Fishing and hunting report for Dec.17
Fishing
Missouri
NORFORK: 61 degrees, clear, 1.8 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: stripers good on 1-ounce Bink’s spoons in 40 to 50 feet of water on main-lake flats; bass good on 3-inch Power Worms along banks; crappies, bluegills good on quarter-ounce Bink’s spoons in the brush piles.
BLUE SPRINGS: 45 degrees, clear, 1.5 feet high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: crappies very good on small jigs off the marina docks; bluegills good on waxworms off marina docks.
TABLE ROCK: 57 degrees, fairly clear, eight-tenths of a foot high. Outlook: White River Outfitters reports: bass good on crawdad-crankbaits, spinnerbaits on shallow, windy points; also on white jigging spoons in 65 to 70 feet of water in the creeks.
BULL SHOALS: 50 degrees, clear, 3.7 feet high. Outlook: 125 Marina reports: bass good on jigs in 20 feet of water over top of brush half-way back in coves.
LONGVIEW: 47 degrees, murky, 1/2 foot high. Outlook: Longview Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair (small fish are being caught off the marina dock).
TRUMAN: 48 degrees, murky, 7 feet high. Outlook: Cody’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappies good on jigs in 20 feet of water along bluffs; catfish good on cut shad in 39 to 50 feet of water. Below the dam: walleyes good on jigs; white bass, hybrids, catfish fair.
SMITHVILLE: 45 degrees, clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappies good on jigs in main-lake brush, where shad are being marked on electronics at the edge of channels and off the marina docks.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 54 degrees, fairly clear, normal. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: crappies good on jigs in 12 feet of water in the brush and along chunk-rock banks.
TANEYCOMO: Clear, two or more units running. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: trout fair and improving on one-eighth ounce jigs (sculpin pattern) and on PowerBait, inflated night crawlers.
JACOMO: 45 degrees, stained, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: crappies fair on jigs, minnows off docks; channel catfish fair on worms, liver, minnows along docks.
REED AREA: 40 degrees, clear, full pool. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: trout fair on PowerBait, jigs at Coot and Plover lakes; crappies fair on tube jigs, minnows near brush.
STOCKTON: 48 degrees, clear, 4.73 feet high. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: crappies fair on one-eighth ounce jigs in 20 to 30 feet of water along bluffs.
POMME DE TERRE: 52 degrees, murky on the upper end, clear in dam area, 5 feet high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: crappies poor to fair in 18 feet of water in brush; bass poor to fair on jerkbaits in less than 12 feet of water.
Kansas
COFFEY COUNTY: 74 degrees at hot-water outlet, 56 degrees midlake, stained, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: largemouth bass good; smallmouth bass good; blue catfish fair to good.
KILL CREEK: 41 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: 41 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.
WILSON: High 40s, clear, 10 feet low. Outlook: Knothead’s reports: stripers fair on slab spoons in 30 feet of water; walleyes fair on jigs with night crawlers off points.
LA CYGNE: 70s on the main lake, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: crappies fair at the hot-water outlet; largemouth bass fair; white bass fair at the discharge area.
TUTTLE CREEK: High 40s, murky, 7.5 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: crappies good on jigs on the main lake.
POMONA: 47 degrees, murky, 3 feet high. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: crappies poor to fair (a few are being caught on ice jigs off the marina docks).
MELVERN: 45 degrees, murky, 1 foot low. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair (a few are being caught on ice jigs off the marina docks).
GLEN ELDER: High 40s, clear, normal. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: all species poor.
HILLSDALE: 47 degrees, murky, 3.5 feet high. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: all species poor.
PERRY: Mid 40s, murky, 2 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: all species poor.
CLINTON: 47 degrees, fairly clear, 3 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Lake Marina reports: all species poor.
MILFORD: Mid 40s, fairly clear, 3 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: all species poor.
Hunting
Missouri
FOUNTAIN GROVE: 68,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 600 Canada geese. Flooding conditions. Hunting 10 walk-in positions. On Monday, 26 hunters shot 70 ducks and 4 geese.
SWAN LAKE: 37,642 ducks (mostly mallards); 3,775 geese (mostly snows and whitefronts). Much of the refuge is flooded and parts were inaccessible for the count.
SQUAW CREEK: 28,769 ducks (mostly mallards); 226,961 geese (mostly snows and blues). Habitat conditions are good.
NODAWAY VALLEY: 34,100 ducks (mostly mallards); 375 geese. Hunting has been poor to fair. On Monday, hunters averaged 1.8 ducks per man.
BOB BROWN: 60,400 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting 16 positions. Hunting has been fair. On Monday, hunters averaged 2.40 ducks per hunter.
GRAND PASS: 230,000 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting 40 positions. Hunting has been fair. On Tuesday, 125 hunters shot 189 ducks.
FOUR RIVERS: 75,400 ducks (mostly mallards); 120 Canada geese. Significant flooding. Access is difficult. On Dec. 12-13, 48 hunters shot 67 ducks.
SCHELL-OSAGE: 44,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 15,000 snow geese; 400 Canada geese. Flooding is affecting access. Hunting has been fair. On Dec.11-12, 128 hunters shot 105 ducks and 5 geese.
MONTROSE: 20,085 ducks (mostly mallards); 7,756 geese (95 percent snow). On Dec. 12-13, 18 hunters shot 23 ducks.
SMITHVILLE: 12,000 ducks (mostly mallards), 5,000 geese (mix of snows and Canadas). Hunting has been good.
OTTER SLOUGH: 41,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 17,000 geese (85 percent snows). Hunting has been fair. On Dec. 12-13, 210 hunters shot 522 ducks and 5 geese.
DUCK CREEK: 20,00 ducks (mostly mallards), 1350 geese (mostly whitefronts). On Dec. 12-13, 356 hunters shot 604 ducks.
Kansas
CHEYENNE BOTTOMS: 16,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 150,000 geese (half snows, half darks). Most of birds are using refuge pools. From Dec. 5-10, goose hunters averaged 1.7 geese per man.
MARAIS DES CYGNES: 30,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 1,500 geese (all darks). Water conditions are good to excellent. Season average: 1.7 ducks per man daily.
NEOSHO: 30,000 ducks (mostly mallards). Excellent water conditions. Hunting has been good.
FLINT HILLS: 8,800 ducks (80 percent dabblers); 26,500 geese (90 percent darks).
PERRY: 1,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 1,000 Canada geese. Hunting has been fair.
TUTTLE CREEK: 2,000 ducks. Birds are staying on north end of lake. Hunting has been poor.
MILFORD: 600 ducks (mostly mallards). Hunting has been fair.
QUIVIRA: Declining waterfowl numbers. Hunting has been fair.
MELVERN: Variable waterfowl numbers. Hunting has been fair to good.
CLINTON: 1,500 ducks (mostly mallards); 80 geese. Good water conditions in marshes.
HILLSDALE: Few waterfowl. Hunting has been poor.
KIRWIN: 11,500 ducks; 109,000 geese (mostly snows).
GLEN ELDER: 18,000 ducks (60 percent divers); 157,000 geese (mostly snows). Hunting has been fair.
McPHERSON WETLANDS: 1,760 ducks (mostly mallards); 140 geese.
JAMESTOWN: 1,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 250 geese.
Brent Frazee: 816-234-4319, @fishboybrent
Brent’s best bet
Norfork Lake is the place to go this weekend. The fishing for stripers, bass, crappies and big bluegills is good, guides and marina operators report.