Fishing report: Much-needed rain drops water temps in many Missouri, Kansas lakes
Here is the fishing report for lakes and reservoirs in the Kansas City area and regionally around Kansas and Missouri for Aug. 5, 2020.
Missouri
BLUE SPRINGS: low to mid 80s, stained, normal Outlook: Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook Group reports: White bass can be found lakewide. Keep an eye out for schooling activity early and late. Bandit 200s and 300s are a good trolling option. Largemouth have been slow in the last week. Try jigs or 10-inch worms dropped in tight to standing timber. Crappie can be found trolling or dipping trees.
BULL SHOALS: 87 degrees, dingy to clear, 27 feet and falling Outlook: Del Colvin Guide Service reports: Corp. limited access to ramps and parking, call first especially on weekends. Summer patterns are in effect. You’re going to work for them! Fish the conditions. If it’s hot, go deep. If it’s cloudy and windy, go shallow! Getting up early for topwater can make or break your day. Poppers and Berkley wake bait have been a staple. Try whopper plopper, buzz bait, or chatterbait for powerfishing “shallow” if it’s cloudy or stormy. Target shallow flats close to old creek channels with shad. As sun comes up, change tactics. Smallies/Kentuckies are stacked out on main and secondary points, sunken islands, humps, channel swings, bluffs, and bluff ends. With shad present, fish position will change depending on sun, wind, current, clouds, etc. Still a lot of places for them to hide with high water so keep it moving. The big worm in sunken trees, are catching suspended fish in 20-25ft on points near ledges or also try 1/2 oz Jig in green pumpkin orange or GP blue. Smallmouth are on gravel banks, boat ramps, and old roads. All good places to drag baits like the ned rig, hula grubs, tubes, in puke lil MCMinnow. Drop shot the suspenders off bluff points, main lake points, and hump islands 24-34 feet deep. Check the last set of bushes off points. Del Colvin’s online fishing report on YouTube.. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: The White has fished well. The lower flows we have had in the morning have been extremely productive. The hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals. 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 combination is a cerise San Juan worm with a girdle bug) suspended below it).
JACOMO: low to mid 80s, stained, normal Outlook: Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook group reports: thermocline is settling in around 15 feet. Fish at that depth or shallower. Look for crappie near brush in 10-15 feet of water or along the public docks using jigs or minnows. Trolling crankbaits should be a good way to find all species of fish. Look for the whites schooling in the evenings now. Walleye have been caught while trolling flicker shad in the last week. Look for bass along the weedlines in the coves and on points. Topwater bite has been virtually nonexistent for most anglers. Cloudy mornings will help. Later in the day look to go deeper with jigs off points. Bluegills are very good on small jigs tipped with pieces of nightcrawlers or crickets.
JAMES A. REED: 78 degrees, clear, normal Outlook: Missouri Dept. of Conservation reports: largemouth bass are good on a variety of baits, key is early and late in the day. Jigs and squarebills have produced and some topwater activity has been present. Channel catfish are good on live bait and prepared baits. All other species slow.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 80 degrees, clear, 0.5 feet low Outlook: bassingbob.com reports: brush pile fishing is the way to go, but bite has been tougher. Jigs or Texas rigged worms pulled through the brush around docks and main lake points should be good. Some decent reports of bass coming below Truman dam off the river channel along structure near docks. Crappie have been fair/good trolling Bandit crankbaits in 15-20 feet of water on main lake bluff ends to secondary points. You can find them in brush piles jigging minnows vertically as well. Blue and channel cats are fair to good on main lake ledge points and deeper secondaries.
LONGVIEW: upper 70s, clear, normal Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Crappie are fair to good around the marina docks and in the timber in Mouse Creek in 8-15 feet of water and deeper on minnows. Catfish are biting well from shore all over the lake on stink bait. White bass have been good 10-15 feet down in 30 feet of water near the dam and rocky areas. All other species slow or no reports. Marina open 8am-8pm and is stocked with minnows, worms, and chicken liver in stock but need a mask to enter. Join Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook group for daily updates.
