right now and the best fishing is at night. All other species slow or no reports.
Kansas
SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: 44 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: trout fair to good using worms; crappie/panfish poor to fair on worms or small spinners; catfish poor to fair using dough bait; bass/wipers poor.
KILL CREEK PARK: 44 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: trout fair to good using Power Bait or worms; crappie/panfish poor to fair using worms; bass poor; catfish poor to fair using dough bait.
COFFEY COUNTY: 47 degrees, stained, about 2 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: All species very slow to slow. White bass and wipers were the only fish caught in any numbers but were still slow.
MELVERN: 45 degrees, visibility around 6 feet, about 1 foot low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: Crappie poor, but catching a few shorter fish around the docks and in the crack by the heated dock using dark jigs and minnows. Numbers above 10 inches are poor and best in early morning. Smallmouth fair along the shoreline and rip rap face of the dam using spoons and shallow crankbaits; white bass fair lakewide on jigs and minnows; all other species poor with no reports.
CLINTON: 45 degrees, murky, 0.4 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports: crappie fair and have picked up around the dock; all other species slow or no reports. Courtesy docks at all boat ramps in Bloomington Park are in the water and ready for use.
POMONA: 49 degrees, clear, 1 foot low. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: no updated report from week to week. Last week’s report: all species slow; some crappie were caught out on the lake and a few white bass.
PERRY: low 40s, slightly stained, about 2 feet low. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: not much has changed in last week. Crappie slow everywhere, including around docks and marinas; blue cats fair to good on the north end using cut shad; all other species slow or no reports. Courtesy docks are available at all Corps managed boat ramps.
MILFORD: 45 degrees, stained, about 3 feet low. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide Service reports: it’s been windy and keeping most people off the water. Blue catfish fair on cut shad.
HILLSDALE: 44 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: crappie slow on jigs and minnows 12-20 feet deep, with 1 out of 10 being a keeper; all other species slow or no report. The walleye nets have been pulled out.
LA CYGNE: 60 degrees at hot water outlet, 2.5-3 feet of clarity, a little high. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: fishing has been extremely slow. Few fishermen have been out with poor conditions. Some bass and crappie have been biting.
GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): mid 40s, clear, about 1 foot low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: no updated report from week to week. Activity has remained relatively the same. 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. 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: mid to upper 40s, clear to stained, about normal. Outlook: Vic Oertle Guide Service reports: crappie slow to fair near planted brush in about 10 feet of water with good sizes being caught; all other species slow or no report.
WYANDOTTE: mid to upper 40s, clear, normal. Outlook: Wyandotte Boat Rental reports: crappie slow near structure; catfish fair on dough bait or chicken livers; trout good on Power Bait, small spinners and minnows.
WILSON: upper 40s/ low 50s, clear (4-5 feet), 0.2 feet high Outlook: Knothead’s Bait Shop reports: white bass good up the river; blue catfish good up Elm Creek near the horse show area; smallmouth/largemouth fair with some nice sizes being caught; stripers fair to good in shallow water, 4-15 feet.
EL DORADO: 50 degrees, clear, 4.22 feet low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: white bass/wipers slow to fair with a few reports of fish being caught; blue catfish fair on fresh cut bait on windy points and shorelines; white perch fair on worms near humps and ledges in 8-11 feet of water; white crappie fair on jigs or minnows fished in brush or near timbered creek channels 9 to 11 feet down; walleye fair and the spawn continues and good numbers of fish remain on rocky shorelines. Casting floating jerk baits, suspending crankbaits, or working jig and minnow combos along shallow rocky shorelines after dark are good tactics during the walleye spawn. The walleye length limit is 21 inches with 2 per day creel limit. The 2018 Walleye Egg Collection Project concluded April 6, and nets will not be set the remainder of the walleye spawn. The biologist said the action was just getting started when they pulled the nets.
This story was originally published April 11, 2018 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Fishing report: Things have been slow because of weather."