Fishing and hunting report for Jan. 28
Fishing
Missouri
TANEYCOMO: Clear. Flood gates were shut down Wednesday morning. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: rainbow trout very good on shad imitations, white marabou jigs.
NORFORK: 45 degrees, clearing, 12 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: stripers fair on 1-ounce white Bink’s Spoons 80 to 90 feet of water between the Highway 62 and Highway 101 bridges or trolling with downriggers; bass fair on Bink’s Spoons along bluff banks.
BULL SHOALS: 45 degrees, clear, 23 feet high. Outlook: Buck Creek Boat Dock reports: Kentucky bass fair to good on jigs, plastic baits, Alabama Rigs in 12 feet of water in brush; largemouth bass fair on Alabama rigs.
SMITHVILLE: Mid-30s, clear, 2 feet high. Partially ice-covered. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappies fair on jigs off the docks at Camp Branch Marina.
STOCKTON: 42 degrees, murky, 11 feet high. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: crappies fair on jigs under schools of shad in 25 to 30 feet of water.
TABLE ROCK: 48 to 52 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: White River Outfitters reports: largemouth bass fair on Alabama rigs or McStick jerkbaits along bluff ends.
TRUMAN: 39 degrees, muddy, 6.84 feet high. Ice in coves. Outlook: Cody’s Guide Service reports: crappies fair on jigs in 20 feet of water in brush. Below the dam: crappies fair on jigs.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: High 30s, muddy, 1 foot low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: crappies fair on jigs in the brush in the coves in the Gravois arm.
REED AREA: Low 30s, clear, ice on the lake. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: all species poor. Light fishing pressure.
JACOMO: Mid-30s, clear, normal. Ice. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species poor.
LONGVIEW: Mid-30s, clear, normal. Ice. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: all species poor.
BLUE SPRINGS: Low to mid-30s, fairly clear, one-half foot high. Ice. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: all species poor.
POMME DE TERRE: 39 degrees, dingy, 14 feet high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: all species poor.
Kansas
WILSON: Mid-30s, clear, 10 feet low. Ice in coves. Outlook: Knothead’s reports: stripers fair on slab spoons in Lucas Point area; white bass fair on jigs from shore.
EL DORADO: 35 degrees, clear, six-inches low. Ice in coves. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: crappies fair to good on jigs in brush and along dropoffs.
LA CYGNE: Low 50s on the main lake, clear, normal. 1 foot high. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: crappies fair to good on jigs, minnows along discharge gate on dam; blue catfish poor to fair on shad in 20 to 25 feet of water.
COFFEY COUNTY: 57 degrees at the hot-water outlet, 50 degrees on the main lake, clear, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: white bass fair; largemouth bass, wipers poor to fair.
CLINTON: Mid 30s, clear, normal. Ice but not safe for ice fishing. Outlook: Clinton Lake Marina reports: all speices poor.
PERRY: Mid-30s, murky, 1 foot high. Thin ice on lake, but not safe for ice fishing. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: all species poor due to dangerous ice.
POMONA: High 30s, murky, 1 foot high. Most of lake is ice-covered, but not safe for ice fishing. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: crappies poor to fair on jigs off the marina docks.
MELVERN: 36 degrees, clear, 1 foot low. Partially ice-covered. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: crappies poor to fair on black ice jigs off the marina docks.
HILLSDALE: Mid 30s, murky, 1 foot low. Ice on lake, but not safe for ice fishing. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: crappies poor to fair off the marina docks.
MILFORD: Mid 30s, fairly clear, 2 feet low. Ice. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: all species poor.
TUTTLE CREEK: Mid 30s, muddy, 1 1/2 feet low. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: all species poor.
GLEN ELDER: Mid 30s, clear, 1 foot low. Thin ice on lake, but not safe for ice fishing. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: all species poor.
Hunting
This is the final hunting report of the season
Missouri
Ice on most marshes; waterfowl numbers are declining rapidly.
SQUAW CREEK: 156 ducks (mostly mallards); 12 geese (mostly snow). Marshes are 99 percent ice-covered.
FOUNTAIN GROVE: 100 Canada geese. Most blinds are closed due to flooding and ice.
SCHELL-OSAGE: Ice on marshes. Low waterfowl numbers.
Kansas
CHEYENNE BOTTOMS: 8,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 50,000 snow geese. Ice on marshes.
MARAIS DES CYGNES: Low numbers of waterfowl. Ice on marshes.
NEOSHO: 15,000 ducks (mostly mallards and divers); no geese. Ice on marshes.
PERRY: 6,000 Canada geese. Lake is mostly ice-covered.
FLINT HILLS: 300 mallards; 150 Canada geese. Ice on marshes.
TUTTLE CREEK: 1,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 150 Canada geese.
MILFORD: 2,000 ducks (mostly mallards and divers); 300 Canada geese. Marshes have ice.
QUIVIRA: 1,020 ducks (mostly mallards); no geese. Ice on marshes.
MELVERN: 1,000 ducks (mostly mallards and divers); 200 Canada geese. Hunting has been poor.
CLINTON: Low waterfowl numbers. Ice on lake and marshes.
HILLSDALE: 200 Canada geese. Ice on marshes and lake.
GLEN ELDER: 46,000 ducks (half mallards, half divers); 237,000 geese (95 percent snows). Birds are flying out to feed in crop fields.
McPHERSON WETLANDS: 6,600 ducks (mostly mallards); 370 Canada geese. 95 percent ice-covered.
JAMESTOWN: 3,000 ducks (mostly mallards); 300 Canada geese. 100 percent ice-covered.
Brent Frazee: 816-234-4319, @fishboybrent
Brent’s best bet
If you’re a snow-goose hunter, this would be a good time to head to Glen Elder Reservoir in north-central Kansas. The reservoir is holding more than 230,000 geese, most of them snows, and hunting has been good on nearby grain fields.