NORFORK: 86 degrees, clear, 8 feet high Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Stripers are 75-85 feet down and hitting Bink’s Spoons. Bass are biting really well on topwater baits like spooks and poppers. Best bite has been walleye hitting ¼ oz Bink’s Spoons anywhere shallow down to 28 feet.
POMME DE TERRE: 80 degrees, clear, 2 feet high (1000 CFS) Outlook: Pomme Muskie Guide Service reports: Catfish are hitting trolled crankbaits and can be caught with traditional methods from docks. White bass schooling activity has been intermittent, look for it in the late afternoon/evening. Crappie are biting well over brush piles but you have to hunt for them. Minnows and jigs are the ticket. Bass are hitting but it’s been a tough bite. Look for brush piles and pull your baits through those to find them. All other species slow or no reports.
SMITHVILLE: 86 degrees, clear, 0.6 feet high (8 CFS) Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: Crappie are good 8-10 feet deep in 15-20 feet of water. Minnows are best and you need to be looking for main lake brush piles. Bass are fair with many caught shallow on spooks and frogs. Some Pop-R fish being caught as well. Big worms are still producing in brush piles from 5-12 feet. Catfish are good in the backs of creeks on nightcrawlers and cut bait. Live bluegill are best for flatheads. White bass are good on the main lake. Most success has come spotting them busting the surface on main lake points. Walleye have been poor overall, but some being caught in 9 feet on rocky bottoms using a Shad Rap.
STOCKTON: 77 degrees, clear, 0.2 feet low (755 CFS) Outlook: Tandem Fly Outfitters reports: Walleye have been a on fire the last week. Jigging crawlers or pulling bottom bouncers are good ways to get them. Look for them on main lake points using a 1/8th- 1/4oz jig tipped with a night crawler. With a bottom bouncer and a worm harness, target main lake points and main lake flats. The whites are schooling throughout the lake around points surrounded by flats in the evenings. Throw a 1/4oz silver spoon or a 1/4 white road runner. Crappie are still suspended in 12-25ft and can be caught trolling with flicker shad or near brush or standing timber with a jig or minnow. The bass are on main lake points eating a 10in worm or a jig. Dragging neds and tubes should pull a few smallies off rocky points.
TABLE ROCK: 86 degrees, clear main lake (clear to stained in rivers), 1 foot high Outlook: Eric Prey of Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: For bass, the top water bite has slowed but a few fish can still be caught early and late. Look for fish to be on main lake and secondary points. Swimbaits have been effective on gravel points close to deep water. Deep fish are starting to show up in treetops; a drop shot rig 25’-45’ deep in trees anywhere from 40’-90’ has been effective this past week. Crappie are getting harder to find, trees topping out around 20’ are holding a few. White jigs, small tubes and live minnows are the best bet. The white bass are getting harder to find, gravel points and in main lake pockets, they can be caught on top water early and on spoons around 35’ deep later in the day.
TANEYCOMO: 56 degrees, clear, 7-12k CFS daily Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Best fishing has been early morning. Quality rainbows are biting sculpin marabou jigs early, both in and out of trophy area. 4-pound line with a 3/32nd or 1/16th oz jig. Pink power worm under a float, on two-pound line, about five- to seven-feet deep is also producing from Fall Creek to Short Creek, then doing well down at the Branson Landing later in the mornings. Drifting nightcrawlers from Fall Creek to Trout Hollow is scoring big rainbows, too. Boats are drifting by catching trout, mainly on Berkley Power Eggs in white and orange. The pink worm under a float is working here, too. Drifting #15 gray or rainbow scuds in trophy area is working well, or try an egg fly or a San Juan worm. White jigs have also worked in trophy area. You can try a 1/100th jig under a float early in the morning about 4-6 feet deep. You’ll need to move to 2-pound line soon when throwing straight marabou jigs due to water clearing up.
