Fishing in Kansas is rarely this good. With pandemic, people have more time to fish

Stephanie Saunders’ family life was a blur last spring. She and her husband, Steve, worked long hours, with three kids in school. One, a competitive dancer, had classes or competitions at least five times a week. The family was rarely together.

Now, he’s working from home, her nursing shifts vary, the kids are studying from home and extra-curricular activities are canceled.

So far this spring the Saunders family has fished together almost daily, for weeks on end. It’s been quite the adventure for a family who’d never fished before the COVID-19 crisis began.

“Our lives were so hectic before COVID, then it all came to an abrupt stop,” said Saunders, of Topeka. “We needed something to do so I decided we’d try fishing. We went (shopping) and got some rods and stuff and just started throwing lines in the water to see what happened. The look on our kid’s faces when they caught their first fish was really something. We’ve just kept going and going. It’s been so much fun.”

Before COVID-19, Bobby Davis, of Blue Mound, felt fortunate if he fished once a weekend with his 80-year-old father. Then the Kansas road construction inspector was ordered to work from home. He and his father, Bobby G. Davis, who lives with Davis and his wife because of failing health, headed for a local lake almost daily.

“I’ll always look back at these weeks as a blessing. I got to spend so much more time with my father,” Davis said. “Just about every day we were doing what he loves to do, what we both love to do together. We had so much more fun.”

Although the crisis has brought challenges to both families, it’s timing couldn’t have been better for all level of anglers. Lately every aspect of Kansas fishing — the weather, catch rates and opportunities — has been stellar. Fishing license sales indicate the Davis and Saunders families aren’t the only ones turning to fishing during these challenging times.

This year through May 1, Kansans purchased 85,734 fishing licenses, said Mike Miller assistant secretary of wildlife, fisheries and boating for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. That compares with 65,784 during the same months last year. Kansas anglers ages 16-74 need a fishing license for public waters. Many who bought licenses took children fishing with them.

“That has been one of the really neat things we’ve been seeing,” Miller said. “We’re seeing whole families out together, enjoying the outdoors.”

Miller said many of those families have been catching fish. Some, a lot of nice fish.

‘Perfect storm’ for angling

“It’s just been kind of a perfect storm the way everything came together,” Miller said. “For one thing the weather has been perfect in a lot of places. It’s been a while since we had such a nice drawn-out spring over most of Kansas. It’s been nice to get out, and it’s good for fishing.”

April and May also are often Kansas’ two most popular and productive months for fishing. This spring seems to have been one of the best in decades, for quantity and quality.

Last year’s weather flooded out most fishing opportunities. Ramps and nearby roads were unusable so anglers couldn’t access the best areas. Huge numbers of fish that would have been caught by anglers last year got another year to grow and reproduce.

Crappie, especially, did well. This spring crappie anglers have done well, too.

The spring crappie spawn is popular with anglers of all ages and skills. They spawn close to shore so they’re easily accessible and are gullible to baits. They can be caught by the dozens.

The silvery fish are solid gold on the table, which adds to their popularity.

“If you can ever go out and catch enough crappie for a dinner,” Miller said, “you’re going to go back again.”

People also have been doing well this spring fishing for white bass, walleye, and catfish, Miller said.

Social distancing hasn’t been a problem for anglers. There’s probably never been as much casting room in Kansas.

So many places to fish

“It’s just amazing how many places there are to fish in Kansas,” said Saunders, the Topeka mother of three. “A lot of times we’d get in the car, start checking the Fishing Atlas and decide where we’d go fishing.”

The Fishing Atlas is the state’s directory, available in print or online, that lists all public places to fish in the state. It’s available at ksoutdoors.com.

All major reservoirs and state fishing lakes are included. The atlas lists hundreds of waters within the department’s three special fishing programs, too. The programs are supported partially by fishing license fees, but largely by federal excise taxes on fishing equipment.

They are:

▪ Community Fisheries Assistance Program, which gives free public fishing access to 230 lakes and ponds owned by any of 124 Kansas cities or communities. Most previously charged access fees.

▪ Walk-In Fishing Access Program, modeled after the highly-successful Walk-In Hunting Area program. It leases 1,300 acres of private ponds and lakes from private landowners. It also gives anglers free access to 40 miles along streams.

▪ Urban Fishing Program, which covers the cost of stocking lakes with fish. The department adds about 150,000 eatable-sized channel cats, in addition to other management assistance, to 85 public lakes and ponds in cities with more than 40,000 people. Information about all three programs is available at the department’s website, ksoutdoors.com.

Miller predicted that fishing in Kansas will stay good through the summer and beyond. As life returns to normal, the question is how long the increased numbers of anglers will continue to fish.

“Hopefully people remember how much they’ve enjoyed themselves recently,” Miller said, “The fishing has been good and success is always a key element to getting people to come back.”

Saunders said her family will certainly remember and will do their best to carry on this spring’s outdoors fun.

“Don’t know how much we’ll be able to do when life starts back up,” she said. “It’s so calm and peaceful out there, and we’ve had so much fun. I hope it’s more, but even if only once or twice a month I know fishing is something we’re going to keep doing.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2020 at 5:01 AM.