Thread: Questions for Kansas Anglers

Originally Posted by Springhill Duckman

Craig,

...Also, I have found the lunker rating to be way off. I pull a lot of really nice crappie out of lakes with very low ratings and low pressure so I wonder if that doesn't almost push people to and from a lake for no reason....

Duckman,

The lunker rating, as well as the other ratings, are dependent upon catching fish of a specific size class. Occasionally a sample is negatively impacted by uncontrollable factors, such as daily movements of fish. Crappie for instance are sampled with trap nets that fish relatively shallow waters. If those larger crappie are hanging in deep water during the 18-20hr hour trap net sample period and none are captured then lunker rating will obviously be extremely low. Even with shocker boats, gill nets, and trap nets some fish can elude or sampling efforts.

El Dorado for instance has a good fishable population of white crappie. However, El Dorado usually doesn't score well at all on the Fishing Forecast as fall trap net catch for crappie has historically been quite low when compared to the NE Kansas reservoirs. Even though the crappie aren't seen in the nets I know they are there due to creel survey results, angler reports, and my 'after hours sampling' with rod and reel. You are correct in that the Fishing Forecast isn't 100% accurate 100% of the time but it does serve as a good guide and can highlight some 'hot' prospects for the fishing year ahead.

Your local fish bio would be able to give you the most detailed information above and beyond the info included in the Fishing Forecast. Give 'em a holler! Thanks for your comments!

Originally Posted by Fish Taxi

...If I had any suggestion, it would be to agree with Nick that I think a lot of people would benefit from having better weekly fishing reports about the smaller bodies of water....

Fish Taxi,

By "smaller bodies of water" are you referring to State Fishing Lakes, CFAP Lakes and/or F.I.S.H. properties?

What would constitute 'better weekly fishing reports'?

What info would you like to see in a report? (I'll throw a few out...Depth, Bait/Lure, Color, Presentation, Time of Day, and Location?)

How much info is enough and how much is "too much"? In the past, I've seen that a too detailed fishing report leads to anglers stacking on top of one another which isn't always a good scenario. Location is usually a slippery slope and in my reports I try to list the characteristics of productive areas so anglers can find areas that replicate those same conditions to find fish. I've been beat up for providing too much info and also for not providing enough! What do you guys like to see in a report?

Thanks for providing your comments!

Craig
I try to check KDWP fishing reports on a weekly basis just to see whats going on. Of all I think you put out the best available information. I live in the NE area and when I visit my folks go fish csfl. You put out a good report. Can you tell me if its possible to get on Kahola? I've had mixed answers.

Originally Posted by Tucker

Craig
I try to check KDWP fishing reports on a weekly basis just to see whats going on. Of all I think you put out the best available information. I live in the NE area and when I visit my folks go fish csfl. You put out a good report. Can you tell me if its possible to get on Kahola? I've had mixed answers.

Tucker,

The last I heard, Kahola Lake became private and no public access is allowed outside of the cabin owners and their guests. Unless you know someone that lives there it may be tough to gain entry.

Thanks for your comments!

Craig,
I think the Fishing Information Nights have been good, informative, and enjoyed them but there lacking something to make them great. I’m not sure what that is but the problem with giving out fishing information is that everyone is looking for something different and have varied skills in fishing. Some people would be interested in the basics of the general pattern of fish throughout the year and how to type a palamer knot, others are fishing techniques, and still others would like to know where exactly do I catch fish on a particular lake, not just there are a good number of fish in the lake. One thing I would like to see in these FINs or newsletters is more of the history and projects going on at specifics lakes. For example the biologist write up on the history and renovations at Lyons SFL, and also the responses you’ve given to me on the history of the whites and wipers at El Dorado the last several years have been very good.

About fishing reports, I like reading them to see if there is anything interesting and see what’s going on in general but I don’t rely on them to totally make up my decision whether or not or where I’m going to go fishing. It’s impossible for you guys to get a good feel of the fishing success in lakes week in \ week out and relay that in the fishing reports, especially the small SFL and county lakes. I don’t know if you rely on hearing from tight lipped anglers or gathering information from the boatramp, I’ve been stopped by gamewardens very few times to ask about my fishing success. I guess if anything to add to the reports it would be general location and depth. Public fishing reports can be tricky to give out, on one hand you want to give people enough information when fish are biting to get people out to use the resources we have but not overwhelm a particular spot or lake with pressure. Plus a lot of times by the time the fishing reports gets out the hot streak is over, best solutions is to get out there and try it, there is only one sure way to see if the fish are biting today.

I really like the fishing forecast KDWP puts together and appreciate the hard work you guys do on this. Like it states on the forecast main page is that a lake with a high ranking doesn’t equal great success. From my perspective you can still have a very successful day of fishing if the lake is not in the top 10 lakes for that species, and there are a lot of ‘sleeper’ lakes out there and like you said there a lot of variables that can damper sampling. Looking around the internet for other states for a similar forecast, I can’t find anything that comes close to this type of information you guys give out on Kansas lakes.

I also really enjoy the video’s on the KDWP website especially the ones that highlight a particular lake. I would like to see videos on fishing at different lakes around the state, Kansas really has quite a diverse population of lakes, no two of them are alike. I’m always up for venturing out and exploring a new lake, and some of the videos have spurred me to go to a new lake farther away.

Appreciate the hard work.
Tim.