TRUMAN: 80 degrees, stained, 3 feet high Outlook: Richard Bowling Guide Service reports: crappie are being caught in 10-25 feet of water fishing 8-12 feet down on flats. Fishing has been a little tougher since the water came up and got a little dirty with the rain. Minnows are your best bet. Fish the flats, road beds, and isolated trees for the best bite. Cats are being caught on the flats in 8 feet of water out to 14 feet drift fishing and using fresh cut bait. Blues are on the flats and biting well. Wiper Sniper Guide Service reports: hybrids are tough to come by. Haven’t been wanting to hit artificials hardly at all and you have to work hard to find the right sized live bait. Look for them on the lower lake near humps along the main river channels.
Kansas
CLINTON: 79 degrees, stained, 4 feet high (21 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: Boat Ramp #4 in the Bloomington West Park is closed. Crappie are hitting over brush piles and standing timber 15-20 feet deep mostly on jigs. Channel cats fair on shad, cut bait, or minnows. Walleye are on the flats now and can be targeted with jig and a nightcrawler or trolling with crankbaits. White bass fair casting crankbaits on the dam or windy points. Wipers have been mixed in. Look for humps in deep water along channel breaks to target wipers. Marina store had been closed for two days as of 7/31 due to a COVID-19 case on staff; call ahead to see if it’s re-opened.
COFFEY COUNTY: upper 80s/low 90s, clear, normal Outlook: KDWPT reports: Restricted lake hours are from 7am-4pm. All people and boats are to be off of lake property by 5pm. Fishermen should remain in vehicles at the gate during registration. Largemouth are slow/fair fishing around shallow woody cover. Use jerkbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, or rattletraps. Also try Carolina rigs over rocky points. Walleye are slow/fair on crankbaits, rattletraps, and twister-tail grubs worked along rocky shore line. Spinner rigs tipped with nightcrawler and trolled over humps and points should produce some bites. Catfish have been fair/good on wind blown banks or creek channel swings and humps. Crappie are in deep standing timber and brush piles or near the channel breaks. Using various colored jigs or minnows should produce some fish. Smallmouth are fair on crankbaits, swimbaits, and finesse plastics around rocky habitat. Don’t be afraid to go offshore and fish deeper around humps and dropoffs, using drop shot rigs. Whites/wipers are fair to good on shad imitation lures like small spinners, crankbaits or bucktail jigs. Look for schools of shad or focus on wind blown flats or rocky points. Vertical jigging slab spoons is also a good technique. Entrance gate phone number is 620-364-2475, call for lake conditions.
EL DORADO: upper 70s, stained, normal (17 CFS) Outlook: KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism: Wipers are hitting off the main lake points and deep water areas during mid-day hours. Trolling cranks in areas where the wind is blowing into or across is a great way to locate active fish. Whites are mixed in. Crappie are in standing timber and brush piles in water 12-15 feet deep. Minnows are best bet but can also troll for them with small crankbaits. Blue cats are fair near river channels in the upper half of the lake on fresh cut bait. Walleye have been caught on the flats on jig and crawler combos in water 9-12 feet deep.
GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE): 83 degrees, clear, 4 feet high (50 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: crappie are deep in timber and other structure like the Georgia Cubes. You may find some in the river channel 20-25 feet down. Look for walleye in 8-16 feet of water using crankbaits and jig/crawler combos. Best areas to try now include Walnut Creek, the flats south of the Cawker City golf course and the south shore between Gibbs Point and Mill Creek. Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good. They can be found shallow along the dam, Granite Creek, the south bluffs, and along the state park shoreline. Largemouth are in most of the main lake coves as well as in the state park using spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and Senkos. Catfish are good and anglers have turned to chumming for channel and blue catfish. Fermented soybeans, wheat, and milo all work well. Large white bass are hitting across the reservoir on slab spoons, white and chartreuse twistertails, roadrunners, and Rattletraps.
