Fishing report for April 20

Missouri

BULL SHOALS: Upper 60s, very clear, 2 feet low. Outlook: 125 Marina reports: Black bass excellent (particularly smallmouths) on various lures — shallow-running baits have been particularly effective — casting from water about 20 feet deep toward shore, particularly in pockets and coves; catfish excellent on jug lines with cut bait. Below the dam: Cotter Trout Dock reports: Inconsistent generation; brown trout good on sculpins; rainbows good on gold spinners and spoons, shrimp/egg pattern/PowerBait combos and minnows. Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: Caddis season has arrived; use Berry’s Green Butt or a partridge and orange before fish start feeding at surface, then switch to elk hair caddis when fish start surfacing.

TANEYCOMO: 40s, very clear, steady generation. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Trout very good on small spinners and jigs (sculpin and ginger, sculpin and olive, and black and brown are best); for bait fishermen: minnows, air-injected nightcrawlers, pink Power Worms with weighted bobbers and floating PowerBait balls (pink and white are best); for fly fishermen: zebra midges, V-rib red midges, red cracklebacks, primrose and pearl midges, and gray and olive scuds.

NORFORK: 66 degrees, clear, 4 feet low. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Black bass, hybrids and stripers excellent on Zara Spooks and similar topwater baits (first three hours of daylight are best).

LONGVIEW: Low 60s, 9-inch water clarity, near normal. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Bass fair to good on Storm 360GT Searchbaits; crappies fair to good on minnows and jigs off the docks.

POMME DE TERRE: 66 degrees, very clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: All species slow (crappies are spawning; black bass are in pre-spawn).

LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 64 degrees, varying clarity, 4 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Black bass excellent on variety of baits off secondary points and in coves; crappies spotty near shore (in murkier water, fish are shallower than in clear water) on Road Runners and jigs and minnows; catfish fair on cut bait in 25 feet of water.

REED AREA: 61 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: Crappies good on tube jigs and minnows near brush piles and weed beds; bluegills and redears good on worms under a bobber; black bass fair on plastic worms near brush; channel catfish fair on shad sides; trout fair on PowerBaits and jigs at Coot Lake.

STOCKTON: 61 degrees, clear, 4 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Crappies fair to good on jigs and minnows in 2 to 4 feet of water; walleyes very good on jigs and nightcrawlers off main-lake points from 2 to 17 feet down; bass good on jigs and soft plastics off main-lake and secondary points; catfish good in creeks on prepared baits and nightcrawlers.

JACOMO: Mid- to high 50s, slightly stained, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: Crappies good early and late near the marina on small jigs and small minnows; largemouth bass fair to good on swim baits and minnows under tree cover; white bass fair to good early on silver or white Slab Busters; catfish fair on nightcrawlers in the coves and off points; bluegills fair on wax worms and redworms in rocky areas;. walleyes poor to fair slow trolling crankbaits or harnessed worms in dam area.

BLUE SPRINGS: Mid- to high 50s, slightly stained, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: Crappies good to very good (but small) on small minnows and small jigs near the marina; largemouth bass very good in evenings on spinnerbaits and plastic worms off points and around cover; hybrids fair on spoons near blowhole; catfish fair on nightcrawlers and shad lakewide; bluegills fair on wax worms and redworms in rocky areas; flatheads poor.

TABLE ROCK: 65 degrees, very clear, 3 feet low. Outlook: White River Lodge reports: Black bass good on stick baits off windy banks and on Carolina rigs and plastic worms back in the coves.

TRUMAN: Mid- to low 60s, varying clarity, 2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Bob Bates reports: Crappies good — and improving— on Swarm jigs (pink/white is best except in murky water, where pink/green is better) or minnows (above Bucksaw area, fishing remains dependable; at midlake, fish are spawning and limits of good-sized fish are being taken); walleyes and white bass fair. Cody’s Guide Service reports: catfish good in 15 to 25 feet of water on cut shad. Below the dam: crappies good late on jigs or minnows; hybrids and white bass good on jigs and topwater baits.

