Fishing and hunting report for Dec. 3
Fishing
Missouri
TABLE ROCK: 56 to 58 degrees, off-color, normal. Outlook: White River Outfitters reports: spotted, largemouth bass very good on 3/4 -ounce white jigging spoons in 35 to 45 feet of water in creek arms and deep coves; largemouth bass, smallmouth bass fair to good on topwater lures and jigs off gravel points in the dam area.
BULL SHOALS: 58 degrees, stained in the back of creeks, fairly clear on the main lake, 5 feet high. Outlook: Buck Creek Boat Dock reports: largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass good on Wiggle Warts in the stained water in the creeks, also on plastic crawdads (watermelon with red flake has been the best color pattern) off secondary points, and on Alabama rigs where shad schools are marked on electronics; crappies fair on minnows in the deep brush; walleyes fair on night crawlers along the bluffs.
NORFORK: 56 degrees, off-color on the main lake, murky in the creeks, 5.5 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: stripers good on Bink’s spoons in 50 feet of water on main-lake flats; bass good on crankbaits, spinnerbaits along banks; crappies fair on jigs in 25 to 30 feet of water in Corps of Engineers brush piles.
LONGVIEW: 47 degrees, murky, 1.7 feet high. Outlook: Longview Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair (small fish are being caught off the marina dock).
TRUMAN: 50 degrees, muddy, 7 feet high. Outlook: Cody’s Guide Service reports: catfish good on cut bait; white bass, hybrids good on jigs, Sassy Shad off windy points. Below the dam: catfish fair on cut bait.
SMITHVILLE: Low 50s, clear, 1.7 feet high. Outlook: Guide David Shaw reports: crappies good on jigs in 10 to 20 feet of water in the brush off docks at Camp Branch Marina, also along bridge pillars and deep, main-lake brush.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 56 degrees, stained, 1 1/2 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: crappies good on jigs along main-lake docks; bass fair on buzzbaits, jig and pig behind docks; white bass good on small Rat-L-Traps, Rooster Tails along windy points.
TANEYCOMO: Clear, 4 units running. Dissolved oxygen level is much improved. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: trout very good drifting egg flies, pink San Juan worms, No. 12 gray scuds in the Trophy Area and drifting pink or orange Gulp eggs below Fall Creek.
JACOMO: Low 50s degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: crappies fair to good on jigs off marina docks; channel catfish fair on chicken livers, minnows off marina docks.
BLUE SPRINGS: Low 50s, clear, 1.8 feet high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: crappies good on small minnows, small jigs off the docks; bluegills good on waxworms off marina docks.
REED AREA: 39 degrees, murky full pool. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: trout good on PowerBait, jigs at Coot and Plover lakes; crappies fair on tube jigs, minnows near brush.
STOCKTON: 52 degrees, stained. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: crappies fair to good on jigs in 15 to 20 feet of water along channel dropoffs and bluffs.
POMME DE TERRE: 58 degrees, dingy, normal. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: low fishing pressure. All species poor.
Kansas
PERRY: High 40s, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappies fair on Swedish Pimples off the marina docks; walleyes fair to good on spinners below the dam; blue catfish fair to good on shad sides below the dam.
CLINTON: 50 degrees, clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Lake Marina reports: crappies fair to good on jigs off the marina docks.
POMONA: Low 50s, dingy, normal. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: crappies fair on jigs off marina docks.
MELVERN: 47 degrees, stained, 1 foot low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: crappies fair on ice jigs, hair jigs in 18 to 20 feet of water off marina docks.
MILFORD: Low 50s, off-color, 1 foot high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: wipers, white bass fair on Double Ws, Bubbas, plastic shad in deep water; crappies fair on jigs, minnows in 15 to 18 feet of water on the north end.
KILL CREEK: 48 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: trout fair on minnows, PowerBait, Little Cleos near the boat ramp and on the north side of the dam.
SHAWNEE MISSION: 48 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: trout fair to good on PowerBait, minnows, spinners in coves and in deep water on the main lake.
EL DORADO: High 40s, dingy, 1 foot low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: crappies poor to fair (a few are being caught on minnows along brush and ledges); white bass, wipers poor to fair.
GLEN ELDER: High 40s, dingy, normal. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: trout good in the pond; white bass, walleyes fair on the main lake.