HILLSDALE: upper 70s, stained, 1.7 feet high (30 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: some walleye are being caught on shallow flats and mud banks drifting live bait, jigging, or trolling crankbaits. Most crappie are in brush or isolated structure using jigs or minnows. White bass fair on wind blown points. Channel cats being caught lakewide at dusk lakeside. All other species slow or no reports.
KILL CREEK PARK: 81 degrees, clear, normal Outlook: Johnson County Parks and Rec reports: trout are slow, try powerbait. Crappie and bluegill have been hitting very well on nightcrawlers and minnows. Bass have been fair on topwater and plastics. Catfish are fair on dough bait and nightcrawlers.
LA CYGNE: mid to upper 80s, clear, normal Outlook: KDWPT reports: catfishing is good from shore using sunfish or cutshad, worms, prepared baits, or liver. Start at the creek mouth and look for water inflows. Set lines have also been productive. Crappie are on structure now. Some caught off the wall gates where water is released at the dam and also on Georgia cubes. White bass are fair to good using shad imitations or silver spoons in the creek mouth area. Most have been in the 1-2 pound range. Some wipers have been found surfacing recently near the bridge, most are 4-6 pounds. Notes from area local: Bass fishing is slow. Need to get there early to beat the heat when the fish are shallow. They’ll move offshore during the day. Flipping or pitching in the morning is your best bet and then deep cranks, jigs, or worms off shore later is the way to go.
MELVERN: 83 degrees, clear, 2 feet high (1000 CFS) Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: Crappie are fair to good lakewide in deeper water over established brush piles and along the docks on minnows and jigs. Smallmouth are good lakewide on minnows, crankbaits, and jigs on rocky banks. White bass are fair on shallow crankbaits and minnows on wind blown points and along the dam. Channel catfish are good with a few caught near cleaning stations and in the outlet area on nightcrawlers. Blue cats are fair on mud flats and around the docks on crappie entrails or fresh cut bait. Walleye are fair to good over mud flats towards the west end of the lake.
MILFORD: 78 degrees, stained, 8 feet high (3184 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: Catfish are biting very well overall. Channel catfish are biting cut bait, worms, and stink bait. Blue catfish are typically caught on fresh cut bait on wind blown flats and river channel ledges. Crappie are fair 10-20 feet deep suspended near points, flooded brush, and ledges on minnows. Walleye are slow to fair on rocky or wind-swept mud banks with jigs, crankbaits, or bottom bouncers. White bass/wipers are good along windy banks and points using jigs on the reservoir. Black bass are fair. Find the smallies on gravel banks and points.
PERRY: low 80s, stained, 8 feet high Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: started letting water out on Tuesday. Crappie fishing has been good in the marina area but bigger fish are being caught in Slough Creek in the timber. Minnows are best. Anglers are catching their limits of cats at Devil’s Gap/Hog Toff using Sonny’s dip bait Triple S while chumming with beans. Skipjack and whole shad have been a producer as well. Whites are being found and seeing some surfacing activity in the mornings and late evenings.
POMONA: 80 degrees, stained, 2 feet high (1000 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: Catfish are your best bet here on worms, dip baits, sunfish entrails, cutshad, and stink/prepared baits. Both of the parks provide many good shorelines for bank fishing. Crappie are fair and can be found around the rock quarry and in brush piles. Look for the whites/wipers near the creek channel. All other species slow.
SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: 81 degrees, clear, normal Outlook: Johnson County Parks and Rec reports: trout are slow to fair on powerbait. Crappie and bluegill are hitting small plastics, worms, and minnow imitation lures. Catfish are fair on cut bait. Bass and wipers are fair on plastic baits and squarebills.
TUTTLE CREEK: 81 degrees, stained, 15.5 feet high (641 CFS) Outlook: Kansas Department of Wildlife reports: Crappie were fair and being found in brush 8-12 feet deep. You may need to go on the hunt a bit more with the high water. Catfish are fair on fresh cut bait on flats and channel swings. You’ll find bass in the southern third of the reservoir. Look for them in flooded bushes or structure with the high water. Saugeye are fair to good and 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.