For Us KC Area Guys - Fishing Reports

[KCFinesse]

3 hours ago, SuperFluke said:

 

Wow!  There were several of us out last night and only one boat had anything resembling a decent limit.  Nice job.

 

There was a fair amount of being fortunate involved. That has always been a very tough lake for me.

[BradGinKC]

Fished Cedar Valley in Garnett over the weekend. It was my first time on that lake. Topwater bite was on at sunrise. They seemed to like a spook better than a buzzbait or whopper plopper. The rest of the day I switched between a wacky rig, shakey head, and a bladed jig. Mainly stayed on the north end of the lake. Didn't try fishing the trees on the south end. Still had a good day, especially being the first time out there. It's a cool lake. I'll definitely be going back.

 

[Bluebasser86]

Finally got everything together from my little over half day at Mound last Thursday. Came up just shy of 20 pounds for my biggest 5. I had the bite to go over 20, the one I broke off hit a YUM Magnum Christie Critter with authority, but I obviously needed to retie. 

 

[micahthorlawson]

Awesome video.  Those sprinker blow ups are great. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Finally got everything together from my little over half day at Mound last Thursday. Came up just shy of 20 pounds for my biggest 5. I had the bite to go over 20, the one I broke off hit a YUM Magnum Christie Critter with authority, but I obviously needed to retie. 

 

 

Pulled up to Hillsdale yesterday and my tilt/trim wont work (1996 115 HP Mercury) .  The solenoids were clicking but nothing is happening.  I already ordered new solenoids to replace and see it that fixes it.  From what I read, if one goes bad they both wont work.  The tilt/trim motor was replaced last year by BPS so I cannot imagine it being the issue.  Thought I would check on here to see if anyone else has had experience.  I am no mechanic- so if anyone has anything relatively easy to check let me know.  Otherwise I suppose it will be on a wait list to get in the shop.

 

 

[awohlwend]

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Finally got everything together from my little over half day at Mound last Thursday. Came up just shy of 20 pounds for my biggest 5. I had the bite to go over 20, the one I broke off hit a YUM Magnum Christie Critter with authority, but I obviously needed to retie. 

 

The Sprinker sounds like a 90 size plopper. What's the tail made out of, does it seem to hold up pretty well?

[Bluebasser86]

7 hours ago, awohlwend said:

The Sprinker sounds like a 90 size plopper. What's the tail made out of, does it seem to hold up pretty well?

It's plastic but pretty stiff plastic that seems to hold up well. They put 1 extra in with the bait and you can buy 3 packs of extra tails for $5.

[Fir3hawk]

On 6/27/2017 at 2:33 PM, Bharrington21 said:

Is there a place in johnson county where you can rent fishing kayak?

 

Im a bigger guy and wanna try out a kayak for fishing before i decide to drop the hundreds of dollars buying one sometime.

 

Bass Pro in Olathe is doing Demos in their pond this weekend, check their olathe locations facebook page for timings.

 

I have a FS10 and love it. I found a Jackson Cuda 12 and used it for a while but it was too big for my garage (with a Camaro, 17' boat, 2 kayaks, etc.) and heavy/long to load in my truck bed. Fantastic kayak but I use my kayak for quick trips to small lakes (Olathe, SMP, Lenexa, etc.) where im going alone. Found the Cuda to defeat that purpose. If I didnt have a boat I wouldve kept it.

[Fir3hawk]

I sold my 17' Bass Tracker a couple weeks ago and am looking for a new boat. I'm not 100% certain what kind I want so hoping to get some feedback fron local guys on what the pros and cons are of the different hulls and what works on our lakes.

 

Budget is $5000-7500

Primary use is fishing. Primarly bass but would also like to Crappie fish and hopefully get into Walleye in the future.

Ability to hold 3-4 people, and tube would be awesome

Would like it to fit in my garage. approx 7.5'w x 20'd. Probably 17-18' boat.

 

Ponton would be too big

Runabout probably too big and bad for fishing

Fish and Ski would be awesome. Havent found much decent in my price. Looked at a couple and they seemed much bigger than my '86 TX-17

Deep-V not too familar with these. I went out with Brian and liked his. Probably a bit more stable but assume it would be slower if tubing is desired

Bass boats are great but typically 3 people is about all they will hold. Not ideal for tubing, but managable.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Fish and ski or a deck boat are probably your only real options there. 

[MacBassin]

Although Perry is one of my favorite camping lakes, I'll be fishing it for the first time next weekend. Any general area tips? I'll be launching from Slough

[Bluebasser86]

Fish the riprap on the Slough Creek bridge. There's brush on the point that is straight across from the ramp that's in the camping area. The marinas are usually productive. I've done well around the boat ramps also. 

