John Redmond Reservoir Fishing Information

Counties:

Coffey

GPS:

N38 13 55.82 W95 46 28.18

Surface Acres:

9,400 acres

Maximum Depth:

20 feet

Normal Lake Level:

1041 fsl

New Strawn, KS

1/2 mile South and 1 mile West of New Strawn, KS

or 2 1/2 miles North of Burlington on US-75

Corps of Engineers (620) 364-8613

Fisheries Biologist: Justin Morrison (620) 637-2748

John Redmond Reservoir Fishing Report - Updated: 07/31/2025

Species	Size	Rating	Bait, Method, Location
Channel Catfish	up to 20lbs.	Fair-Good	Drifting various prepared baits along windblown shorelines. Some fish can be caught in the flooded trees or up near the river mouth.
Blue Catfish	up to 30 lbs.	Good	Fresh cut carp or shad drifted along the dredged area or near windblown shorelines. Fishing near the upper end by the river mouth may also be productive
White Bass	up to 3lbs.	Fair	Look for schools chasing shad near the dam or dredged area. Or focus along the other rocky shorelines using shad imitating baits such as small spinners, crankbaits, swimbaits, or curly tail grubs.
Crappie	up to 15"	Fair	Crappie are roaming the deeper water schooled up chasing shad look for them around the dredged area and the few brush piles available.
Comments - Fishing below the dam during low to moderate releases can be real productive for multiple species. With the recent high water be cautious and look for floating debris. Brush Pile Coordinates: N 38^o 14.743' W 95 ^o 45.998' N 38^o 14.658' W 95^o 46.138' N 38^o 14.419' W 95^o 46.767' N 38^o 14.256' W 95^o 46.423' N 38^o 14.722' W 95^o 45.641' N 38^o 14.811' W 95^o 45.694' N 38^o 14.922' W 95^o 45.715' N 38^o 15.222' W 95^o 45.728' Fishing below the dam during low to moderate releases should be good for most species. For current lake level and release information click the following link http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/JOHN.lakepage.html. ALERT! This lake contains Zebra Mussels please help stop the spread Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and equipment after leaving this water body. It is Illegal transport live fish, bait, and water from this lake.

Creel Length/Limits

Fishing Population	Creel Limit	Min Length Limit
Blue Catfish	10	ONLY 1 fish 30" or longer
Channel Catfish	10
Crappie	50
Flathead Catfish	5
Largemouth Bass	5	15
Paddlefish	2
Wiper	2
White Bass
Walleye	5	15
Saugeye	5	15

* Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Bass in Combination
** Striped Bass or Wiper in Combination
*** Walleye, Sauger or Saugeye in Combination

Fishing Forecast Information

View Fishing Forecast definitions

+Crappie Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Melvern Reservoir	34.23	14.91	1.41	1.61	Reservoir	E
Sebelius Reservoir	28.53	15.00	1.83	1.54	Reservoir	G
Lovewell Reservoir	26.88	10.54	1.02	2.50	Reservoir	G
Hillsdale Reservoir	25.52	11.45	1.52	1.29	Reservoir	E
Perry Reservoir	25.45	14.03	0.38	1.42	Reservoir	G
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	24.71	5.51	0.43	1.80	Reservoir	G
Toronto Reservoir	18.51	5.83	1.91	2.40	Reservoir	G
Elk City Reservoir	15.49	5.57	1.35	2.40	Reservoir	G
LaCygne Reservoir	15.07	5.95	0.45	2.30	Reservoir	G
Clinton Reservoir	10.61	3.46	0.24	1.37	Reservoir	G
Kirwin Reservoir	10.31	9.56	6.06	2.06	Reservoir	G
Wolf Creek Reservoir	8.93	3.27	0.57	1.64	Reservoir	F
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	7.57	4.68	1.05	1.69	Reservoir	G
Pomona Reservoir	7.41	3.11	0.18	1.73	Reservoir	G
Big Hill Reservoir	7.40	3.43	0.27	1.19	Reservoir	G
Marion Reservoir	6.67	2.67	0.33	1.09	Reservoir	G
Milford Reservoir	6.54	3.75	0.58	1.90	Reservoir	G
Fall River Reservoir	6.06	1.85	0.44	2.58	Reservoir	G
El Dorado Reservoir	5.93	2.29	0.82	1.59	Reservoir	G
Council Grove Reservoir	5.89	3.22	1.33	1.87	Reservoir	F
Kanopolis Reservoir	5.67	3.58	0.50	1.43	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	5.38	2.90	0.17	1.79	Reservoir	G
Glen Elder Reservoir	3.33	1.38	0.46	1.91	Reservoir	F
John Redmond Reservoir	1.71	0.79	0.25	3.04	Reservoir	F
Wilson Reservoir	0.73	0.31	0.13	1.68	Reservoir	P

