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: 10/06/2025

Species	Size	Rating	Bait, Method, Location
Channel Catfish	up to 20lbs.	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-Good	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-Good	Crappie are roaming the deeper water schooled up chasing shad look for them around the dredged area and the few brush piles available. Some crappie may be caught off of the rip rap banks near the boat ramp and the dam, use jigs or minnows. Recent sampling indicates good numbers of 11-12" fish are available and a fair number of fish greater than 13" and up to 15" are available.
Comments - Fishing below the dam during low to moderate releases can be real productive for multiple species. 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	Big fish	Size	Bio rating
Toronto Reservoir	23.25	6.71	2.71	1.84	Reservoir	Excellent
Hillsdale Reservoir	22.36	8.07	1.14	1.59	Reservoir	Excellent
Melvern Reservoir	18.98	10.59	1.33	1.41	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir	16.68	6.61	0.52	1.60	Reservoir	Good
Big Hill Reservoir	13.23	5.93	0.90	1.26	Reservoir	Good
Elk City Reservoir	12.41	7.05	2.51	1.76	Reservoir	Good
LaCygne Reservoir	11.47	5.14	0.37	1.31	Reservoir	Good
Marion Reservoir	11.11	3.89	0.22	1.09	Reservoir	Good
Fall River Reservoir	10.75	3.77	1.31	2.50	Reservoir	Good
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	10.50	4.94	0.52	1.90	Reservoir	Good
Pomona Reservoir	10.49	5.05	0.83	1.88	Reservoir	Good
John Redmond Reservoir	9.53	9.00	1.67	1.71	Reservoir	Good
Council Grove Reservoir	9.50	1.36	0.33	1.83	Reservoir	Good
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	8.27	5.61	0.84	1.54	Reservoir	Good
Clinton Reservoir	8.03	4.11	0.37	1.37	Reservoir	Good
Sebelius Reservoir	7.37	4.27	1.00	1.28	Reservoir	Fair
Kanopolis Reservoir	5.75	2.53	0.44	1.24	Reservoir	Good
El Dorado Reservoir	5.11	2.89	0.54	1.70	Reservoir	Good
Lovewell Reservoir	4.36	2.51	0.38	2.31	Reservoir	Good
Kirwin Reservoir	3.96	3.50	1.96	1.94	Reservoir	Fair
Webster Reservoir	3.92	1.75	0.06	1.06	Reservoir	Fair
Milford Reservoir	3.71	2.08	0.58	2.07	Reservoir	Fair
Glen Elder Reservoir	1.25	0.76	0.13	1.41	Reservoir	Fair
Wolf Creek Reservoir	1.07	0.33	0.00	0.59	Reservoir	Fair
Wilson Reservoir	0.98	0.33	0.16	1.30	Reservoir	Fair

+Channel Catfish Forecast

CHANNEL CATFISH	(>16")	(>24")	(>28")	(lbs.)	Fishing Rating
RESERVOIR
BIG HILL	8.60	0.83	0.17	9.56	G
HILLSDALE	6.50	0.62	0.07	11.01	E
LOVEWELL	5.18	0.70	0.07	10.72	G
MARION	4.00	0.15	0.03	18.72	G
KANOPOLIS	3.50	0.30	0.02	9.93	G
WILSON	3.38	0.37	0.00	8.87	G
CHENEY	2.76	0.43	0.08	12.42	G
FALL RIVER	2.33	1.77	0.73	12.19	G
PERRY	2.24	0.44	0.05	10.13	G
LACYGNE	2.22	0.05	0.00	6.12	G
TORONTO	1.92	1.14	0.17	9.89	G
COUNCIL GROVE	1.78	0.13	0.04	9.41	F
MELVERN	1.74	0.09	0.02	6.74	G
CLINTON	1.72	0.19	0.00	6.97	G
POMONA	1.67	0.03	0.00	7.53	G
CEDAR BLUFF	1.51	0.40	0.08	15.88	G
GLEN ELDER	1.45	0.42	0.12	16.33	G
KIRWIN	1.33	0.19	0.00	8.78	G
WEBSTER	1.22	0.22	0.00	7.45	G
JOHN REDMOND	1.15	0.39	0.08	12.29	G
ELK CITY	0.80	0.00	0.00	3.92	G
TUTTLE CREEK	0.62	0.15	0.05	13.80	G
EL DORADO	0.55	0.00	0.00	4.22	F
MILFORD	0.50	0.05	0.00	5.96	F
SEBELIUS	0.47	0.30	0.20	19.36	G
WOLF CREEK	0.44	0.00	0.00	3.50	G