[RangerDanger]

9 hours ago, Fir3hawk said:

I sold my 17' Bass Tracker a couple weeks ago and am looking for a new boat. I'm not 100% certain what kind I want so hoping to get some feedback fron local guys on what the pros and cons are of the different hulls and what works on our lakes.

 

Budget is $5000-7500

Primary use is fishing. Primarly bass but would also like to Crappie fish and hopefully get into Walleye in the future.

Ability to hold 3-4 people, and tube would be awesome

Would like it to fit in my garage. approx 7.5'w x 20'd. Probably 17-18' boat.

 

Ponton would be too big

Runabout probably too big and bad for fishing

Fish and Ski would be awesome. Havent found much decent in my price. Looked at a couple and they seemed much bigger than my '86 TX-17

Deep-V not too familar with these. I went out with Brian and liked his. Probably a bit more stable but assume it would be slower if tubing is desired

Bass boats are great but typically 3 people is about all they will hold. Not ideal for tubing, but managable.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

That garage size gonna make it tough for a bass boat, the width it the main issue.  You probably need to be looking for a fish n ski with a swing away tongue.  Probably should suspend your account for a while for mentioning tubing, lol.

[micahthorlawson]

9 hours ago, Fir3hawk said:

I sold my 17' Bass Tracker a couple weeks ago and am looking for a new boat. I'm not 100% certain what kind I want so hoping to get some feedback fron local guys on what the pros and cons are of the different hulls and what works on our lakes.

 

Budget is $5000-7500

Primary use is fishing. Primarly bass but would also like to Crappie fish and hopefully get into Walleye in the future.

Ability to hold 3-4 people, and tube would be awesome

Would like it to fit in my garage. approx 7.5'w x 20'd. Probably 17-18' boat.

 

Ponton would be too big

Runabout probably too big and bad for fishing

Fish and Ski would be awesome. Havent found much decent in my price. Looked at a couple and they seemed much bigger than my '86 TX-17

Deep-V not too familar with these. I went out with Brian and liked his. Probably a bit more stable but assume it would be slower if tubing is desired

Bass boats are great but typically 3 people is about all they will hold. Not ideal for tubing, but managable.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

I have 1996 Nitro F/S.  Its 18. 1/2 w/ 115 HP Tracker (mercury)  I think the problem you are going to have is finding a fish n ski of any size to fit in the area you want.  I have a 3 car garage, but the trailer is too wide to put through the 3rd stall, I have to put it through the double and back it in diagonal. I am considering selling it in the near future and would be asking the low end of your budget if you really are at all interested.  I don't have any major complaints with my boat.  If i do sell it, I will be replacing it with a Bass boat though.  It pulls a tube fine, but is not the best for skiing.  I am about 210 pounds and it takes awhile to get on plane pulling me on skis with 3 adults in the boat. It seats 5 comfortably. 

[Fir3hawk]

Well truth is I've been looking for a few weeks now pretty constantly. Good boats priced decent are going fast.

 

Ended up calling some guy off craigslist and asking him if he wanted to go to Hillsdale tonight and this little dingy followed me home...

 

 

Doesnt necessarily fit every criteria to a T but it's a nice upgrade for not a whole lot of money and should keep me satisfied for a few years.

[micahthorlawson]

13 hours ago, Fir3hawk said:

Well truth is I've been looking for a few weeks now pretty constantly. Good boats priced decent are going fast.

 

Ended up calling some guy off craigslist and asking him if he wanted to go to Hillsdale tonight and this little dingy followed me home...

 

 

Doesnt necessarily fit every criteria to a T but it's a nice upgrade for not a whole lot of money and should keep me satisfied for a few years.

Congrats!  Looks like a nice rig!

[KCFinesse]

Fished Wolf yesterday- fishing was brutal slow in the heat and calm. The fish we did catch were shallow cruisers about half of which were caught via sight fishing. Ended up with 12, all smallmouth, none of which were on winding baits.

 

Really struggled to find concentrations of fish in deeper water. It was nice to get out, but looking at the weather forecast, I think I might be fishing elsewhere for a bit.

 

-Jared

[Doc-Drew]

2 hours ago, KCFinesse said:

Fished Wolf yesterday- fishing was brutal slow in the heat and calm. The fish we did catch were shallow cruisers about half of which were caught via sight fishing. Ended up with 12, all smallmouth, none of which were on winding baits.

 

Really struggled to find concentrations of fish in deeper water. It was nice to get out, but looking at the weather forecast, I think I might be fishing elsewhere for a bit.

 

-Jared

I was out there as well and had a very similar report.  Caught a decent largemouth 2.5-3lbs on a wobbler but that was the only fish on a moving bait.  Saw TONS of catfish scrounging the riprap though so my wife was happy with that.  After a few hours, we decided to go to melvern and hang out in the water-kneeboarding and floating.  Much better decision.