HILLSDALE: 47 degrees, slightly dingy, 3 feet high. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: crappies fair on jigs off marina docks and along the dam.
TUTTLE CREEK: High 40s, off-color from midlake up, 1 foot high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: crappies, catfish poor to fair.
WILSON: High 40s, clear, 10 feet low. Outlook: Knothead’s reports: low fishing pressure because of weather.
LA CYGNE: 70s on the main lake, clear, 1 foot low. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: all species poor.
COFFEY COUNTY: High 60s midlake, stained, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: all species poor because of weather.
Hunting
Missouri
FOUNTAIN GROVE: 60,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 150 Canada geese. No water blinds are accessible because of flooding; 13 walk-in positions are available. Hunting has been good. On Tuesday, 34 hunters shot 122 ducks.
SWAN LAKE: 120,045 ducks (mostly mallards, pintails); 9,380 geese (90 percent snows).
SQUAW CREEK: 44,240 ducks (mostly mallards); 322,915 geese (mostly snows and blues). Habitat conditions are good.
NODAWAY VALLEY: 34,292 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting has been good. On Tuesday, hunters averaged 3.8 ducks per person. Fifteen positions are being hunted.
BOB BROWN: 58,400 ducks (mostly mallards). Sixteen positions in use. Heavy hunting pressure. Hunting has been good. Hunters averaged 3.03 ducks per person Tuesday.
GRAND PASS: 180,000 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting pressure has been heavy. Parties are being turned away. Hunting has been very good. Hunters averaged 3.05 ducks per person Tuesday.
FOUR RIVERS: 40,700 ducks (mostly mallards). Significant flooding has affected access. Hunting has been fair. On Saturday and Sunday, 94 hunters shot 198 ducks.
SCHELL-OSAGE: 42,800 ducks (mostly mallards). Thirty-eight positions. Flooding has affected some of the roads. Some blinds have water. Hunting has been fair. On Tuesday, hunters averaged 2.8 ducks per person.
MONTROSE: 17,070 ducks (a mix of species). Light hunting pressure. Hunting has been fair.
SMITHVILLE: 12,000 ducks (mostly mallards), 5,000 geese (mostly snows and blues). Hunting has been good.
OTTER SLOUGH: 34,500 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting has been fair. On Tuesday, 94 hunters shot 149 ducks.
DUCK CREEK: 5,100 ducks; 178 geese. Hunting has been poor.
Kansas
CHEYENNE BOTTOMS: 7,000 to 14,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 75,000 to 150,000 geese (half white-fronts). Most of the ducks are using the refuge. Hunting has been fair.
MARAIS DES CYGNES: 30,000 to 50,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 1,000 white-fronted geese. From Nov. 26-29, 381 hunters shot 632 ducks.
NEOSHO: 25,000 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting has been good.
FLINT HILLS: 2,250 ducks (mostly mallards). Conditions are poor. Hunting has been poor.
PERRY: 3,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 1,000 geese (mostly Canadas). Hunting has been fair.
TUTTLE CREEK: 1,500 ducks. Habitat conditions are poor. Hunting has been poor.
MILFORD: Less than 1,000 ducks. Hunting has been fair.
QUIVIRA: No recent waterfowl count available. Hunting has reopened. Whooping cranes have left the refuge.
MELVERN: Waterfowl numbers are building with recent fronts. Hunting has been fair.
CLINTON: 450 ducks (mostly mallard, pintails, gadwalls); 80 geese. Good water conditions in marshes.
HILLSDALE: Thousands of snow geese in the area; low duck numbers. Hunting has been fair.
KIRWIN: 25,00 ducks (mostly mallards); 250,000 geese (mostly snows). Waterfowl, pheasant hunting good.
GLEN ELDER: 38,000 ducks (mostly mallards, redheads); 20,000 geese (75 percent snows). Hunting has been fair to good.
McPHERSON WETLANDS: 1,300 ducks (mostly mallards); 400 geese. Hunting has been fair.
JAMESTOWN: 350 ducks (mostly mallards). Marsh were 60 percent ice-covered earlier this week. Hunting has been fair.
Brent’s best bet
If you have permission to hunt private land near the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, now is the time to go. The refuge in northwest Missouri is holding more than 300,000 snows and blues right now, and they are flying out to feed. Hunters who pick out the right field could enjoy good shooting opportunities.
This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Fishing and hunting report for Dec. 3."