Busy

I keep fish depending on what the lake has shown me. If I regularly catch keeper bass on a lake then I'll start to keep about half of them. If the bass population seems weak or small then I'll throw them all back. If you follow the regulations that have been set for each lake, you shouldn't have to worry much about harming the sport. Don't worry too much about catching that bass. Some 3.5 lber will fill out to 5 lbs to take the place of the fish that was kept. It's natures way.

Coffey County Lake - SM Bass Banner Creek Resoirvoir - LM Bass Cedar Bluff Reservoir - this lake holds large LM Bass and Wipers but not in great numbers Woodson State Lake - huge channel catfish Lake Wabaunsee (Eskridge Lake) - The biggest LM Bass in our area from what I can tell, this is my favorite lake to fish. They also have good SM Bass. These are my personal picks. Most of these lakes are not that large. Leavenworth isn't my any means a bad lake, I just don't think it's a great one. It takes me about 10 minutes to get there so I'm out there a lot just to fish dawn and dusk for an hour or two at a time. The smallmouth numbers I was catching 6-7 weeks ago has dropped off. Last three weeks I've only caught a couple smallmouths, but they're still out there somewhere. You circled an area of lake that has a lot of brush, smallies seem to like rocks and gravel more.

Well, let me make a disclaimer. I will trout fish with a fly rod and fly tackle. The rod I am talking about will only be used for trout in very quick moving and/or rocky water that I wouldn't want to wade into (Heavier line in heavier waters). 6# is ideal for trout generally, but I am wanting to keep heavier line because I use this rod to fish for bass also. Having an ultra-light rod/reel would really make this easier for me lol. Is the consensus that bobber and top-water fishing with fluorocarbon line works well? Thanks for the imput guys.

i dont think you spend much time on that lake to be honest. Only about 4 days a week due to how close it is to me Why don't you instead tell me how you might approach this lake or ask me about whatever I've said that you disagree with. If I didn't fish this lake a lot I wouldn't be posting in this thread. Thanks.

I have a 7'0" Medium rod with a fast action. I use a size 30 quantum spinning reel on it. This is my 'all-around' rod. Being as I only own 3 rods/reels, I will use this rod in fast-moving streams for trout, to tight-line for crappie, and it's generally the one I'll put a bobber on when I feel lazy. I'll also throw in-line spinners and spinnerbaits on it for bass. I stay away from cover with this rod. I've been considering putting flourocarbon line on it lately and had a few questions is general: 1) Since the line sinks, will it make bobber and top-water fishing impractical? 2) I've heard of problems with using flourocarbon line on spinning reels and wondered if P-Line would work better on a spinning reel than Trilene. I hear that P-Line has less memory but would like some input on this if any of you have experience with it. I am considering the 12# line but other suggestions would also be helpful.

I generally don't spend much at all on fishing, but yesterday was my birthday and may parents happened to give me a nice giftcard to Cabela's. I didn't have anything else to get so I spent it all on tackle. Even got a new rod and BC. I guess I did give in to the baitmonkey a little there, lol. In general though, I say stay far away from the baitmonkey.

The post I made earlier was about the Leavenworth County lake that is off of Hwy 16. There are smallmouth in that lake. Someone posted a satellite image of this lake in this thread. Fish the side of the lake that the road runs along where the piers are. We seem to find largemouth out on the two main coves and smallmouth on the other side of the lake. That said, I do not believe that this lake is a very good bass lake overall. I think it is mainly known for its channel cats that seem to be everywhere. Any type of bass caught in this lake must be 18"+ to keep. It is a fun lake to fish mainly because you can catch anything you'd want. Channel catfish, a few blue catfish there, wipers, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and walleye.

Leave the shell on. Get it nice and stinky. Also, there are a couple posts on using womens nylons. Nylon can take as many as 40 years to decay and is considered non-biodegradable. Please think twice before throwing it in your lakes or rivers. Cheesecloth works just as well

Same. Just fish like you normally would. The only thing I might do differently is if you typically fish drop-offs near channels. I would try to fish the normal spots and if they aren't there back up a bit and search the flats or drains that are a bit further away from the channel.

There are a lot of small-mouth bass in this lake. They seem to stay for the most part on the side of the lake that the road runs along. I believe a lot of bass are starting to suspend but not yet schooled. Off the rocky bluffs just east of the dam can be productive.

At times so far this summer I've found it beneficial when the heat is intense to really rough the water up a bit before going finesse. This tactic may be purely coincidental but it seems to work occasionally. Everyone is always saying to fish slow, slow, slow in the summer because the bass are lazy. I completely agree with this. If I go to a spot where I know there are absolutely bass there but they aren't taking on anything slow-moving I'll start ripping big weighted spinnerbaits down around them just trying to make all the racket in the water I can. If the bass are being that lazy you shouldn't scare them off doing this. After I feel like I've roughed the water up a bit I'll go back to the finesse fishing. Seems like sometimes they come out a bit just to see what the hell is going on. Then it is easier to get their attention. Some more experienced people here may dismiss this claim. Like I said, there is a high chance this has been purely coincidental for me, as it is nearly impossible to induce bass into a feeding state.