Originally Posted by fishingtim

Craig,
I think the Fishing Information Nights have been good, informative, and enjoyed them but there lacking something to make them great. I’m not sure what that is but the problem with giving out fishing information is that everyone is looking for something different and have varied skills in fishing. Some people would be interested in the basics of the general pattern of fish throughout the year and how to type a palamer knot, others are fishing techniques, and still others would like to know where exactly do I catch fish on a particular lake, not just there are a good number of fish in the lake. One thing I would like to see in these FINs or newsletters is more of the history and projects going on at specifics lakes. For example the biologist write up on the history and renovations at Lyons SFL, and also the responses you’ve given to me on the history of the whites and wipers at El Dorado the last several years have been very good.

About fishing reports, I like reading them to see if there is anything interesting and see what’s going on in general but I don’t rely on them to totally make up my decision whether or not or where I’m going to go fishing. It’s impossible for you guys to get a good feel of the fishing success in lakes week in \ week out and relay that in the fishing reports, especially the small SFL and county lakes. I don’t know if you rely on hearing from tight lipped anglers or gathering information from the boatramp, I’ve been stopped by gamewardens very few times to ask about my fishing success. I guess if anything to add to the reports it would be general location and depth. Public fishing reports can be tricky to give out, on one hand you want to give people enough information when fish are biting to get people out to use the resources we have but not overwhelm a particular spot or lake with pressure. Plus a lot of times by the time the fishing reports gets out the hot streak is over, best solutions is to get out there and try it, there is only one sure way to see if the fish are biting today.

I really like the fishing forecast KDWP puts together and appreciate the hard work you guys do on this. Like it states on the forecast main page is that a lake with a high ranking doesn’t equal great success. From my perspective you can still have a very successful day of fishing if the lake is not in the top 10 lakes for that species, and there are a lot of ‘sleeper’ lakes out there and like you said there a lot of variables that can damper sampling. Looking around the internet for other states for a similar forecast, I can’t find anything that comes close to this type of information you guys give out on Kansas lakes.

I also really enjoy the video’s on the KDWP website especially the ones that highlight a particular lake. I would like to see videos on fishing at different lakes around the state, Kansas really has quite a diverse population of lakes, no two of them are alike. I’m always up for venturing out and exploring a new lake, and some of the videos have spurred me to go to a new lake farther away.

Appreciate the hard work.
Tim.

Tim,

Thanks for taking the time to provide your comments and you supplied some very good ones. I totally agree on your FIN night comment, they are good but in REG4 we are looking for something to make them POP so anglers get the info they desire from these events.

I'll be forwarding your comments, as well as all the comments provided so far, to the committees that I serve on.

Hey Craig, I have a comment on invasive species. I have been fishing plenty of times and came across the small signs warning of asian carp (I live in NE KS). Until a couple of weeks ago I thought that was an adequate way of telling people that an invasive species may be present in the waters. I was fishing at the outlet at Clinton a few weeks ago and it is just loaded with silver and bighead carp. Majority are in the 6-10in range. Anytime I snag one, I'll just kill it and throw it back. It was on this day that I realized it will be anyday that these carp are going to get into our lakes. Ealier I had noticed two guys fishing and snagging small silver carp and just throwing them back. A little later they walked down with a bait bucket a few feet from where I was fishing. I had a feeling they were filling it with water to keep some of these carp so I ask what they were doing. This is where it got unbelievable! They asked me if I had been catching as many TROUT as they had. I couldn't believe what I heard. I told them they were asian carp and that they were invasive and don't belong in the water. I also explained to them about spreading them to other waters and thankfully they left with an empty bait bucket. I guess my point is...I think KDWP needs to inform the public better of the hazards of what there spread could do to our waters. I think we need signs that catch the publics attention better on what they are and how to ID them. I'm sure most if all of the people on here know how to ID an asian carp but that day I figured out that there are a lot of the public that have no idea. Thanks

Good concerns, I read some similar posts on KDWPT's blog last year.

Originally Posted by Tucker

Hey Craig, I have a comment on invasive species. I have been fishing plenty of times and came across the small signs warning of asian carp (I live in NE KS). Until a couple of weeks ago I thought that was an adequate way of telling people that an invasive species may be present in the waters. I was fishing at the outlet at Clinton a few weeks ago and it is just loaded with silver and bighead carp. Majority are in the 6-10in range. Anytime I snag one, I'll just kill it and throw it back. It was on this day that I realized it will be anyday that these carp are going to get into our lakes. Ealier I had noticed two guys fishing and snagging small silver carp and just throwing them back. A little later they walked down with a bait bucket a few feet from where I was fishing. I had a feeling they were filling it with water to keep some of these carp so I ask what they were doing. This is where it got unbelievable! They asked me if I had been catching as many TROUT as they had. I couldn't believe what I heard. I told them they were asian carp and that they were invasive and don't belong in the water. I also explained to them about spreading them to other waters and thankfully they left with an empty bait bucket. I guess my point is...I think KDWP needs to inform the public better of the hazards of what there spread could do to our waters. I think we need signs that catch the publics attention better on what they are and how to ID them. I'm sure most if all of the people on here know how to ID an asian carp but that day I figured out that there are a lot of the public that have no idea. Thanks

Tucker,

Great job on taking the initiative to inform the 'less informed' anglers. Getting the correct information in to the hands of all the correct people can be a difficult task, especially with limited funding. Luckily we do have avid anglers, like yourself, that are in the know and can tactfully educate other users to prevent the spread of ANS.

I forwarded your comments to the Statewide ANS Coordinator for KDWPT. He wanted me to let you know that you WILL be seeing a lot more on ANS in 2012 as projects are in the works to aid in the fight against asian carp and other ANS species.

Thanks for keeping an eye out and helping the other anglers take the correct action!