Fishing report: Summer angling patterns holding as outside temperatures stay sizzling
Here is the fishing report for lakes and reservoirs in the Kansas City area and regionally around Kansas and Missouri for Aug. 26, 2020.
Missouri
BLUE SPRINGS: low to mid 80s, clear, 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 that will get the whites, crappie, and hybrids. Hybrids have been hitting live shad near the dam. 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. First place for the bass tourney was 3 fish at 7.07 pounds out of 7 boats.
BULL SHOALS: 85 degrees, dingy to clear, 18 feet high 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! Bite is changing a little bit everyday The Corp. has been pumping the water out which has some of the fish moving out on the points and there’s baitfish suspended deep off the points. 10-15 feet early 20-28 feet deep later in the day. Find the bait, find the fish. Fish the conditions. If it’s hot, go deep. If it’s cloudy and windy, go shallow! Getting up early for topwater with poppers and Berkley wake bait has been good. 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 but are closer to main lake points in 26-32 feet. 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 is catching suspended fish in 20-25ft on points near ledges bluff ends or also try 1/2 oz jig in green pumpkin orange or GP blue. Smallmouth are on gravel banks, Check the last set of bushes off long 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 peach) suspended below it).
JACOMO: low 80s, clear, normal Outlook: Lee’s Summit Area Fishing Facebook group reports: you need to stick to fishing 15 feet 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. White bass are all over the lake, including out in front of them. Find them on your graphs. Look for bass along the weedlines in the coves and on points. Topwater bite has still been slow. 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: 85 degrees, clear, normal Outlook: Missouri Dept. of Conservation reports: largemouth bass are fair to good on a variety of baits, key is early and late in the day. Plastics, jigs and squarebills have produced and some topwater activity has been present. Channel catfish are good on cut bait and prepared baits. All other species slow.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: mid 80s, clear, 1.2 feet low Outlook: bassingbob.com reports: flipping and skipping docks has been the best producer for bass. A better bite picking up in creeks, especially on the docks with brush. Targeting shady corners of the dock seems to be the ticket. You can still find them brush pile fishing is the way to go 12-15 feet deep. Crankbaits on main and secondary points have produced. Some decent reports of bass coming below Truman dam off the river channel along structure near docks. Fishing wave break walls has produced a lot of bites on a chatterbait recently. 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 long flats, rocky secondary points, and main lake ledge points.
LONGVIEW: upper 70s, clear, normal Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Crappie are fair to good around the marina docks and in standing timber 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, 10 feet high Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: no changes. Stripers are 85-100 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 25 feet.
POMME DE TERRE: 83 degrees, clear, 0.3 feet high (50 CFS) Outlook: Pomme Muskie Guide Service reports: Catfish are hitting trolled crankbaits and can be caught with traditional methods from docks. White bass have slowed down a lot. Crappie are biting well over brush piles but you have to hunt for them. Minnows and jigs are the ticket. Bass are hitting shallow recently but also look for brush piles and pull your baits through those to find them.
SMITHVILLE: 84 degrees, clear, 0.4 feet high (10 CFS) Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: The crappie are good and in summer mode in the deep brush piles on the main lake. The fish are 7’ to 10’ deep in 15’ to 20’ deep brush piles. If you want to catch numbers, you will have to use minnows. The jig bite is really slow but they are easy to catch on minnows. Bass are poor with lots of small fish being caught on the main lake around the grass. Buzz baits, frogs or senkos are good choices for the grass. Small crankbaits around rock are also producing fish. See tournament results on Livin2Fish. The catfish are good and biting shallow, also because of the thermocline. Shallow bay’s in less than 10’ of water. Dough or dip bait, like Sonny’s, works great for channels. Liver, shrimp or worms work also. Some nice flatheads and blues are also being caught on trot & limb lines. Goldfish or cut shad are best for these methods. Watch for the whites busting the surface, chasing shad, in the morning or evening. You can throw almost anything when they are surfacing. A roadrunner with a white curly tail, rooster tail, small crank baits or rattle traps. During the day, when they are not surfacing, use small 1/4 oz spoons or small white twister tails on a 1/8 oz roadrunner head fished near the bottom. Walleye are poor. Your best bet is trolling a medium diving crank bait on main lake points. A few small ones are being caught but few keepers.
STOCKTON: 81 degrees, clear, 0.1 feet low (2340 CFS) Outlook: Tandem Fly Outfitters reports: fishing has gotten better in the last week. Walleye are still being caught but a lot of shorts still. 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 still around points surrounded by flats in the evenings but it hasn’t been nuts like a few weeks ago. 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. Very light bite and have to work through a lot of little guys. 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: 85 degrees, clear main lake (clear to stained in rivers), 0.15 feet high Outlook: Eric Prey of Focused Fishing Guide Service reports: For bass - With the water shut off, the bite has slowed a little while the fish get acclimated to no current. Most are being caught around 28’-35’ deep on long gravel points on the main lake with a drop shot rig. A few fish are starting to show up on the brush piles in the river arms; 12’-20’ seems to be the most productive depths. 7” – 10” Texas rigged worms have been the ticket. Crappie: Most are coming off deep brush around docks in the rivers, live minnows below a slip float set at 15’ – 18’ has been the best option. White Bass have basically disappeared, a few are being caught on spoons on gravel flats 25’ – 35’ deep but they have been very scattered and hard to target.