+Black Crappie Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>8")	(>10")	(>12")	(lbs.)	BR
CEDAR BLUFF	14.18	5.02	0.12	1.29	G
SEBELIUS	8.87	6.40	1.23	1.33	G
KIRWIN	3.27	3.19	1.81	1.94	G
KANOPOLIS	3.00	2.47	0.58	1.27	G
WEBSTER	2.95	1.50	0.02	1.40	G
MARION	2.62	0.85	0.08	1.09	F
LOVEWELL	1.51	0.76	0.07	1.43	F
HILLSDALE	1.36	0.23	0.00	0.56	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.33	0.08	0.08	1.29	P
MILFORD	1.15	0.90	0.06	2.07	F
BIG HILL	0.73	0.13	0.00	0.53	F
CLINTON	0.71	0.51	0.02	0.93	F
GLEN ELDER	0.52	0.30	0.07	1.11	F
TORONTO	0.38	0.19	0.06	1.26	P
WOLF CREEK	0.33	0.00	0.00	0.39	P
POMONA	0.30	0.13	0.05	1.44	P
PERRY	0.25	0.13	0.03	1.60	P
WILSON	0.22	0.20	0.07	1.68	P
LACYGNE	0.21	0.12	0.00	0.93	P
FALL RIVER	0.08	0.08	0.02	1.14	P
TUTTLE CREEK	0.07	0.05	0.02	1.09	P
EL DORADO	0.06	0.00	0.00	0.31	P
MELVERN	0.04	0.02	0.00	0.63	P
COUNCIL GROVE	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.07	P
ELK CITY	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.05	P

+Channel Catfish Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>16")	(>24")	(>28")	(lbs.)	BR
BIG HILL	8.07	0.77	0.10	9.05	G
LOVEWELL	6.36	1.05	0.11	11.81	G
HILLSDALE	5.74	0.64	0.07	11.01	G
KANOPOLIS	4.00	0.43	0.02	9.93	G
MARION	3.69	0.23	0.06	18.72	G
WILSON	3.40	0.48	0.02	10.11	G
CHENEY	2.70	0.50	0.10	14.81	G
TORONTO	2.69	1.86	0.47	11.33	G
FALL RIVER	2.10	1.58	0.68	11.21	G
PERRY	1.94	0.41	0.04	7.93	G
MELVERN	1.87	0.11	0.02	6.48	G
GLEN ELDER	1.86	0.47	0.16	16.60	G
LACYGNE	1.78	0.00	0.00	4.52	G
POMONA	1.65	0.03	0.03	11.96	G
COUNCIL GROVE	1.53	0.20	0.09	9.41	F
CEDAR BLUFF	1.50	0.35	0.05	14.15	G
CLINTON	1.29	0.17	0.00	5.86	G
WEBSTER	1.21	0.21	0.00	8.39	F
KIRWIN	1.19	0.22	0.03	10.72	G
ELK CITY	1.17	0.10	0.00	5.37	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.13	0.33	0.05	9.59	G
EL DORADO	0.70	0.00	0.00	3.84	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.47	0.13	0.04	8.59	F
MILFORD	0.45	0.05	0.00	5.21	F
WOLF CREEK	0.38	0.00	0.00	3.50	G
SEBELIUS	0.37	0.23	0.17	22.56	G