[KCFinesse]

I ended up at Critzer on Sunday and fished mostly mid-lake.

 

The bite was extremely tough. I ended up catching two fish around 15" and lost one- all off of the same tree-  about half-way back into a pocket. I spent a lot of time trying to pick apart creek channel swings as well as working shallow. It looked to me that the thermocline was somewhat shallow around 17'. 

 

That was the first time I've fished that lake, and it seems pretty fun. In retrospect I wish I would've stayed towards the dam. I'm also not sure how much of the strange Saturday weather set things off.

 

-Jared

[Bluebasser86]

On 7/24/2017 at 4:55 PM, KCFinesse said:

I ended up at Critzer on Sunday and fished mostly mid-lake.

 

The bite was extremely tough. I ended up catching two fish around 15" and lost one- all off of the same tree-  about half-way back into a pocket. I spent a lot of time trying to pick apart creek channel swings as well as working shallow. It looked to me that the thermocline was somewhat shallow around 17'. 

 

That was the first time I've fished that lake, and it seems pretty fun. In retrospect I wish I would've stayed towards the dam. I'm also not sure how much of the strange Saturday weather set things off.

 

-Jared

I've fished Critzer several times and never been impressed or had impressive results. I've heard of big fish, but never seen any pictures and the reports haven't been from the most credible people. 

[bassbassontherange]

Heard some pretty crazy stories coming from Nebo this year. A guy claimed he's caught two 9+ lb out of there this year. Anyone been out there lately? In the past the bite always seemed sporadic, but the quality was there.

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, bassbassontherange said:

Heard some pretty crazy stories coming from Nebo this year. A guy claimed he's caught two 9+ lb out of there this year. Anyone been out there lately? In the past the bite always seemed sporadic, but the quality was there.

I don't think it's ever been a lake to go to if you want numbers, just quality. Those big ones aren't dumb though. 

[SuperVehicle001]

I've been working the dams on various lakes at James A. Reed. I'm bank bound so accessibility is an issue. I've fished Jackrabbit, Catclaw, Nell, and Bluestem. I've been skunked every time. I've worked up and down all the cover I can see with a weightless Texas rigged Senko. Getting ready to give up on Reed for the time being.

 

I've been looking at any possible bank fishing spots on Lake Jacomo. I've heard it has one of the best populations near KC. Using the satellite view of Google Maps, I've noted the boat ramps, the dam, and what looks like a section of riprap along a large point at the end of Selvy Road. Has anyone else had success on the banks of Jacomo? If so, where and on what lures or rigs?

[awohlwend]

59 minutes ago, SuperVehicle001 said:

I've been working the dams on various lakes at James A. Reed. I'm bank bound so accessibility is an issue. I've fished Jackrabbit, Catclaw, Nell, and Bluestem. I've been skunked every time. I've worked up and down all the cover I can see with a weightless Texas rigged Senko. Getting ready to give up on Reed for the time being.

 

I've been looking at any possible bank fishing spots on Lake Jacomo. I've heard it has one of the best populations near KC. Using the satellite view of Google Maps, I've noted the boat ramps, the dam, and what looks like a section of riprap along a large point at the end of Selvy Road. Has anyone else had success on the banks of Jacomo? If so, where and on what lures or rigs?

 

Welcome to the group! if you do a quick search of James A Reed and Jacomo you'll probably find some old posts on this page that might give you some insight into the lakes. 

 

I have spent a considerable amount of time fishing several ponds at James A Reed with very similar results. I haven't been back in well over a year. There is not a ton of bank access at Jacomo other than what you have mentioned. I have only bank fished it once and caught a 3.5-4lb fish on a spinnerbait then left. The west side of the lake around the dam is where I fished. That side of the lake has a lot of bluffs the further away from the dam you get and makes it nearly impossible to bank fish. I'm sure some of the better parts of the lake aren't accessible from the bank but I'd focus your efforts there rather than James A Reed. 

[SuperVehicle001]

I did some searching before posting but a lot of the posts regarding Reed are a year or older. Some posts have nice pictures of bass, some say Reed sucks lol. I've read some articles about bank fishing in KC that praise the area. The MDC fishing report says Jackrabbit, Catclaw, Nell and Bluestem have the best bass and are currently "fair". I have no idea what that means. Because fair to me means I'd catch something at least. There is a lot of conflicting info on Reed so I'm hoping to find someone that has been recently to get a better picture of the current conditions.

[Russ E]

Fished Smithville today.

caught three. one was 3lbs and two were 2lbs.

all were in less than 5 feet of water, around timber on main lake points.

all were caught on a Havoc pit boss.

the bass seem to stay relatively shallow on this lake throughout the summer.

I have caught a few fish in the 5 lb range, but have never caught numbers at Smithville.

Does anybody catch numbers at this Lake?