I'm a young guy. I got a lot more things to save up for than fishing equipment. That being said, I'd really feel like a moron if it cost more than $200 in one season to catch fish. I let myself spend ~$500 a year for all my outdoor sporting hobbies. This includes shotgun shells, lures, bait, rods, tents, camping supplies, etc. It can be done. I don't have tons and tons of tackle, but I've learned what works where. You can fish the same lure with a different technique instead of changing it out and trying to buy out Cabela's. Next year may be rough tho, my hunting dog is getting old at almost 10 Gear can't replace knowledge or experience. People have been catching fish since before graphite was discovered.

brophog covered a lot of areas and makes a lot of good points. I would stress the point he made about keeping mobile. Many lakes only have piers or spots that are easily accessible on one side of the lake or only sporadically around the lake. These spots shouldn't tell you where to fish. Ignore them; pay attention to the water, wind, temps, sky, cover, baitfish, etc. I see people get skunked all the time fishing from the shore because they simply drive to the first open pier they see. I hike all around lakes and always have a rucksack on me thats full of tackle and anything else I might need. Sometimes the piers work, sometimes you'll have to do some walking. Don't be afraid to experiment! From the shore in the evenings I like to start out casting parallel to the bank and fish grass patches with a rigged worm and make some final passes using a spinnerbait and putting a lot of vertical movement into it. As dawn approaches I'll start casting more out in to the open, again starting on the bottom with a lipped crank or a heavy in-line spinner. I'll work my way up through the water and fish the 30 minutes before dark using top-water lures. If I'm fishing in the morning I'll do the same process in reverse. Good luck!

Been on here reading a lot about fishing in the heat and been putting a lot of effort into it at the lake. Learned a good lesson last night. The hotter it gets the more the fish turn on when a front rolls through. Got a colorado type storm last night that came and went within an hour. 45 minutes of rain yielded two inches. And when you looked across the lake as soon as the clouds appeared in the sky it looked like fish were bouncing off the water surface. You could have stuck your hand in the water and caught a fish. I just wish I was patient enought to always wait on the weather

As everyone else has said, the circle hook should do the work for you on cats. Keep the slack out of your line and your rod a bit lower. I make my own rod holders as I don't like mine sticking straight up and down. Cats literally inhale bait. If theres slack in the line the hook will go further in them than you want.

X2 on looking for creek mouths running into the lake that may hold cooler water. When in doubt, take temps.

When I find fish in the heat like this (index has been 110-115 here) I'll work them really slow with jigs or spinnerbaits. A lot of times when it's really hot out I seem to get curious fish that just aren't aggresive enough to really hit the lures. When this happens I'll throw my frog out far and just let it sit. Don't do anything to it. Keep working the jigs and buzzbaits/spinnerbaits and then pull them out after a while. I usually wait about 15 minutes and just enjoy being outside, then I start hopping the frog that I almost forgot I had out there. Generally fishing grass in heat too. When all else fails usually that lonely frog thats just been sitting there starts getting some fish on it. My technique is erratic, I won't pull that frog up until something hits it. Drag it, pop it, hop it, twitch it, whatever. I just keep going back to it and moving it every once in a while. You find that fat hawg thats been trying to burrow under and you'll know it. When it's working I'll put three rods with frogs out like that and just take turns working each about 2 feet at a time. I'm never in a hurry when I fish.

I like it. Frogs are more active at night naturally. But so are worms

Just about every week. I live about 8 minutes from the lake I generally fish . Outside of on that lake, I've only ever been stopped once hunting. I always buy my licenses, the money partly goes back to keeping these sports around and healthy!

Sounds good. No mention of frogs?

I can tell you how I get great huge live worms but this option may not be available to you. If you have a farm with lots of round bales that sit in rows, you can pick the bales up with a tractor or bob-cat and there will be lots of big fat worms and grubs under them. Get 'em quick because they'll head for China once the light hits 'em. I prefer not to use live worms because in the ponds I fish you just can't catch anything other than perch and bluegill when you start using live worms. Seems your ratio of bass to other fish caught increases when you use artificials. That said, bass will sure eat a live worm as well.

I've been pouring thourgh this forum a bit and have tried the search function but still cannot find any mention of a Bass Club in Kansas. If you know of any that are around Kansas City, Topeka, or Lawrence please let me know. I do not own a boat. Thanks, Busy

I never check when I'm just fishing local areas. I'll go out in the worst conditions and the best conditions. Sometimes the 'worst' conditions are surprisingly more productive than you'd think. If I'm planning on taking a weekend trip or trying a new lake a few hours away I'll get all the information I can. Found a decent bass lake this year not too far away from looking over catfish indexes. Went there for catfish and found a lot of bass too.

I'd also try to get into the thickest weeds on the bottom that you can.

Ever tried a cane pole? Works great for catching little fish close to the shore. Also, if anyone is reading this who has a lady that won't go fishing with them because they simply don't want to learn how, get them a cane pole. It's impossible to mess up with a cane pole.