SMITHVILLE: 62 degrees, varying clarity, normal. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: Crappies fair to good (some with good size) on jigs and minnows, particularly north of Highway W; catfish good on cut bait, dip bait and nightcrawlers in creeks; white bass fair on inline spinners, Road Runners, small Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits in Little Platte arm and off the dam; black bass fair (some with good size; fish are in pre-spawn stage); walleyes fair on floating Rogues and Rapalas at night off the face of the dam.

Kansas

SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: 62 degrees, murky. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: Trout fair on PowerBait; crappies and panfish good on inline spinners; catfish fair to good on dip bait; bass good on large spinnerbaits.

KILL CREEK PARK: 62 degrees, murky. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: Trout fair early on PowerBait; bass good on spinnerbaits; crappies good on light-colored grubs; redears very good on grubs; catfish fair on dip bait.

COFFEY COUNTY: 81 degrees at hot-water outlet, clear, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: Smallmouth bass excellent; white bass, largemouth bass and catfish good. High winds hindering access.

MELVERN: 56 degrees, slightly stained, 2 feet high. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: Crappies fair 6 to 9 feet down on jigs and minnows; smallmouth bass fair on jigs off the face of the dam; blue catfish very good on crappie entrails and cut bluegills; channel catfish fair on nightcrawlers; white bass good on jigs. Below the dam: Saugers and walleyes fair on jigs.

CLINTON: 60 degrees, slightly stained, 2 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports: Crappies good on jigs 6 to 9 feet down lakewide; white bass good in Wakarusa River. Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: Walleyes fair to good on jigs and crankbaits off the dam (spawn is mostly over); channel catfish good on nightcrawlers in creeks. Below the dam: wipers good.

POMONA: 59 degrees, clear, 1 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: Crappies fair on jigs and minnows off the docks; catfish fair; all other species slow. High winds hindering access.

WILSON: 57 degrees, varying clarity, 1 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Dale Hines reports: Stripers good on bucktail jigs; all other species slow. High winds hindering access.

PERRY: 62 degrees, murky, 3 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: Crappies good on jigs or minnows under bobbers (particularly in Rock Creek area); catfish very good in shallow, flooded vegetation on nightcrawlers and shad sides. Below the dam: Blue catfish very good.

MILFORD: 57 degrees, stained, 2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: Catfish good on cut bait and nightcrawlers (from Madison Creek north is best). High winds hindering access.

HILLSDALE: 62 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: Crappies fair on jigs and minnows off the docks and near the dam; white bass fair on minnows; catfish fair to good on live bait.

LA CYGNE: 50s, clear, normal. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: Largemouth bass good on soft plastics, crankbaits and spinnerbaits on riprap and in weed beds; crappies fair to good on jigs and minnows in 6 to 9 feet of water; catfish fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers; white bass fair to good (some with good size) on variety of baits; wipers fair to good (some with good size) trolling with Shassy Shads, crankbaits and spoons. Hot-water outlet is producing well for all species.

GLEN ELDER: 50s, clear, 1 foot low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: Trout good on PowerBait, salmon eggs and nightcrawlers; walleyes fair on Rapalas along the dam and south bluffs; black bass good on soft plastics and spinnerbaits; catfish good on cut bait in creeks.

TUTTLE CREEK: 53 degrees, murky, 1 foot low. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: All species slow. High winds hindering access.

WYANDOTTE: Mid- to high 60s, clear, normal. Outlook: Wyandotte Boat Rental reports: Crappies very good on jigs and minnows and jigs under bobbers; catfish very good in the evening on nightcrawlers and liver; black bass poor to fair (but small) on a variety of baits.

EL DORADO: 60s, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: Wipers fair on crankbaits off windy points and rocky shorelines; crappies fair on jigs and minnows 8 to 11 feet down; blue catfish good on cut shad in upper end and between Boulder Bluff and Sailboat Cove; channel catfish fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut bait in creeks and off windy points; walleyes fair to good (fish are spawning) on stick baits, crankbaits and jigs along shallow rocky shorelines and rocky points.

This story was originally published April 19, 2017 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Fishing report for April 20."