For Us KC Area Guys - Fishing Reports

[gardnerjigman]

On Friday, October 21, 2016 at 11:44 AM, micahthorlawson said:

If I am out for a full, windy day my batteries are usually down to 40-50% (according to my cheap charger).  And I bought the biggest ones (31?)  at Cabelas/ BPS....

Your boat probably weighs 4 times what his does too though. It must just be personal preference because even when I had the 19' basscat with a 3 bank I still plugged in after every trip, regardless what the battery usage was. 

7.  CAN I INCREASE THE LIFE OF MY BATTERY?

The typical life of a deep cycle battery is:

 

Starting (Used as a deep cycle)	0 to 12 months
Marine	to 6 years
Golf Cart	to 6 years
Gelled Deep Cycle	to 8 years
AGM	to 10 years
Ni-Cad	to 10 years
Telecommunications (Float)	to 10 years
Fork Lift	to 10 years
Industrial (Traction)	to 20 years
Industrial (Stationary)	to 20 years
Ni-Fe	to 20 years

 

7.1.  Recharging slowly and keeping your battery well maintained are the best ways to extend the life of your battery.

7.2.  Recharge a deep cycle battery as soon as possible after each use to prevent sulfation.

7.3.  In warmer climates and during the summer,watering is required more often.  Check the electrolyte levels and add distilled water, if required.  Never add electrolyte to a battery that is not fully charged'just add distilled water and do notoverfill.  The plates must be covered at all times.

7.4. High ambient temperatures (above 80%deg; F [26.7° C]) will shorten battery life because it increases positive grid corrosion and growth.

7.5. Shallower the average depth-of-discharge (DoD), increases the battery life. For example, a battery with an average of 50% DoD will last twice as long or more as an 80% DoD; a 20% DoD battery will last five times longer than a 50% DoD.  For example, golf cart batteries will average 225 cycles at 80% DoD and increase to 750 cycles at 50% DoD.  Try to avoid DoD that is less than 10% or greater than 80%.  Industrial traction and stationary deep cycle batteries are designed for 80% DoD and most marine an RV deep cycle batteries are designed for 50% DoD.

 

 

Depth-of-Discharge (DoD)

[Source: Concorde]

 

7.6. When in storage, recharging when the state-of-charge drops to 80% or below will prevent lead sulfation.

7.7. Maintaining the correct state-of-charge while in storage, electrolyte levels, tightening loose hold-down clamps and terminals, and removing corrosion is normally the only preventive maintenance required for a deep cycle battery.

7.8. Avoid opportunity charging."  Size the battery so that there is a minimum of one cycle per day.

7.9. Never discharge below 10.5 volts.

[BradGinKC]

Got a chance to fish La Cygne this week. I really like this lake, but it can be a fickle beast. I've had some great days and some terrible days. Never know what to expect. Fortunately, this trip went well. Fought a 15-20mph N wind, plus an hour of cold rain from about 10:30-11:30am, but the fish were active. Water temp was around 68.

 

I spent the day in the north part of the lake. I started out north of the bridge throwing my new WP90. This was my first time using a plopper, and while I didn't catch anything with it, I can definitely see why it's so popular. Really versatile and fun to fish. I also tried a spook and a buzzbait, but the topwater bite just wasn't happening. I switched to shad colored squarebills and spinnerbaits. I caught four on the squarebill and two on the spinnerbait, all 12-15" length. And these fish were fat. The baitfish are plentiful and the bass have been feasting.

 

I anchored under the bridge for about 30min during the heaviest part of the rain. I actually caught about a dozen small white crappie vertical jigging under the bridge while I waited out the rain. So at least it wasn't wasted time.

