Fishing report for Sept. 17
Missouri
▪ NORFORK: 80 degrees, stained, 10.7 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: walleyes excellent, bass, crappies, catfish good on one-half ounce Bink’s Spoons in 30 feet of water.
▪ SMITHVILLE: 77 degrees, clear, one-half-foot high. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: bass good on square-bill crankbaits, spinnerbaits, creature baits in shallows; crappies good on jigs, minnows in 10 to 12 feet of water in main-lake brush; white bass good on Rat-L-Traps, Roster Tails off windy points; catfish good on a variety of baits in 6 to 8 feet of water in the coves.
▪ STOCKTON: 78 degrees, clear, 1.74 feet high. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: crappies good on minnows, jigs in 20 feet of water in the brush; walleyes fair trolling crankbaits or bottom-bouncers in 19 to 21 feet of water; bass fair on topwater lures early and late and on plastic baits off points during the day; white bass excellent where surfacing on the flats in the evening.
▪ TRUMAN: High 70s, clear, 1.75 feet high. Outlook: Cody’s Bait and Tackle reports: hybrids fair trolling live shad along the weir wall and on topwater lures where fish are surfacing; catfish fair drifting shad on the flats. Below the dam: crappies good on jigs; hybrids poor to fair (a few are being caught on jigging spoons).
▪ JACOMO: High 70s, clearing, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: white bass very good on Roster Tails, jigs near the banks in early morning; channel catfish good on dip bait, liver in the coves; flathead catfish good at dusk on goldfish, live sunfish, cut bait in the mouth of coves and on flats; crappies fair on minnows in main-lake brush; walleyes fair on crankbaits, minnows along the dam shortly before sunrise; bluegills good on wax worms, crickets.
▪ BULL SHOALS: High 70s degrees, clear, 18.8 feet high. Outlook: 125 Marina reports: walleyes, largemouth bass good on jigging spoons or trolling cranks in 17 to 21 feet of water off main-lake points; catfish fair to good on cut bait on limblines, trotlines.
▪ TABLE ROCK: 78 degrees, stained, normal. Outlook: White River Lodge reports: smallmouth bass good on three-quarter-ounce jigs with trailers in 20 feet of water off long points and gravel flats.
▪ LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 80 degrees, clear, 1 foot low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: crappies fair on minnows, jigs in 6 to 10 feet of water along bluff banks and laydowns; bass fair on large plastic worms jigs, minnows in main-lake brush.
▪ TANEYCOMO: Clear, one unit running most of the day. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: Trophy Area: trout good on No. 12 to 14 gray scuds or red midges. Below Fall Creek: trout good drifting night crawlers, PowerBait.
▪ BLUE SPRINGS: High 70s, clearing, near normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: channel catfish very good on dip bait, hot dogs, night crawlers off the docks and in the coves; bluegills good on early on crickets, redworms off docks and in rocky areas; flathead catfish fair on cut bait, night crawlers near the Blow Hole and on flats; hybrids fair on shad guts, swimbaits near the Blow Hole; largemouth bass fair early on crankbait along windy banks.
▪ REED AREA: 72 degrees, clear, full pool. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: largemouth bass good on plastic worms in the brush; channel catfish fair on cut bait, liver; crappies fair on tube jigs in the brush; bluegills, redear sunfish good on red worms under a bobber in shady areas.
▪ LONGVIEW: 73 degrees, 36-inch clarity, normal. Outlook: Longview Lake Marina reports: crappies fair to good on minnows off the marina docks and in the timber; catfish fair on minnows off the marina docks. An 8-pound walleye was caught this week.
▪ POMME DE TERRE: 77 degrees, fairly clear, normal. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: all species poor.
Kansas
▪ PERRY: High 70s, clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: white bass good on Bubbas, spoons off points; catfish good drifting shad or on dip bait at the Hog Trough.
▪ GLEN ELDER: 78 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: walleyes good on night-crawler harnesses drifted in 5 to 10 feet of water; over the dropoffs; white bass, wipers fair trolling crankbaits along dam and bluffs in Walnut Creek; catfish good on dip bait in chum holes.
▪ MILFORD: 80 degrees, clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: wipers fair to good on Double W spoons, Bubbas; catfish fair.
▪ WYANDOTTE: 77 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Wyandotte Marina reports: wipers, white bass good trolling with crankbaits on the main lake; bass very good early and late on plastic baits in the weeds; bluegills good on crickets, red worms, wax worms.
▪ HILLSDALE: High 70s, fairly clear, 1.5 feet high. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: crappies fair on jigs, minnows (but mostly small) in 8 to 12 feet of water in the brush; channel catfish good on a variety of baits.
▪ EL DORADO: 79 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: smallmouth bass fair on plastic baits along the rocky banks.
▪ POMONA: High 70s, fairly clear, near normal. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: crappies fair on jigs, minnows in the brush in 12 feet of water; channel catfish fair on worms, minnows; wipers good trolling crankbaits.
▪ WILSON: 78 degrees, clear, 9 feet low. Outlook: Knothead’s reports: stripers good trolling crankbaits, live bait in the Lucas Point area.
▪ KILL CREEK: 78 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: catfish good on liver near the marina; bass fair on plastic baits, spinnerbaits on the south side; crappies fair on jigs, minnows in the flooded timber.
▪ SHAWNEE MISSION: 80 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: catfish fair on cut bait, stink bait in the south cove and along the north shore; bass, wipers fair on spinnerbaits, plastic baits early; crappies fair on jigs, minnows off the dock and along the dam.
▪ CLINTON: 78 degrees, murky, 2 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Lake Marina reports: white bass fair trolling crankbaits along the dam; channel catfish fair to good on cut bait lakewide.
▪ TUTTLE CREEK: Mid 70s, clearing, one-half foot low. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: white bass fair on Bubbas in 10 feet of water; catfish fair on a variety of baits.
▪ COFFEY COUNTY: Mid 80s, clearing, 2 feet low. Outlook: Coffey County reports: smallmouth bass good on plastic baits along the riprap.
▪ MELVERN: 77 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair off the docks and on the lake.
▪ LA CYGNE: 80s on the main lake, clear, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: channel catfish poor to fair.
Other area waters
▪ GRAND (OKLA.): 81 degrees, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: GrandFishingReport.com reports: bowfishing excellent; white bass fair to good on 2-inch Go-Go Minnows where fish are surfacing in the evening; catfish fair on cut shad in deep water; crappies fair on jigs, minnows in 10 feet of water in the brush.
▪ WHITE RIVER (ARK.): Clear, variable power generation. Outlook: Gaston’s White River Resort reports: Fly fishing: trout good on San Juan worms, sculpin patterns, streamers, white or black jigs. Spin fishing: trout good on one-eighth-ounce white or gray-white jigs; stickbaits, PowerBait.
To reach outdoors editor Brent Frazee, call 816-234-4319 or send email to bfrazee@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @fishboybrent.
Brent’s best bet
It has been a good week at Norfork Lake on the Missouri-Arkansas line. Fishermen have enjoyed excellent walleye fishing and good action for bass, crappies, and catfish on Bink’s spoons in 30 feet of water.