Lake level, fishing and waterfowl reports (Oct. 7)

Lake Levels

Fishing Report

Local

Some urban lakes are stocked in the middle of the month with channel catfish. These waters include Lake Afton, Cruiser Lake, Emory Park, South Lake and Watson Park. Other urban lakes are stocked the first week of the month. More information is available from the KDWP Region 4 office, 316-683-8069, 6232 E. 29th St North.

Cheney: White bass fair along the dam and deep drop-offs trolling crankbaits or sassy shad. Wipers good with jigging spoons or live bait on deep contours. Walleye fair trolling 3-, 4-inch shad imitation crankbaits along dropoffs. Crappie fair with jigs or minnows around shallow brush and rip rap. Catfish good using cutbaits and stinkbaits lakewide.

Council Grove: Catfish fair over flats 4-10 feet deep drifting shad or cutbait. Saugeye fair using shad-imitating plastics or crankbaits along rocky, windblown shorelines. White bass fair trolling crankbaits, plastics or spoons over points, ledges and humps. Wiper fair along windblown shorelines using crankbaits, jigs or spinners. Crappie fair using jigs or jig-n-minnows along the dam and near breaks in 9-14 feet deep.

El Dorado: Wiper good working deep structure along edges of river channels with slab spoons or trolling crankbaits. White bass fair to good with slab spoons off points and trolling crankbaits along rocky shorelines. Crappie fair near breaks or structure in 12-15 feet water using minnows or jigs. Catfish fair drifting shad. Walleye fair to good using crankbaits, slab spoons and jig-n-live bait combos in water 18-25 feet deep during the day and 5-10 feet during dusk and overnight.

Kingman SFL: Crappie fair near shore using minnows under a bobber. Catfish good using cutbait or stinkbait. Largemouth bass fair near weedlines with topwater and spinnerbaits. Northern pike good lakewide around vegetation with rattletraps or inline spinners.

Marion: Catfish good in chum holes off the dam and in the middle of lake at low light times. Crappie fair in brush using small jigs or minnows. White bass good with twistertails and shad in deep water off points. Wipers good off main lake points and flats trolling shad and crankbaits.

McPherson SFL: Catfish good using livers, stinkbait or shrimp near feeders. Crappie fair near brush and weedlines with minnows and small jigs. Largemouth bass fair using topwater lures near weedlines early and late in day.

Kansas

Cedar Bluff: Crappie fair to good vertically fishing minnows, small slab spoons or jigs over steep drops and around the fish attractors. Walleye fair over points, submerged roads and parking lots casting crankbaits or jig-n-minnows. White bass/wipers fair to good vertically fishing small slab spoons over points and drop offs.

Fall River: Catfish good over mud flats on worms, shad sides or prepared baits. Crappie good with jigs and minnows near brush in river and over channel breaks. Largemouth bass fair near river stumps on twister tails, worms, crank and spinner baits. White bass good using twister-tail jigs, spinners or shad-imitator crankbaits over mud flats or on channel breaks.

Glen Elder: Crappie fair in deep water brushpiles off swim beach, Campground 3, Marina Cove and the bluffs with minnows or jig-n-minnows. White bass/wipers good using slab spoons, roadrunners and Kastmasters near the causeway, state park area, Walnut Creek and off the dam. Walleye fair along the dam trolling crankbaits. Smallmouth bass good using shad-imitations shallow around the dam, south bluffs and Granite Creek bridge. Catfish fair using stinkbaits over chumming areas or using shad and nightcrawlers in the outlet.

Kanopolis: Catfish fair on liver, shrimp, cutbaits and prepared baits in the upper end and chumming south side humps. Crappie fair shallow along the dam and around the boat docks on small jigs or slab spoons. Walleye/saugeye fair using shad-colored crankbaits or slab spoons along river channel edges and around the rocks. White bass fair wading windblown points using shad-colored lures or slab spoons. Wipers slow to fair using bucktailed and twister-tailed jigs or shad imitators off windy points.

Milford: Catfish good on shad sides and guts or worms in river and near flooded vegetation. Crappie good in 10-15 feet water near brush using jigs and minnows. Walleye fair with crankbaits or jigging spoons in deep water off points or over channel ledges 20-30 feet deep. White bass/wipers good off windy points with crankbaits or jigs and near humps 35 feet deep on live bait or spoons. Smallmouth bass fair with jerkbaits or crankbaits off rocky points and bluffs. Largemouth bass fair near flooded brush and vegetation on plastics and spinnerbaits and topwaters early and late.

Toronto: Catfish good on mud flats on windy side of lake using worms, stinkbaits or shad sides. Largemouth bass fair using twister-tailed jigs, worms, spinners or crankbaits around stumps in the river. White bass good on mud flats with twister-tailed jigs, spinners or crankbaits. Crappie good with jig or minnow near stumps in Mann's, Woodson and Toronto coves and in Walnut Creek.

Tuttle Creek: Catfish fair to good at the tubes and chumming in 20 feet of water in the reservoir with worms. Crappie slow to fair at the tubes on jigs. Saugeye fair using jigs and crankbaits at the tubes and the River Pond.

Webster: Wipers/white bass fair trolling diving lures off dam and north shore, especially at low light periods. Crappie good with jigs, jig-n-minnows and roostertails at breakwaters on north and south side and around the fish attractors and drop-offs. Walleye fair on jigs, jig-n-minnows, jig-n-crawlers or trolling crankbaits off dam, near old swim beach, Bow City parking lot and old launch area. Catfish fair with shad, worms, and shrimp on the bottom along Old Marina Point, in the upper end and along north side.

Wilson: Catfish fair chumming windy side of lake with cut bait or worms. Stripers fair to good on mainlake points with slab spoons or bucktailed jigs. Walleye fair with slab sponsor white twister-tailed jigs along the edges of the river channel up west or around the weedbeds. White bass fair on white twistertailed jigs near flooded vegetation. Black bass good near flooded vegetation, the rocks or any structure using crankbaits, plastics or topwater lures.

Waterfowl Report

Low Plains Early Zone Duck Season: Saturday-Dec. 4, Dec. 17-Jan. 1

Cedar Bluff WA: Water level is 137.3 feet below conservation pool. Approximately 500 teal observed. Hunting conditions fair, with no flooded shoreline vegetation. Success rated fair.

Cheyenne Bottoms WA: Duck numbers range from 20,000-25,000, mostly pintail, shoveler and blue-winged teal. Pool 1A 15 inches; Pools 1B and 1C 20 inches; Poosl 2 3A and 4A are dry; Pool 3B 8 inches, Pool 4B 14 inches; Pool 5 has very limited water. Hunting conditions are fair. Success rated fair.

Jamestown WA: Water levels are good, with all marshes full. Approximately 500 ducks, mostly teal, pintails and wood ducks, present. Hunting conditions are good. Success rated fair to good.

McPherson Valley Wetlands: Water levels poor throughout the wetlands. Approximately 25 ducks are on the public area. Hunting conditions are fair. Success expected to be poor. All McPherson Wetlands areas are in the early zone.

Texas Lake: Approximately 200 ducks, mostly teal, pintail and wood ducks. Pools 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8 have water. There are small pools north of Pool 6. Fair vegetation in all pools. Hunting success expected to be fair.

High Plains Duck Season: Saturday-Jan. 2, Jan. 21-29

Norton: Water level is 7.8 feet below conservation pool. Approximately 600 ducks present, mostly teal, with a few pintail, wigeon and shovelers. Hunting conditions good, with flooded vegetation. Hunting success expected to be fair to good.