 

The sun came out around noon and I was struggling to get bites on my crankbaits and spinnerbaits, so I started pitching a black & blue soft plastic craw. I caught my biggest fish of the day around 1pm down where the river starts to widen into the main lake. I caught it, along with several others, pitching that craw right up to the bank into a mixture fallen trees and water willow. Here are a couple pics. Measured 19.25" and 3.75lbs. Not big by La Cygne standards, but big by my standards! Fun day. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

 

[Bluebasser86]

7 hours ago, BradGinKC said:

Got a chance to fish La Cygne this week. I really like this lake, but it can be a fickle beast. I've had some great days and some terrible days. Never know what to expect. Fortunately, this trip went well. Fought a 15-20mph N wind, plus an hour of cold rain from about 10:30-11:30am, but the fish were active. Water temp was around 68.

 

I spent the day in the north part of the lake. I started out north of the bridge throwing my new WP90. This was my first time using a plopper, and while I didn't catch anything with it, I can definitely see why it's so popular. Really versatile and fun to fish. I also tried a spook and a buzzbait, but the topwater bite just wasn't happening. I switched to shad colored squarebills and spinnerbaits. I caught four on the squarebill and two on the spinnerbait, all 12-15" length. And these fish were fat. The baitfish are plentiful and the bass have been feasting.

 

I anchored under the bridge for about 30min during the heaviest part of the rain. I actually caught about a dozen small white crappie vertical jigging under the bridge while I waited out the rain. So at least it wasn't wasted time.

 

The sun came out around noon and I was struggling to get bites on my crankbaits and spinnerbaits, so I started pitching a black & blue soft plastic craw. I caught my biggest fish of the day around 1pm down where the river starts to widen into the main lake. I caught it, along with several others, pitching that craw right up to the bank into a mixture fallen trees and water willow. Here are a couple pics. Measured 19.25" and 3.75lbs. Not big by La Cygne standards, but big by my standards! Fun day. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

 

 

 

This is the time of year when the river (and rest of the lake), starts to turn on at La Cygne. Usually the wipers are really going good out there about now too. I'll be out there in the next couple weeks I'm sure. 

[Advantage]

10 hours ago, BradGinKC said:

Got a chance to fish La Cygne this week. I really like this lake, but it can be a fickle beast. I've had some great days and some terrible days. Never know what to expect. Fortunately, this trip went well. Fought a 15-20mph N wind, plus an hour of cold rain from about 10:30-11:30am, but the fish were active. Water temp was around 68.

 

I spent the day in the north part of the lake. I started out north of the bridge throwing my new WP90. This was my first time using a plopper, and while I didn't catch anything with it, I can definitely see why it's so popular. Really versatile and fun to fish. I also tried a spook and a buzzbait, but the topwater bite just wasn't happening. I switched to shad colored squarebills and spinnerbaits. I caught four on the squarebill and two on the spinnerbait, all 12-15" length. And these fish were fat. The baitfish are plentiful and the bass have been feasting.

 

I anchored under the bridge for about 30min during the heaviest part of the rain. I actually caught about a dozen small white crappie vertical jigging under the bridge while I waited out the rain. So at least it wasn't wasted time.

 

The sun came out around noon and I was struggling to get bites on my crankbaits and spinnerbaits, so I started pitching a black & blue soft plastic craw. I caught my biggest fish of the day around 1pm down where the river starts to widen into the main lake. I caught it, along with several others, pitching that craw right up to the bank into a mixture fallen trees and water willow. Here are a couple pics. Measured 19.25" and 3.75lbs. Not big by La Cygne standards, but big by my standards! Fun day. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

 

That lake will make or break you. Most times it's break! Lol 

Had a pretty miserable day there Sunday. Only one 2.5lb bass, one small white, and one small bluegill. But didn't get to fish up in the river (where I knew to and wanted to fish). 

Think the fishin woulda been much better with some clouds or rain. But it is what it is.

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

This is the time of year when the river (and rest of the lake), starts to turn on at La Cygne. Usually the wipers are really going good out there about now too. I'll be out there in the next couple weeks I'm sure. 

