Outdoors report: Crappie are in full spawn mode. And the fish are just flat-out biting
Here is the fishing report for lakes and reservoirs in the Kansas City area and regionally around Kansas and Missouri for May 6, 2020.
Missouri
BLUE SPRINGS: upper 50s/low 60s, stained, normal Outlook: Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook Group reports: marina is still closed until further notice due to COVID19 precautions. Look for wipers near the blowhole if water is coming in from Jacomo, especially after a rain. Some giant wipers have been caught recently. Crappie around standing timber in 10 feet of water or less is a good bite and they are moving shallow. Bank fishermen are getting into them. Large quantities of white bass have been reported from the bank as well. Check the dam if the wind is blowing in. Largemouth have been found on finesse baits but not many reports.
BULL SHOALS: 64 degrees, clear, 25 feet and rising Outlook: Del Colvin Guide Service reports: limited access to ramps and parking, call first. Fish are in all phases of the spawn. Look for flat pockets halfway back to the backs of coves. Post spawners are moving out. Points have been good using a swimbait or jerkbait is near shad balls. Close to spawning areas: with wind, the spinnerbait or chatterbait on old banks and bushes with stain will work. Senko, jig, beaver, weightless worm, topwater frogs, small spooks, and lots of other baits are working if you get around the fish. Fish the conditions. High water is making great for the spawn. Little tougher for the fishermen. For smallmouth, gravel banks, boat ramps, and old roads are good places to drag baits. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: The hot spot has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. 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 combination is a deep water worm with a weighted egg suspended below it).
JACOMO: upper 50s/low 60s, stained, normal Outlook: Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook group reports: marina is still closed until further notice due to COVID19 precautions. Look for crappie near brush in 5-10 feet of water or along the public docks using jigs or minnows. Folks are catching good numbers from the banks lakewide, especially on the north end. Look for warmer afternoons to find them. White bass should be up at the dam so look for them surfacing. Bass have been slow with few reports.
JAMES A. REED: 64 degrees, stained, normal Outlook: Missouri Dept. of Conservation reports: crappie remain fair using very small jigs or minnows near brush. Keep your limit! Folks have been reporting using a 1/32nd or smaller jig fished starting shallow and moving deeper to find them. Largemouth bass have been hit or miss on a variety of baits, but seeing consistent reports on crankbaits. All other species slow. Due to public safety concerns from the coronavirus, MDC has suspended the channel catfish stockings for the Kansas City area park lakes until further notice. Also, the rental boats will not be available at the James A. Reed Area until further notice.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 60 degrees, stained, 3 feet high Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: crappie have slowed down a bit and moved back into brush . Look for them 1-10 feet down on gravel banks and near structure in spawning pockets. Jerkbaits, crankbaits, and tubes on rocky banks should produce some bass.
LONGVIEW: 62 degrees, stained, normal Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Marina is closed until May 15th due to COVID19 precautions. No dock fishing is available. The gates are closed until further notice but the lake is open. Crappie are on fire and being caught all over the lake on jigs in the coves and down in the trees on the Blue River side. Many anglers have reported catching them from the banks. White bass are about done and should be moving out of the tributaries back to the main lake. There will be some stragglers. Some largemouth were caught in the timber along rocky banks in the last week. Join Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook group for daily updates.
NORFORK: 65 degrees, clear, 18 feet high Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: White bass, largemouth, kentucky’s, and smallmouth are still spawning. Stripers are in about 35 feet feeding on small shad. Smallmouth will be the best bite for the next few weeks.
POMME DE TERRE: 62 degrees, stained, 7 feet high (3000 CFS) Outlook: Pomme Muskie Guide Service reports: a lot of rain came through and slowed things down but they are picking up again now. Crappie are being found along the banks on jigs and minnows. The next week should be good still. Bass are slow but hitting a variety of baits. Some muskies caught on accident in the last week. All other species slow or no reports.
SMITHVILLE: 58 degrees, clear, 1.5 feet high (8 CFS) Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: The crappie are still out deeper but will start moving in very soon when the temperature warms. Sailboat cove or brush piles could be areas to check. Folks are filling their limits all over the lake. Bass are picking up on spinnerbaits and jigs. Try rocky areas. The cats are biting well in the upper parts of the lake on cut bait. Try 10 feet or less of water. White bass are picking up in the river areas near Plattsburg. Quality white bass and crappie are being caught on the upper arms of the lake. Walleye should be moving to the flats soon.
STOCKTON: 60 degrees, clear, 5.7 feet high (2500 CFS) Outlook: Tandem Fly Outfitters reports: walleye are biting well on main lake points fishing a 1/8th Jakked shooter head tipped with a nightcrawler. Start deeper in 25 feet or so work shallower until you find them. Walleye, crappie, and white bass are being caught on #7 flicker shad. Crappie are spawning and catching them in 1-10 feet. The Big Sac arm is the best right now. Bass are staging to spawn and are being caught on spinner baits, jigs, and Carolina rigging a brush hog in the mouth of spawning pockets.
