A dozen great spots for fishing in Kansas

Kansas is known nationally for its deer, pheasant and quail hunting.

Its fishing? Well, let’s just say that flies under the radar.

But it shouldn’t. Kansas has excellent fishing for crappies, catfish, wipers and smallmouth bass.

Here are a few places worthy of your casts.

1. MILFORD LAKE (16,200 acres near Junction City): The largest body of water in Kansas, Milford is tough to beat as an all-around fishing lake. Let’s start with blue catfish. Stocked by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Milford has flourished, regularly producing fish 50 pounds and larger. Then there are the wipers (a cross between white bass and stripers) that provide thrilling topwater strikes, especially in the fall. Milford also is one of the top smallmouth-bass lakes in Kansas. Add steady fishing for white bass and crappies, and the reservoir in northeast Kansas provides plenty of bites.

2. WILSON RESERVOIR (9,020 acres in central Kansas): Wilson is another reservoir that has a diverse fishery. It is perhaps the top body of water in Kansas for striper fishing. And its walleye fishing is similarly impressive. It ranks as one of the Sunflower State’s best smallmouth-bass lakes, and its white bass and catfish also have a following.

3. MELVERN RESERVOIR (7,000 acres, 35 miles south of Topeka): The big news at Melvern is the rapid development of its smallmouth-bass fishing. The reservoir contains some bruiser smallies, which loves the reservoir’s rocky habitat. Blue catfish also are making waves at Melvern, with a developing population producing some big fish this spring. In addition, the reservoir has good fishing for channel cats, crappies and walleyes.

4. LaCYGNE LAKE (2,600 acres, about an hour south of the Kansas City area): LaCygne is perhaps the best bass lake in the state. Because of the warm water flushed from the power plant into the lake, the bass have a longer growing season. Fishermen catch the proof every year, with several 10-pound largemouths caught in recent years. La Cygne also is known for its big catfish. And it has good fishing for crappies and white bass, too.

5. COFFEY COUNTY LAKE (5,090 acres, in east-central Kansas): With its miles of rip-rap shorelines and rocky points, Coffey County supports an impressive population of smallmouth bass. It also is known for its walleyes, white bass and wipers, crappies and catfish.

6. CLINTON RESERVOIR (7,000 acres in Lawrence): With its abundance of flooded timber, Clinton historically has been known for its crappie fishing. It also produces good fishing for white bass, catfish and walleyes.

7. PERRY RESERVOIR (11,630 acres, in northeast Kansas): Though its crappie fishing is no longer as good as it was in the past, Perry still produces good catches, especially in the spring. It also is known for its big channel catfish, which bite in the heat of the summer.

8. WYANDOTTE LAKE (330 acres in Kansas City, Kan.): For an urban reservoir, Wyandotte produces some surprisingly good fishing. It is best known for its late-winter trout fishing. Thousands of rainbows are stocked by the Unified Government, and they provide a good ice-breaker for hardy fishermen. Wyandotte also is stocked heavily with channel catfish, which have a large following at the urban lake. Smallmouth and largemouth bass, crappies and wipers also tug on the line here.

9. POMONA RESERVOIR (4,000 acres, 25 miles south of Topeka): Pomona has long been known for its outstanding crappie fishing. It also has some good white bass and wiper fishing. And it’s not unusual to see someone pull in a big catfish.

10. HILLSDALE RESERVOIR (4,580 acres, located less than an hour south of the Kansas City area): This metro-area reservoir gets plenty of fishing pressure, but it holds up well. Hillsdale draws crowds of fishermen in the spring, when the crappies move shallow to spawn. It also has a good population of walleyes, catfish and largemouth bass.

11. TUTTLE CREEK RESERVOIR (12,500 acres near Manhattan): If you’re looking for a stringer full of big white bass, Tuttle Creek is the place to go. The reservoir is known for its summer structure fishing. Fishermen use the electronics on their boat to find dropoffs, humps and ledges, and schools of white bass are often relating to them. Tuttle Creek also offers big crappies, catfish and saugeyes.

12. ELK CITY RESERVOIR (4,450 acres in southeast Kansas): If you’re looking for a fight from an extra-large catfish, Elk City is a reservoir you have to try. It produced a world-record flathead (123 pounds) in 1998. Though fish like that only come along once in a lifetime, Elk City produces big cats every year. The reservoir also is known for its crappie fishing, especially in years when heavy rains don’t muddy the water.

This story was originally published July 25, 2014 at 2:27 PM with the headline "A dozen great spots for fishing in Kansas."