High bright blue sunny skies weren't ideal for yesterday. Didn't get to fish the river either which saddened me but oh well. Lol

[micahthorlawson]

Thinking about taking my dad to lake Shawnee in search of trout.  He loves trout fishing.  I know some of you have gone out there in the past, is it a local trout permit we would need to buy, or just the state tag?

 

Any tips on where to fish?  I am sure I will bass while we are there as well.

 

Thanks!

 

[BradGinKC]

7 hours ago, micahthorlawson said:

Thinking about taking my dad to lake Shawnee in search of trout.  He loves trout fishing.  I know some of you have gone out there in the past, is it a local trout permit we would need to buy, or just the state tag?

 

Any tips on where to fish?  I am sure I will bass while we are there as well.

 

Thanks!

 

I've never fished Shawnee, so I don't have any tips for you. But here are the trout regs for joco. Also saw on the website they will be stocking trout on Wednesday. Lake will re-open to fishing on Saturday morning. Good luck! Post some pics if you catch some trout.

JCPRD Trout Fishing Permit Requirements
All persons fishing for trout in JCPRD waters, regardless of age or residency,
including children under the age of 15, must possess a valid JCPRD trout permit, 
in addition to applicable Kansas state fishing licenses and valid JCPRD 
fishing permits (see requirements above). This applies whether you intend to keep 
your catch (up to the posted limit of 4 trout daily) or release all trout you catch.
[NOTE: A state trout stamp is not required to fish for trout in 
JCPRD waters and it is not a substitute for a JCPRD trout permit.]

 

[Bluebasser86]

12 hours ago, micahthorlawson said:

Thinking about taking my dad to lake Shawnee in search of trout.  He loves trout fishing.  I know some of you have gone out there in the past, is it a local trout permit we would need to buy, or just the state tag?

 

Any tips on where to fish?  I am sure I will bass while we are there as well.

 

Thanks!

 

I've fished it in the fall several times, never caught many trout even though I've fished for them on occasion. All you need is the state trout permit.

 

 These are why I went out there.

Had lots of walleye on jerkbaits, and caught my first yellow perch in a long, long time out there on a Ned. The few trout I did catch were in about a foot of water grouped up in the very back of the cove by the southwest ramp. They were very unhealthy looking, I think the water was too warm still when they stocked them but that shouldn't be the case this year. The trout out there eat a Ned well at times, but I usually do best with a 1/8oz Little Cleo, or a micro jig under a bobber. If it were me, I'd forgo the trout and target the bass and eyes, I can give you an idea where to look for those too if you'd like. For the trout, put the trolling motor down and look for signs of them like fish jumping or cruising, there will be more around. 

5 hours ago, BradGinKC said:

I've never fished Shawnee, so I don't have any tips for you. But here are the trout regs for joco. Also saw on the website they will be stocking trout on Wednesday. Lake will re-open to fishing on Saturday morning. Good luck! Post some pics if you catch some trout.

JCPRD Trout Fishing Permit Requirements
All persons fishing for trout in JCPRD waters, regardless of age or residency,
including children under the age of 15, must possess a valid JCPRD trout permit, 
in addition to applicable Kansas state fishing licenses and valid JCPRD 
fishing permits (see requirements above). This applies whether you intend to keep 
your catch (up to the posted limit of 4 trout daily) or release all trout you catch.
[NOTE: A state trout stamp is not required to fish for trout in 
JCPRD waters and it is not a substitute for a JCPRD trout permit.]

 

Lake Shawnee is in Topeka. Those regs are for Shawnee Mission Lake. SML stocks natural swimbaits for the most part, Lake Shawnee stocks monsters. 

[BradGinKC]

40 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've fished it in the fall several times, never caught many trout even though I've fished for them on occasion. All you need is the state trout permit.

 

 These are why I went out there.