TABLE ROCK: 65 degrees, clear main lake (clear to stained in rivers), 1.5 feet high Outlook: Eric Prey of Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: Colder temperatures have moved the majority of bass back out from spawning pockets in the last couple of days. Secondary points fished with swimbaits, grubs and small jigs have been effective. With warmer weather coming this weekend the fish will move back into the pockets and join those that are already on spawning beds, look for sight fishing to be a dominant pattern this weekend and through next week. Crappie are moving back to the banks in the river arms. Look for them on shallow wood cover less than 10 feet deep on steep banks leading into spawning pockets. White jigs, small tubes and live minnow have all been effective. The white bass are all but done spawning, they have moved to larger flats in the river arms and can be caught with small crankbaits, swimbaits and grubs. Look for schools of whites chasing shad on the flats less than 10’ deep.
TANEYCOMO: 46 degrees, clear, 1-3 units Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Big trout are still being caught on Taneycomo on a variety of methods including float and shad fly, float and jig, marabou jigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and small minnow baits. Trophy area has been good especially using jigs, small jerkbaits, and scuds. Best jig colors have been white, sculpin and sculpin/peach. Use a bell weight or split shot to get your small minnow crankbaits to the bottom. Most of these baits have two sets of treble hooks. Take the front set off and only leave the back set. This will still hook the fish but won’t catch the bottom as well. Best to use a shad color/pattern. Minnows and nightcrawlers are working below Fall Creek. Monkey Island has been a hot spot for browns chasing shad. There is a big midge and mayfly hatch all over the lake but trout aren’t keying in on them yet. For fly fishermen, drop a San Juan Worm and a scud under an indicator and fish the flats both above and below Fall Creek. Be sure to watch One Cast, the Lilley’s Landing daily fishing video, and you’ll find out exactly what they are (and aren’t) catching trout on. You’ll find it on Facebook and on YouTube.
TRUMAN: 60 degrees, stained, 5 feet high (20,000 CFS) Outlook: Richard Bowling Guide Service reports: Crappie are being caught in the creeks and spawning pockets in 1-3 feet of water using jigs under a bobber or just casting with a jig. Spider rigging the center of the creeks and live scope fishing is working as well. It is a good bite all day but more fish move to the bank in the afternoon after the water warms up. Spawn is on and just getting started. Black bass are being caught on spinner baits and chatter baits in the flat pockets. Look for the pockets with no wind and keep on the move. The overall bite is on so get down there if you can.
Kansas
CLINTON: 63 degrees, stained, 4.4 feet high (2000 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: All boat ramps except Boat Ramp #3 in the Clinton State Park and Boat Ramp #4 in the Bloomington East Park are open, with Bloomington Boat Ramps having their courtesy docks pulled out, until the lake level stabilizes. Boat Ramps #1 and #2 in the Clinton State Park do have courtesy docks in place. The road over the dam is still closed. Crappie are in 3-15 feet around brush and rocky areas. Most anglers are using jigs and minnows. White bass are good. Casting crankbaits on the dam is working some days, or jigs and spinners on the Wakarusa River above the reservoir. Some action trolling with crankbaits. Wipers have been mixed in. Catfish will bite well on nightcrawlers near inflows. Walleye should be moving to the flats now and can be targeted with jig and a nightcrawler or trolling with crankbaits.
COFFEY COUNTY: 57 degrees north end, hot water outlet 71, upper 40s everywhere else, clear, low Outlook: KDWPT reports: lake is now open but no fishing to report yet since nobody has been on the lake. Entrance gate phone number is 620-364-2475, call for lake conditions.
EL DORADO: upper 50s, murky, 0.5 feet high (257 CFS) Outlook: KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism: Wipers/white bass are fair near breaks or humps early and moving towards shallow points and shorelines as the water warms up during the day. Jig and plastic or crankbaits work well. 4-inch shad are numerous so match your bait accordingly. Crappie action has been up and down. Fish have been found at a variety of depths from suspended over 20 feet of water to shallow on the banks. Spawning activity will be increasing as weather patterns stabilize for at least a couple days. Some blue catfish being caught on shallow windy points or shorelines with an incoming wind. Fresh cut bait has been best. Walleye will be heading to the flats soon and the traditional “jig and crawler” bite will begin. Walleye action has been Fair at best recently. With the abundance of last year’s gizzard shad in the lake, trolling crankbaits would be a good choice to locate actively feeding fish and identify a productive depth range.
GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): upper 50s, clear, 1.8 feet high (300 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: crappie spawn is on. Males are in shallow to construct beds and will be easy to catch if you can find them. Crappie tend to spawn in 2-5 feet of water and can generally be found near some sort of structure like cattails, stickups, or even rip rap. Try jigs or minnows. Walleye are fair near the Cawker City causeway and some can be found along the north shore points in 5-10 feet of water. There are also some in 25-35 feet of water along the river channel south of the marina toward the saddle area. Watch for adult walleye with a Pink Tag attached to the dorsal fin. A multi-year telemetry study is underway examining walleye mortality patterns, habitat use, and movement. Anglers catching a tagged fish will receive a $100 reward for return of the transmitter which has been placed in the internal cavity of these fish. Smallmouth bass are good along the dam, the south bluffs, and along the state park shoreline. Anglers have been catching fair to good numbers of channel catfish near the mouth of Oak Creek and Carr Creek, off the Cawker City dike and golf course, and in Mill Creek. The white bass fishing has been excellent up the rivers, especially the South Fork. Anglers have been catching fish around the log jam and near the bridges west of that area. These fish will also start to congregate along rocky banks such as the Cawker City causeway, Granite Creek, and the dam.