+White Bass Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>9")	(>12")	(>15")	(lbs.)	BR
MARION	20.74	11.60	0.43	1.87	E
GLEN ELDER	16.05	13.77	3.38	3.07	E
CEDAR BLUFF	14.66	14.16	3.66	2.25	E
WEBSTER	10.50	7.29	0.09	2.73	G
POMONA	9.18	6.30	0.80	2.20	G
KANOPOLIS	6.87	5.80	0.37	2.47	G
PERRY	6.78	4.45	0.18	2.20	G
TORONTO	6.39	4.14	1.58	2.69	G
KIRWIN	6.25	5.25	0.64	2.18	G
WOLF CREEK	5.62	2.73	0.17	1.98	G
CLINTON	5.54	3.56	0.85	2.32	G
MILFORD	5.22	4.47	0.58	2.13	G
FALL RIVER	4.26	3.00	1.13	3.02	G
LOVEWELL	3.80	2.38	0.25	2.26	F
BIG HILL	3.50	2.10	0.00	1.73	G
MELVERN	2.98	2.50	0.37	2.38	G
COUNCIL GROVE	2.98	1.62	0.18	2.23	G
WILSON	2.64	2.52	1.52	2.96	G
JOHN REDMOND	2.63	1.70	0.82	3.24	G
HILLSDALE	2.52	1.95	0.10	1.43	G
LACYGNE	2.49	0.27	0.12	1.81	G
EL DORADO	2.05	1.60	0.33	2.47	F
ELK CITY	1.90	1.33	0.23	2.80	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.31	0.18	0.02	1.96	P
CHENEY	0.20	0.20	0.10	2.09	P

+Temperate Basses Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	3 yr avg	Size	Rating
Glen Elder Reservoir	17.63	2.60	0.57	9.89	Reservoir	G
Marion Reservoir	15.97	4.40	1.57	4.92	Reservoir	G
Kirwin Reservoir	15.06	10.00	0.78	7.99	Reservoir	G
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	12.76	4.07	2.63	13.60	Reservoir	G
Webster Reservoir	11.72	6.92	1.50	10.88	Reservoir	G
Sebelius Reservoir	10.17	9.57	3.23	6.81	Reservoir	G
Milford Reservoir	9.80	4.35	1.55	6.80	Reservoir	G
Pomona Reservoir	8.43	2.58	0.63	2.20	Reservoir	G
Clinton Reservoir	6.46	1.06	0.36	5.98	Reservoir	G
Kanopolis Reservoir	5.32	0.22	0.08	7.28	Reservoir	G
Lovewell Reservoir	4.96	2.11	1.11	7.35	Reservoir	F
Perry Reservoir	4.73	0.02	0.00	2.15	Reservoir	G
Cheney Reservoir	4.43	2.71	1.55	7.98	Reservoir	F
El Dorado Reservoir	3.42	1.38	0.93	6.75	Reservoir	G
LaCygne Reservoir	3.00	0.48	0.00	2.88	Reservoir	F
Toronto Reservoir	2.94	0.50	0.00	2.69	Reservoir	G
Fall River Reservoir	2.85	0.39	0.00	3.02	Reservoir	G
Wilson Reservoir	2.64	0.94	0.51	13.27	Reservoir	G
Wolf Creek Reservoir	2.22	0.14	0.08	4.59	Reservoir	F
John Redmond Reservoir	2.16	0.38	0.00	3.24	Reservoir	F
Melvern Reservoir	2.10	0.12	0.00	2.26	Reservoir	G
Big Hill Reservoir	1.67	0.00	0.00	1.73	Reservoir	G
Hillsdale Reservoir	1.67	0.07	0.02	1.43	Reservoir	F
Council Grove Reservoir	1.42	0.04	0.04	6.15	Reservoir	P
Elk City Reservoir	0.37	0.00	0.00	1.94	Reservoir	F
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.15	0.02	0.00	2.96	Reservoir	F