Had lots of walleye on jerkbaits, and caught my first yellow perch in a long, long time out there on a Ned. The few trout I did catch were in about a foot of water grouped up in the very back of the cove by the southwest ramp. They were very unhealthy looking, I think the water was too warm still when they stocked them but that shouldn't be the case this year. The trout out there eat a Ned well at times, but I usually do best with a 1/8oz Little Cleo, or a micro jig under a bobber. If it were me, I'd forgo the trout and target the bass and eyes, I can give you an idea where to look for those too if you'd like. For the trout, put the trolling motor down and look for signs of them like fish jumping or cruising, there will be more around. 

Lake Shawnee is in Topeka. Those regs are for Shawnee Mission Lake. SML stocks natural swimbaits for the most part, Lake Shawnee stocks monsters. 

Yep, I definitely got my shawnees confused. Sorry, @micahthorlawson! Disregard my post. Should be a fun trip.

And looking at the picture above makes me want to schedule a trip to Topeka. That's a beast. 

[Bluebasser86]

19 minutes ago, BradGinKC said:

And looking at the picture above makes me want to schedule a trip to Topeka. That's a beast. 

It's an easy lake to fish, but not easy to find the quality smallmouth. I lucked into that one, but I also know that Ned Kehde has caught 2 over 6 pounds out there the last couple years (one this past spring I believe). There was a kayak tournament out there this year that had 2 5 pound class smallmouth caught also. Of course, it's really easy to go out there and not catch a smallmouth over 1.5 pounds too. Very clear water, rocky, zebra mussels, and grass make it good water for smallmouth, but they get a lot of pressure and can be really finicky. At 400 acres, it's easy to cover a majority of it in a day. 

[TinBoatBassin]

Hey all, I recently moved to Kansas (6 months) and I have to say this forum has been a great source of info to get me started on the lakes around here.

We hit up MS last weekend and I was hoping for a hot fall bite but the action was a little slow with the bluebird skies.  I did manage to stick one good bass that went 4.5 on a squarebill.  

[Bluebasser86]

6 hours ago, TinBoatBassin said:

Hey all, I recently moved to Kansas (6 months) and I have to say this forum has been a great source of info to get me started on the lakes around here.

We hit up MS last weekend and I was hoping for a hot fall bite but the action was a little slow with the bluebird skies.  I did manage to stick one good bass that went 4.5 on a squarebill.  

Welcome! That's a good looking fish from (I'm assuming), Miami SL? If so, that lake has been weird the last couple years. It goes on hot streaks, then it's like the bass evaporate from the lake completely. I'd be pretty happy with one good bite out there in a trip. 

[Advantage]

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Welcome! That's a good looking fish from (I'm assuming), Miami SL? If so, that lake has been weird the last couple years. It goes on hot streaks, then it's like the bass evaporate from the lake completely. I'd be pretty happy with one good bite out there in a trip. 

Yup, lake was on fire last year and even early spring this year. Then wasn't worth a you know what all summer into early fall. Good to know there's at least one decent fish left in there.

[TinBoatBassin]

I mistyped, I meant MC. Mound City lake. We tried Miami SL this summer and it was all we could do to put a couple dinks in the boat.

[Advantage]

37 minutes ago, TinBoatBassin said:

I mistyped, I meant MC. Mound City lake. We tried Miami SL this summer and it was all we could do to put a couple dinks in the boat.

MC has some toads! My last time there was worst outing ever there.

[awohlwend]

2 hours ago, TinBoatBassin said:

I mistyped, I meant MC. Mound City lake. We tried Miami SL this summer and it was all we could do to put a couple dinks in the boat.

That sounds more like it ha! 

[micahthorlawson]

On ‎10‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 1:27 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

 

 If it were me, I'd forgo the trout and target the bass and eyes, I can give you an idea where to look for those too if you'd like.

You talked me into it.  I'll shoot you a text!

[redbirdsfan44]

Fished grindstone this morning for a while. Solid jig bite on the rocks but that's all that was going on. Managed a few keepers. Had a lot better morning than the duck hunters around there 

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, redbirdsfan44 said:

Fished grindstone this morning for a while. Solid jig bite on the rocks but that's all that was going on. Managed a few keepers. Had a lot better morning than the duck hunters around there 

I've heard there's some big ones in there and always meant to get up there but it's a long haul for me now. A good jig bite can make me do stupid things though. 