TANEYCOMO: 56 degrees, clear, no generation in mornings Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: generation finally shut off Tuesday at midnight and stayed off for 11 hours. We are hoping this will be the pattern for the next week. It will take about a day or so for trout to get used to the “new normal” and then should resume feeding normally. Nightcrawlers have been the best bait recently and you’ll need to inject them with air to float off the bottom with no generation. As water continues to clear up heading into the fall, you’ll need to start using 2-pound line. 4-pound is probably okay still for the next couple weeks. Dry fly fishing was very good in the mornings when 1-2 units were running but now will have to figure out a new pattern with water off. #14 tan scud and #16 primrose & pearl under a float 3-4 feet deep has caught some fish. The pink power worm under a float should still be good and pick up as trout get used to the new water pattern.
TRUMAN: mid 80s, stained, 0.5 feet low (3,200 CFS) Outlook: Richard Bowling Guide Service reports: crappie are being caught in 10-25 feet of water fishing in all arms of the lake fishing anywhere from 8-17 feet down on flats and in brush piles. Minnows are your best bet. Fish the flats, road beds, and isolated trees for the best bite. Cats are slow but you can target them on the flats in 8 feet of water out to 14 feet drift fishing using fresh cut bait. Bass are on main lake points with channel swings coming in on them or in brush piles off shore 6-12 feet deep. Look for them up in the river arms as well Cody’s Guide service reports: hybrids are still tough. Only bite in the last week has been in the dam area and need to have live shad, but a spoon has picked up some. Use your graphs to find them and be ready to stay on the move because they are moving around a lot. Trumanlakefishingintel.com is a newly launched membership website that offers in-depth, daily/weekly fishing reports for Truman Lake with many of the top guides contributing quality info.
Kansas
CLINTON: 85 degrees, stained, 0.3 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 10-20 feet deep mostly on jigs. Channel cats fair on shad, cut bait, or minnows. Walleye fair on flats and can be targeted with jig and a nightcrawler or trolling with crankbaits. White bass fair/good 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. Outlet can be good for wipers when there’s a large flow of water.
COFFEY COUNTY: upper 80s/low 90s, clear, normal Outlook: KDWPT reports: Largemouth are slow/fair fishing around shallow woody cover. Use jerkbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, or rattletraps. Walleye are slow/fair on bottom bouncers, crankbaits, rattletraps, and twister-tail grubs worked along rocky shore line. 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 on jigs or minnows. Smallmouth are fair on crankbaits, swimbaits, and finesse plastics around rocky habitat. Offshore humps and dropoffs, using drop shot rigs should produce. 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, 0.3 feet low (14 CFS) Outlook: KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism: no changes since last report. Wipers/white bass 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. 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): upper 70s, clear, 1.5 feet high (150 CFS) Outlook: KDWPT reports: There have been good numbers of crappie caught around the grate on the north end of the dam due to the high releases. Crappie can also be found around submerged structure throughout the summer. Recent angler reports combined with locations of tagged walleye indicate there are fish hanging out near the mouth of Mill Creek and Walnut Creek as well as toward the upper end in some cases all in 20 feet or less. Smallmouth bass fishing continues to produce with anglers catching some fish around the state park along the north shore and along the dam. 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: 80 degrees, stained, 0.6 feet high (25 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 are fair/good being caught lakewide at dusk. 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 are good on nightcrawlers and minnows. Bass have been good on jigs. Catfish are fair on dough bait and nightcrawlers.
LA CYGNE: mid to upper 80s, slightly stained, low 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 been very productive. Crappie are on structure and getting better in the last week. 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. Wipers are chasing shad at the surface and some have been found in the middle of the lake. Notes from area local: Best bass bite has been yum dinger green pumpkin red fleck rigged wacky style. Some keepers caught on green pumpkin tube.
MELVERN: 81 degrees, clear, 0.2 feet high (20 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 fair lakewide on shallow crankbaits. 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. All other species slow or no reports.
MILFORD: 80 degrees, stained, 1.8 feet high (1000 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: 80 degrees, stained, 1.5 feet high (25 CFS) Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: folks are catching crappie and catfish below the spillway. Crappie fishing has been good lakewide. Bigger fish are still being caught in Slough Creek in the timber on minnows. Anglers are catching their limits of cats at Devil’s Gap/Hog Toff using Triple S dip bait, shrimp, or chicken liver. Whites are being found at the Devil’s Gap area.
POMONA: 82 degrees, stained, 0.1 feet high (15 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 biting well on minnows in the rock quarry and in brush piles. 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: 82 degrees, stained, 1.5 feet high (250 CFS) Outlook: Kansas Department of Wildlife reports: Crappie have slowed with high water. They can be found in brush 8-12 feet deep on jigs/minnows. White bass population is poor but can be found trolling. 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.