Bourbon County Cedar Creek Fishing Information
Ft Scott, KS
4 miles west, 3 miles south of Ft. Scott
For information call: Don George, District Fisheries Biologist @ 913-795-2218
This lake is cooperatively managed by Bourbon County and KDWPT. This lake is enrolled into the Community Fisheries Assistance Program. A county fishing permit is no longer required.
During construction most of the timber was left standing in the basin. Since the lake opening, many trees have fell over leaving stumps at or below the water level. However there is still large quantities of standing timber. This lake supports a great largemouth bass population and is primarily a boat lake as the shoreline access is limited. There are two boatramps and one floating dock to enhance angler success.
| species | ratings | size | baits, methods, locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crappie | Fair | varies | Fish the creek edges and drop offs. Use dark jigs or minnows in the trees along the drop offs. |
| Channel catfish | Excellent | varies, | The water is clear with a little color. Go fishing, the fish have to eat. Try along dam and shoreline, use cut shad, worms, prepared baits. Fish the creek mouth where the fresh water comes in and the fish are stacked up. |
| Largemouth bass | Good | varies in range | Fish above the stratification line in the tree tops. Pattern fish with jigs, spinners, gizzard shad plugs, lots of smaller fish but larger fish like 5 to 7 pounds are available. |
| General Comments | |||
| The best way to measure social distancing is with a fishing pole. This is a great kayak or small craft lake. This is a fishing only lake, no recreational boating. Water levels are great. The catfish in this impoundment are active and ready for action- Try liver, shad, or live bait fish. Channel catfish are great after a rain in the north end where the creek comes in. For largemouth bass try fishing some of the standing timber and weedbeds with spinners and buzzbaits. Zebra Mussels have recently been found in Hillsdale Lake, and we'd like to remind you to stay aware and take all precautions necessary to prevent the spread into uncontaminated waters! This includes cleaning and rinsing your boat, motor, trailer and equipment, draining any excess water from previous outings, and allowing your boat to dry before using it in a different body of water. Remember to "CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY" your boats and equipment. For tips on spring bass fishing check out the KDWPT video at the following link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpIJaiyW32k For crappie anglers, watch this 25-minute video that covers Kansas crappie fishing during spring, summer, fall, and winter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sazyEuIT_bk NO special permits required, this is a Community Fisheries Assistance Program Lake. Use caution, this lake has quantities of standing and submerged trees and limited shoreline access. This is a 220 acre lake with approximately 180 acres of standing trees. Fishing only lake. The lake has a boat ramp, parking lot, security light, floating dock, and vault toilet on the east side of the lake and a boat ramp and parking lot on the west side.. | |||
| Fishing Population | Creel Limit | Min Length Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | unlimited | unlimited |
| Channel Catfish | 2 | 15 |
| Crappie | 50 | unlimited |
| Largemouth Bass | 2 | 21 |
| Smallmouth Bass | 2 | 18 |
| Walleye | 2 | 18 |
| Redear Sunfish | unlimited | unlimited |
* Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Bass in Combination
** Striped Bass or Wiper in Combination
*** Walleye, Sauger or Saugeye in Combination