[Ondrejka]

@Thefrog22 and I returned from our East KS Bassmasters club championship at LOZ this weekend. Went out of Red Oak, an area that neither of us had fished before. I've fished up from 15mm-4mm and he's fished the opposite direction. We got up there Friday and had the afternoon to pre fish. Didn't really put anything together, it was a weird day but still caught a few fish. From what another member told us it was definitely a morning deal. To make a stupid long report short, we weighed in 4 fish on Saturday (Keith carried us), for around 10 1/2 lbs. They were pretty deep in the brush. I just couldn't catch a keeper. Sunday was the complete opposite-I had our first keeper within 30 mins or so, and  two more before 11:30. Right around then, the cold front started moving through and the bite shut off like a light switch for us. So all in all, we finished both days with about 16.4 lbs, which was good for 6th place for both of us (boater and non boater) out of 15 teams. For the entire season, our first year fishing with EKB, I think Keith will end up 5th or 6th for boaters, and I'll be 8th for non boaters. Not too shabby of a season with a top 10 finish for us both. 

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

A good jig bite can make me do stupid things though. 

So true.

[redbirdsfan44]

18 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've heard there's some big ones in there and always meant to get up there but it's a long haul for me now. A good jig bite can make me do stupid things though. 

There are some big ones in there. Visibility is usually <1 foot and can get pretty chocolaty. That being said I've had better luck on okeechobee craw than any other color there

[BradGinKC]

10 hours ago, Ondrejka said:

@Thefrog22 and I returned from our East KS Bassmasters club championship at LOZ this weekend. Went out of Red Oak, an area that neither of us had fished before. I've fished up from 15mm-4mm and he's fished the opposite direction. We got up there Friday and had the afternoon to pre fish. Didn't really put anything together, it was a weird day but still caught a few fish. From what another member told us it was definitely a morning deal. To make a stupid long report short, we weighed in 4 fish on Saturday (Keith carried us), for around 10 1/2 lbs. They were pretty deep in the brush. I just couldn't catch a keeper. Sunday was the complete opposite-I had our first keeper within 30 mins or so, and  two more before 11:30. Right around then, the cold front started moving through and the bite shut off like a light switch for us. So all in all, we finished both days with about 16.4 lbs, which was good for 6th place for both of us (boater and non boater) out of 15 teams. For the entire season, our first year fishing with EKB, I think Keith will end up 5th or 6th for boaters, and I'll be 8th for non boaters. Not too shabby of a season with a top 10 finish for us both.

Congrats @Ondrejka. Great season!

[Bluebasser86]

Got the yak out for a couple hours last week and did pretty well. 

 

[Mr. Ranger]

Had a couple decent days on Pomme last weekend.  WHITE Buzz Bait on the windy flats and a mouse color spinnerbait while running parallel to some bluffs.  Caught some on a wart as well.  Caught a nice 5 1/2 pounder and a dozen or so keepers each day.

Yall live in the best part of the country. 

[KCFinesse]

I just got my first side imaging unit (Helix 5) and broke it out at Gardner between 10 and 2 on Sunday. I found fish on wind blown green weeds on a split shot senko, no love on either a chatterbait or a swim jig. Biggest was 18" with two around 15" and a handful of smaller fish. The takes were super light. 

WT- 64°F

-Jared

[cbass12]

On 11/1/2016 at 8:18 AM, Ondrejka said:

Here's some fairly mediocre GoPro footage from this weekend. Didn't film a lot on day 1 but got one of Keith's keepers. Have most everything from day 2. Forgot that I caught my first Meanmouth too, pretty sweet.

 

So was it a Spot/LM hybrid or an actual meanie? An actual meanie at LOZ would be pretty rare considering smallies aren't very common. Or maybe they have become more common in the 10 years since I've been there.