Crappie - Fair to Good - The crappie have been spawning for a couple of weeks now and anglers will find some fish up shallow lakewide. Best areas for catching fish ...more in 2-4 feet of water include Schoen's Cove, Meall's Cove, the Cawker causeway, Osage Cove, and along the dam. Other anglers have been limiting out on females hanging out in 10-15 feet of water near the causeway and the mouths of the abovementioned coves. Trolling crankbaits or slow trolling minnows seems to be working best. The crappie tournament winners on May 12th had a 15 fish weight of 26 pounds and a big fish of 2.4 pounds. Walleye – Good - There has been some good walleye fishing out here over the past couple of weeks with anglers catching them along the mudlines on the north shore near the golf course in 6-10 feet of water and from 30 feet deep along the river channels between Gibbs Point and the Cawker causeway. There have also been reports of fish caught along the channel ledges in 15-20 feet of water using jig/crawler combos. The KWA tournament winners on May 19th had a 6 fish total of 23.5 pounds and a big fish of 6.3 pounds. White Bass – Good - The whites can still be caught at both the North and South Fork log jams. Other anglers have been catching good numbers along the Cawker City causeway, and we observed very good numbers along the dam earlier this spring while sampling. Walleye and crappie anglers report fair numbers of whites mixed in on the west end of the reservoir while drifting or anchoring with jig/crawler and jig/minnow rigs. Black Bass - Fair to Good - The bass have begun to move shallow and we observed a mix of smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass in the state park coves recently while sampling. The smallies are probably wrapping up for the spawn while the largemouth are about to get started. Crappie anglers have been catching fair numbers of each with smallmouth dominating the catch. Wipers – Fair - There have been some good catches of wipers in the state park coves, especially Marina Cove. Watch the wind and when it warms up and blows in from the south, the wipers can be found chasing shad in the backs of the coves. Anglers have also been catching a few off Swim Beach point and the dam. Channel Catfish – Fair - Good spots in the spring include up the North and South Fork river channels as anglers often catch fish under the North Fork and Fisherman's bridge. We also see catfish in good concentrations along the Cawker City dike around the flooded stickups. There are probably a few catfish below the dam in the outlet as well. Stinkbaits, dead shad, and chicken liver all work this time of year. Other anglers have been catching good numbers of cats up the creek channels on the west end. Report courtesy of Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

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