HILLSDALE: 58 degrees, stained, 0.1 feet high (15 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: some walleye are being caught on shallow flats and mud banks. Drifting live bait, jigging, trolling crankbaits, casting baits while targeting structure can all be effective methods right now. Crappie are shallow now and available from the shore on jigs and minnows. Look for them in 10-15 feet of water and moving in. White bass are fair on wind blown points. Jigs and shad imitation lures are the best baits right now. Channel cats have been pretty slow lately.
KILL CREEK PARK: 63 degrees, clear, normal Outlook: Johnson County Parks and Rec reports: trout are slow to fair on powerbait. Crappie and bluegill have been hitting minnows and worms. Bass have been fair on spinnerbaits and plastics fished along the bottom. Catfish are fair on chicken livers.
LA CYGNE: upper 50s, clear, about normal Outlook: KDWPT reports: catfishing has been good from shore. Look for fresh inflows and use nightcrawlers. The crappie are moving into staging areas for spawning, usually close to structure. Some fish have been caught off the wall gates where water is released at the dam. Some fish caught off of marina coves and it’s usually good at the hot water outlet area. They should be moving shallow now. Largemouth are fair to good fishing the deep side of the riprap areas and weed beds. Use cranks, jerkbaits, or spinner baits like shad imitations. White bass are fair using shad imitations or silver spoons in the area of the hot water outlet. Most have been in the 1-2 pound range.
MELVERN: 61 degrees, stained, 0.7 feet high (500 CFS) Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: Crappie are great right now over shallow established brush piles, on the shore on the north side of the lake, and along the docks on minnows and small jigs. Smallmouth are good lakewide on minnows and shallow crankbaits. White bass are fair on shallow crankbaits and minnows on wind blown points. Channel catfish are fair to good with a few caught near cleaning stations and in the outlet area on nightcrawlers. Blue cats have been fair to good on mud flats and around the docks on crappie entrails or fresh cut bait. Walleye are poor but a few have been reported caught along the dam face trolling with nightcrawlers. All other species slow or no reports.
MILFORD: 55 degrees, stained, 2 feet high (1000 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: Catfish are fair overall. Channel catfish are biting cut bait, worms, and stink bait. Look for freshwater inflows. Blue catfish are typically caught on fresh cut bait. Target wind blown flats and river channel ledges for catfish. Crappie are fair 10-20 feet deep suspended near points, flooded brush, and ledges on jigs and minnows and starting to transition. Look for them more shallow as water temps approach 60. Walleye are fair to good near rocky or wind-swept mud banks with jigs or jerkbaits as they move up to spawn. White bass/wipers are fair along windy banks and points using jigs on the reservoir and in the river on north end of the reservoir.
PERRY: 62 degrees, stained, 8 feet high (5000 CFS) Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: Crappie are on fire right now. Bank fishermen fishing around Slough Creek Bridge are getting into them. Fishing around the docks continues to produce. Jigs or minnows should work. White bass have been hitting around Rock Creek Bridge and are making their run up the Delaware. Catfish have been biting very well on fresh cut shad or crappie remains.
POMONA: 60 degrees, stained, 2.75 feet high (1000 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: White bass/wipers are slow but have been found near shad and along drop offs in creek channels. Whites have been found in the tributaries but are moving out now. Good baits are minnows/live baits, cut bait, sometimes wipers hit liver and shad imitation lures. Crappie are moving in to spawn. Work the shallow areas. Some nice fish caught especially around the rock quarry on dark jigs and/or minnows. Catfish are continuing to bite better. Good baits are fresh cut shad or or prepared baits. Look for water inflows and you’ll find them.
SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: 64 degrees, clear, normal Outlook: Johnson County Parks and Rec reports: trout are still biting well on powerbait. Crappie and bluegill are hitting small plastics and worms and moving shallow on warmer days. Catfish have been good on hotdogs. Bass and wipers have been hitting minnow imitation baits.
TUTTLE CREEK: upper 50s, clear, 8.2 feet high (5000 CFS) Outlook: Kansas Department of Wildlife reports: Crappie fishing has been very good. Most fish have been 10 to 14 feet deep, but varies with fluctuations in water temps each day. Stockdale cove, Carnahan cove, and Baldwin Creek area were producing this past week on jigs and/or minnows. Catfish are fair on fresh cut bait on flats and channel swings. Look for fresh inflows of water. Saugeye are best in the River Pond or at Rocky Ford.
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 May 6, 2020 at 11:18 AM.