Southwest Region Fishing Reports
Fishing reports provide general angling information from KDWP staff. The department cannot update the reports on a regular, frequent basis. Many factors determine angling success, and fishing conditions and individual fishing success may vary from the report. Anglers are responsible for deciding what species to fish for, what methods to use, and where and when to fish. You can help fellow anglers by sharing successful fishing notes at https://www.facebook.com/KDWPFisheries.
BARBER STATE FISHING LAKE - LOWER - Last Updated: 4/11/2026
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 12 inches | No recent report. Try jigs & minnows near structure. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair | Most in the 1 lb. size range | No recent report. Fishing cut bait or stink bait lake wide morning, evening, and night. |
| Largemouth bass | Good | Up to 5 lbs. | No recent report. Try using soft plastics, crank baits, or top water near structure in the morning or evening. |
| Sunfish | Fair to Good | Up to 8 inches | No recent report. Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush. |
| Walleye | Poor | Up to 4 lbs | No recent report. Try using large crankbaits or jigs near rocks and points. |
Water temperature in the upper 50s or low 60s
CLARK STATE FISHING LAKE - Last Updated: 4/11/2026
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair | Up to 12 inches | Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Most in the 1 lb size range | Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. Harvest regulations is 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Good | Up to 4 lbs | Fish are in prespawn pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around any cover in the water. Focus on submerged wood in the vegetation. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | Good | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Walleye | Slow | Up to 4 lbs | Jig and night crawler should really work on the points and flats right now. Also try casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| White Bass | Fair to Good | Whites up to 17 inches | Trolling crankbaits or vertically fishing slab spoons over the tops of fish attractors or prominent windblown main lake points and shelves. Most of the larger white bass range from 12 to 17 inches. |
Water temperature should be in the upper 50s lower 60s degree range. We have received no reports from anglers & these are seasonal guidelines. You may call the Dodge City Regional office at 620-227-8609 to make a report.
Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water!
HORSETHIEF RESERVOIR - Last Updated: 8/27/2025
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair to Good | Up to 12 inches | Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs where pre-spawn crappie might stage. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Most in the 1 lb size range | Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. If it ever rains, target areas of inflow. Harvest regulations are 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair to Good | Up to 4 lbs | Fish are in typical summer pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around the brush piles. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | Fair | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush in deeper water. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Walleye/saugeye | Fair | Up to 4 lbs | Jig and night crawler should really work on the points and flats right now. Also try casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
Water temps should be in the 70-75 degree range. We have received very few reports from anglers. You may call the Dodge City Regional office as 620-227-8609 to make a report.
Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water!
MEADE STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 4/11/2026
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Fair to Good | Up to 12 inches | No recent report. Look for crappie around brush and vegetation. Anglers should target the brush piles and other submerged structure with minnows and jigs or nearby points and drop offs where pre-spawn crappie might stage. Anglers are encouraged to harvest high numbers of crappie to help maintain a desirable level. Harvest regulations include 50/day creel limit. |
| Channel Catfish | Good | Most in the 1 - 2 lb size range | No recent report. Fish can be caught all over the lake. Try shad sides, shad gizzards, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver. Harvest regulations are 5/day creel limit. |
| Largemouth bass | Good | Up to 4 lbs | No recent report. Largemouth are in prespawn pattern. Fish can be caught around any aquatic vegetation, off the rocky jetties, and around any cover in the water. Focus on submerged wood in the vegetation. Harvest regulations include a 13 - 18 inch slot length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
| Bluegill/Redear | Fair to Good | Up to 8 inches | No recent report. Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush in deeper water. There are no harvest restrictions at this time. |
| Saugeye | Fair | Up to 5 lbs | No recent report. Casting crankbaits and swimbaits over points, shelves, and along rip-rapped shorelines adjacent to deeper water. Harvest regulations include a 15-inch minimum length limit and 5/day creel limit. |
Water temperature should be in the upper 50s to lower 60s degree range. We have received no reports from anglers & these are seasonal guidelines. You may call the Dodge City Regional office as 620-227-8609 to make a report.
Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water!
PRATT COUNTY LAKE - Last Updated: 4/11/2026
| Species | Rating | Sizes Possible | Baits, Method, & Location |
| Crappie | Poor | Up to 11" | Try jigs or minnows near structure. |
| Channel Catfish | Fair to Good | Most in the 2 lb size range but up to 7 lbs | Fishing cut bait or stink bait lake wide morning, evening, and night. |
| Largemouth bass | Fair to Good | Up to 19 inches | Try using soft plastics, crankbaits, or topwater near rocks and structure in the morning or evening. |
| Bluegill | Good | Up to 8 inches | Worms under a bobber and small jigs fished vertically around brush and rocks. |
| Walleye | Poor to Fair | Up to 23" | Try large jigs, jerk baits, and crank baits near rocks at night. |
| Wipers | Poor | Up to 23" | Jigs, spoons, and crank baits around windblown points. |
| General Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Currently no reports were received so these are general seasonal guidelines. Please call the Dodge City Regional Office (620)-227-8609 to make a report. Water temperatures are in the upper 50s to lower 60s. |
SCOTT STATE LAKE - Last Updated: 4/10/2026
| Species | Rating | Size | Baits, Method & Location |
| Crappie | Fair/Good | Up to 15 inches | Fish should move shallow to spawn soon once a more stable, warming weather pattern predominates. Fish can be caught fishing jigs under a bobber over areas possessing a hard bottom type especially if there is vegetation or laydown brush and/or trees associated. |
| Largemouth Bass | Good | Up to 5.5 lbs. | Casting soft plastics, shad imitating swimbaits, and spinner baits along rip rapped shorelines and around laydown trees and brush. |
| Sunfish | Fair | Up to 8 inches | Nightcrawler pieces fished under a bobber around the brushpiles, along deeper, rip rapped shorelines, and around laydown trees and brush. |
| Saugeye | Slow/Fair | Up to 7 lbs. | Spawning activity should be done by now. Look for fish to begin their post spawn bite where they can be caught casting shad imitating swim baits, bucktail jigs, and crankbaits along deeper rip rapped shorelines, over points and other structure possessing a hard bottom type, and along edges of cattail beds in deeper water, especially early and late. |
| General Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release all saugeye less than 18 inches and largemouth bass less than 15 inches. Please discard of leftover bait in a trash can, even baitfish. Remember it is illegal to release any fish into public water unless it was taken from that water! | |||