Fishing and hunting report for Dec. 31
Fishing
Missouri
JACOMO: Low 40s, stained, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: crappies good on micro jigs off docks. A 40-pound blue catfish was caught last week on a cut bluegill.
BLUE SPRINGS: 41 degrees, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: crappies good on micro jigs off docks; bluegills fair on wax worms off docks.
TANEYCOMO: Clear, flooding. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: trout fair on jigs in slack-water areas.
SMITHVILLE: Low 40s, clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappies fair on jigs, minnows off the marina docks and in main-lake brush.
LONGVIEW: 41 degrees, murky, one-half foot high. Outlook: Longview Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair.
NORFORK: Low 40s, murky, 15 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: all species poor due to flooding.
TABLE ROCK: Low 40s degrees, dingy, 18 feet high. Outlook: White River Outfitters reports: all species poor due to flooding.
BULL SHOALS: 40s, dingy, 15 feet high. Outlook: Buck Creek Marina reports: all species poor due to flooding.
TRUMAN: Low 40s, murky, 12 feet high. Outlook: Cody’s Guide Service report: all species poor .
REED AREA: 30s degrees, clear, 98 percent ice-covered. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: all species poor. Light fishing pressure.
POMME DE TERRE: 50 degrees, clear, 23 feet, 10 inches high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: all species poor due to flooding.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 40s, murky, high. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: all species poor.
Kansas
COFFEY COUNTY: High 40s on main lake clear, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: largemouth bass fair.
POMONA: 40 degrees, murky, 2 feet high. Outlook: Lighthouse By Marina reports: crappies poor to fair on jigs off the marina docks.
WILSON: High 30s, clear, 10 feet low. Outlook: Knothead’s reports: all species poor.
LA CYGNE: 58 degrees on the main lake, murky, high. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: all species poor.
HILLSDALE: 43 degrees, murky, 1 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: all species poor.
MELVERN: 36 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair (a few are being caught on minnows ice jigs off the marina dock).
MILFORD: High 30s, fairly clear, normal. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: all species poor.
PERRY: High 30s, fairly clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: all species poor.
CLINTON: High 30s, murky, 4 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Lake Marina reports: all species poor.
GLEN ELDER: High 30s, clear, normal. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: all species poor.
TUTTLE CREEK: Low 40s, muddy, 6 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: all species poor.
KILL CREEK: No report available.
SHAWNEE MISSION: No report available.
Hunting
Missouri
FOUNTAIN GROVE: 26,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 600 Canada geese. Dec. 26-27, 190 hunters shot 240 ducks and 4 geese.
SWAN LAKE: No update.
SQUAW CREEK: No update.
NODAWAY VALLEY: 17,500 ducks (mostly mallards); no geese.
BOB BROWN: 54,400 ducks (mostly mallards).
GRAND PASS: 127,500 ducks (mostly mallards).
FOUR RIVERS: 21,250 ducks (mostly mallards). Light hunting pressure. Heavy flooding. Closings expected.
SCHELL-OSAGE: 38,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 300 Canada geese. Area is closed due to flooding.
MONTROSE: 18,900 ducks (mostly mallards); 380 Canada geese.
SMITHVILLE: 500 ducks (mostly mallards), 100 geese (mostly Canadas).
OTTER SLOUGH: 41,300 ducks (mostly mallards); 1,700 geese.
DUCK CREEK: 7,700 ducks (mostly mallards), 25 Canada geese.
Kansas
CHEYENNE BOTTOMS: 16,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 150,000 snow geese. 98 percent ice-covered. From Dec. 23-28, hunters averaged 1.6 ducks and 0.3 geese per trip.
MARAIS DES CYGNES: 10,000 ducks (mostly mallards); no geese. Mostly ice-covered. On Dec. 26-27, hunters averaged 1.9 ducks per trip.
MILFORD: 2,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 500 Canada geese. Marshes are mostly ice-covered.
QUIVIRA: 95 percent ice-covered. 300 ducks; 2,000 geese.
CLINTON: 2,500 ducks (mostly mallards); 500 Canada geese. Good water conditions in marshes.
HILLSDALE: 200 ducks (mostly mallards). Good water in marshes.
KIRWIN: 22,500 ducks; 58,300 geese (mostly snows).
McPHERSON WETLANDS: 3,110 ducks (mostly mallards); 400 Canada geese. Ice-covered.
JAMESTOWN: 3,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 300 Canada geese. 100 percent ice-covered.
No updates on waterfowl numbers at Neosho, Flint Hills, Perry, Tuttle Creek, Clinton, Melvern, Hillsdale and Glen Elder.
Brent Frazee: 816-234-4319, @fishboybrent
Brent’s best bet
The winter crappie fishing has been good at Kansas-City area lakes. Keeper fish have been caught on micro jigs at Jacomo and Blue Springs lakes.
This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Fishing and hunting report for Dec. 31."