Popular Choices For Great Fishing In Kansas

Guide to fishing in the Sunflower State

Major Lakes & Species
Lake Sizes & Locations
Kansas Fish Species & State Records

Kansas offers a diverse range of fishing opportunities, with a variety of species available in its warm water fisheries, cold water fisheries, ponds, lakes, and rivers. Anglers can enjoy a wide selection of fish species and fishing environments throughout the state. The purpose of this page is to share basic information about the best fishing lakes in the state, plus the species found in each lake.

Warm water fisheries in Kansas provide excellent opportunities for targeting popular game fish species. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, and various sunfish species are just a few examples of the warm water species anglers can pursue. Lakes such as Milford Reservoir, Cheney Reservoir, and Clinton Lake are renowned for their warm water fisheries, offering abundant fish populations and the chance to catch trophy-sized specimens.

Cold water fisheries in Kansas offer anglers a different angling experience, primarily targeting species that thrive in cooler temperatures. Trout fishing in the winter months is a popular pursuit in lakes such as El Dorado Reservoir, where rainbow trout are stocked to provide an exciting challenge for anglers. Additionally, lakes like Wilson Reservoir provide exceptional opportunities for catching smallmouth bass, known for their love of cooler waters.

Kansas is also home to numerous ponds that are stocked with a variety of fish species, making them ideal for anglers seeking a more intimate fishing experience. These smaller bodies of water often offer convenient access and provide opportunities to catch species such as bass, catfish, bluegill, and crappie. Local city and county parks often maintain stocked ponds that are accessible for public fishing.

The state's rivers also provide excellent fishing opportunities, with the Kansas River, Missouri River, and many smaller tributaries offering diverse fisheries. Anglers can target species such as catfish, bass, walleye, and panfish while enjoying the scenic beauty of Kansas's river systems.

The state of Kansas offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities for anglers of all skill levels. The vast majority of fishing in Kansas is for bass, walleye, crappie and Catfish. There are also waters offering striper and "wiper" (a cross between white bass and stripers) fishing. Ice fishing is available at a limited number of lakes in winter, when conditions allow.

Major Kansas Lakes & Species

Lake & Fish Chart

This section of the website is focused on the larger impoundments and lakes. The lakes chart lists the major fishing lakes and cross references these waters with the major species to be found there. Many of these lakes offer fishing boats for rent.

For a detailed list of primary fish species in KS, plus state fish records, see the list below.

Fishing lake sizes and locations in the state.

Big Hill Lake is a 1,200-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Dennis.

Cedar Bluff Lake is a 6,000-acre lake in the northwest part of the state, 10 miles north of Brownell.

Cheney Reservoir is a 9,500-acre lake in the south-central part of the state, 5 miles north of Cheney.

Clinton Lake is a 7,000-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, on the southwest outskirts of Lawrence.

Coffey County Lake is a 5,100-acre lake in the eastern part of the state, at New Strawn.

Council Grove Lake is a 3,300-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Council Grove.

El Dorado Lake is an 8,000-acre lake in the central part of the state, at El Dorado.

Elk City Lake is a 4,500-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Independence.

Fall River Lake is a 2,500-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Fall River.

Glen Elder Reservoir, aka Waconda Lake is a 12,600-acre lake in the north-central part of the state, at Glen Elder.

Hillsdale Lake is a 5,400-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, 2 miles southwest of Spring Hill.

John Redmond Reservoir is a 9,400-acre lake in the eastern part of the state, at New Strawn.

Kanopolis Lake is a 3,400-acre lake in the central part of the state, 5 miles southeast of Kanopolis.

Keith Sebelius Lake is a 2,200-acre lake in the northwest part of the state, 2 miles southwest of Norton.

Kirwin Reservoir is a 5,000-acre lake in the north-central part of the state, at Kirwin.

La Cygne Lake is a 2,600-acre lake at the eastern border of the state, 3 miles east of La Cygne.

Lovewell Reservoir is a 3,000-acre lake in the north-central part of the state, 2 miles south of Webber.

Marion Reservoir is a 6,200-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, 2 miles west of Marion.

Melvern Lake is a 7,000-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Olivet.

Milford Lake is a 15,700-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Milford.

Perry Lake is a 11,100-acre lake in the central-eastern part of the state, at Ozawkie.

Pomona Lake is a 4,000-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Vassar.

Toronto Lake is a 2,800-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Toronto.

Tuttle Creek Lake is a 12,500-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Randolph.

Webster Reservoir is a 3,700-acre lake in the north-central part of the state, 7 miles east of Bogue.

Wilson Lake is a 9,000-acre lake in the north-central part of the state, 5 miles south of Wilson.

Winfield City Lake is a 1,200-acre lake in the south-central part of the state, 5 miles northwest of Winfield.

Fish Species & State Records in Kansas

Bass

Largemouth bass

World record: 22 lbs 4 oz

State Record: 11.80 lbs

Smallmouth bass

World record: 11 lbs 15 oz

State Record: 6.88 lbs

Spotted bass

World record: 9 lbs 8 oz

State Record: 4.44 lbs

Catfish

Channel catfish

World record: 58 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 36.5 lbs

Flathead catfish

World record: 123 lbs 9 oz

State Record: 123.0 lbs

Blue catfish

World record: 143 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 102.8 lbs

Crappie

Black crappie

World record: 6 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 4.63 lbs

White crappie

World record: 5 lbs 3 oz

State Record: 4.02 lbs

Walleye

World record: 25 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 13.16 lbs

Sauger

World record: 17 lbs 7 oz

State Record: 4.80 lbs

Saugeye

World record: 15 lbs 6 oz

State Record: 9.81 lbs

Trout

Rainbow trout

World record: 42 lbs 2 oz

State Record: 15.72 lbs

Brown trout

World record: 40 lbs 4 oz

State Record: 4.62 lbs

Panfish

Bluegill

World record: 4 lbs 12 oz

State Record: 2.31 lbs

Green sunfish

World record: 2.2 lbs

State Record: 2.36 lbs

Hybrid sunfish

World record: N/A

State Record: 2.65 lbs

Redear sunfish

World record: 5.4 lbs

State Record: 1.69 lbs

Warmouth

World record: 2.4 lbs

State Record: 1.11 lbs

White Bass

World record: 6.8 lbs

State Record: 5.67 lbs

Yellow perch

World record: 4 lbs 3 oz

State Record: 1.06 lbs

Stripers

Striped Bass

Saltwater world record: 81 lbs 14 oz

State Record: 44.0 lbs

Hybrid Striper (Wiper)

World record: 27 lbs 5 oz

State Record: 25.0 lbs

Other species

Longnose gar

World record: 50 lbs 5 oz

State Record: 31.5 lbs

Northern pike

World record: 55 lbs 1 oz

State Record: 24.75 lbs

Paddlefish

World record: 144 lbs

State Record: 144.0 lbs

Spotted gar

World record: 9 lbs 12 oz

State Record: 7.75 lbs

Click the images and links above for species details.

State of KS Fishing Information

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has a website loaded with information about fishing in Kansas including rules and regulations. Apply online for a Kansas fishing license.