+Blue Catfish Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>20")	(>30")	(>35")	(lbs.)	BR
JOHN REDMOND	152.02	4.29	0.36	29.57	G
ELK CITY	101.50	11.78	0.71	24.57	G
EL DORADO	77.63	1.20	0.00	13.05	E
PERRY	34.68	9.56	5.79	45.15	G
TUTTLE CREEK	32.77	6.30	0.93	33.04	G
GLEN ELDER	29.71	8.50	3.56	39.25	G
LOVEWELL	27.68	19.56	6.26	35.86	G
MILFORD	21.03	2.77	1.85	43.98	E
MELVERN	17.51	5.90	0.39	19.43	G
CHENEY	16.76	11.41	8.06	57.71	F
KANOPOLIS	15.97	0.77	0.00	18.68	F
CLINTON	8.31	3.12	1.45	37.44	F
WOLF CREEK	7.69	1.99	0.36	38.00	F
WILSON	6.60	3.62	0.62	32.82	G

+Wiper Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>16")	(>20")	(>24")	(lbs.)	BR
KIRWIN	9.58	0.94	0.06	7.99	G
SEBELIUS	7.47	3.87	0.03	8.75	G
WEBSTER	4.97	1.21	0.26	10.88	G
CHENEY	3.40	1.50	0.00	5.46	F
CEDAR BLUFF	3.08	2.63	0.85	14.57	E
POMONA	2.43	0.80	0.00	5.12	G
MARION	2.09	1.26	0.00	5.15	E
MILFORD	2.08	0.80	0.02	6.37	G
GLEN ELDER	1.59	0.51	0.08	8.60	G
LOVEWELL	1.47	0.69	0.05	7.94	G
EL DORADO	1.03	0.68	0.00	6.75	G
CLINTON	0.81	0.25	0.00	5.98	G
KANOPOLIS	0.28	0.05	0.02	7.28	F
LACYGNE	0.15	0.00	0.00	2.29	F
WOLF CREEK	0.08	0.08	0.00	4.59	F
JOHN REDMOND	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.65	P

+White Crappie Forecast

NAME	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Bio rating
	(>8")	(>10")	(>12")	(lbs.)	BR
MELVERN	27.23	14.62	1.23	1.54	F
TORONTO	24.40	8.83	2.63	2.40	G
HILLSDALE	22.77	10.05	1.32	1.50	G
PERRY	15.78	6.43	0.38	1.07	G
LACYGNE	13.93	5.05	0.42	1.31	G
LOVEWELL	13.88	6.27	0.51	1.59	G
ELK CITY	13.46	6.08	1.89	2.40	G
BIG HILL	10.87	4.00	0.73	1.26	G
FALL RIVER	10.02	2.92	0.63	2.50	G
CLINTON	10.00	4.05	0.17	1.37	G
MARION	9.31	2.85	0.00	0.67	G
POMONA	7.68	3.85	0.30	1.88	G
TUTTLE CREEK	5.11	3.11	0.55	1.50	F
EL DORADO	4.84	2.09	0.56	1.59	G
COUNCIL GROVE	3.03	2.06	0.56	1.86	F
MILFORD	2.44	1.54	0.46	1.90	F
KANOPOLIS	2.42	1.14	0.00	0.85	G
WEBSTER	2.29	0.93	0.12	1.54	F
SEBELIUS	2.23	1.37	0.17	1.39	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.25	0.92	0.17	1.79	F
GLEN ELDER	1.24	0.61	0.14	1.41	F
WOLF CREEK	1.20	0.47	0.07	0.93	F
KIRWIN	0.92	0.58	0.33	1.69	G
CEDAR BLUFF	0.88	0.53	0.27	1.90	F
WILSON	0.47	0.09	0.02	1.30	P

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John Redmond Reservoir Fishing Information