+White Bass Forecast

WHITE BASS	(>9")	(>12")	(>15")	(lbs.)	Fishing Rating
RESERVOIR
GLEN ELDER	19.97	18.29	3.26	3.07	G
CEDAR BLUFF	19.86	18.20	6.75	2.16	E
MARION	12.32	5.97	0.18	1.85	G
POMONA	8.89	6.75	1.03	2.20	G
WEBSTER	8.31	6.81	0.06	1.99	G
BIG HILL	7.07	5.57	0.20	2.07	G
CLINTON	6.44	4.61	0.96	2.42	G
KANOPOLIS	5.63	4.73	0.37	2.08	G
WOLF CREEK	5.56	2.48	0.19	2.07	G
MILFORD	4.58	3.90	0.58	2.13	F
KIRWIN	4.28	3.61	0.39	1.95	G
PERRY	3.85	2.32	0.03	2.20	G
TORONTO	3.58	1.86	0.50	2.51	G
EL DORADO	3.13	2.63	0.58	2.76	F
MELVERN	3.04	2.60	0.58	2.38	G
COUNCIL GROVE	2.84	1.20	0.13	2.19	F
LACYGNE	2.70	0.11	0.08	1.95	G
WILSON	2.41	2.26	1.43	2.82	G
HILLSDALE	2.40	1.50	0.12	1.67	F
FALL RIVER	2.30	1.50	0.60	2.61	G
ELK CITY	1.83	1.27	0.27	2.80	F
JOHN REDMOND	1.77	1.18	0.53	3.61	G
LOVEWELL	1.68	1.29	0.25	2.32	F
TUTTLE CREEK	0.33	0.16	0.02	1.96	F
CHENEY	0.22	0.22	0.16	3.93	P

+Temperate Basses Combined Forecast

Waterbody	Density	Preferred	Lunker	Big fish	Size	Bio rating
Cedar Bluff Reservoir	21.60	4.06	2.22	14.57	Reservoir	Good
Glen Elder Reservoir	19.25	2.49	0.78	8.60	Reservoir	Good
Marion Reservoir	15.59	5.26	1.35	6.33	Reservoir	Excellent
Kirwin Reservoir	10.11	6.25	0.75	7.63	Reservoir	Good
Webster Reservoir	9.78	2.53	0.72	10.77	Reservoir	Fair
Pomona Reservoir	9.22	2.81	0.97	5.12	Reservoir	Good
Milford Reservoir	7.65	2.22	0.78	8.02	Reservoir	Good
Sebelius Reservoir	7.17	6.40	3.87	8.75	Reservoir	Good
Clinton Reservoir	7.13	2.04	0.19	5.98	Reservoir	Excellent
Big Hill Reservoir	5.40	0.03	0.00	2.07	Reservoir	Good
Kanopolis Reservoir	5.25	0.47	0.17	7.28	Reservoir	Good
El Dorado Reservoir	4.71	1.24	0.39	7.36	Reservoir	Fair
Lovewell Reservoir	3.70	1.64	0.88	8.57	Reservoir	Fair
Wilson Reservoir	2.67	1.28	0.38	12.26	Reservoir	Good
Melvern Reservoir	2.44	0.12	0.00	2.38	Reservoir	Good
Perry Reservoir	2.29	0.02	0.00	2.20	Reservoir	Good
Wolf Creek Reservoir	2.09	0.13	0.02	4.25	Reservoir	Good
Toronto Reservoir	1.78	0.08	0.00	2.51	Reservoir	Good
Cheney Reservoir	1.54	1.35	0.24	10.30	Reservoir	Poor
Fall River Reservoir	1.43	0.37	0.00	2.61	Reservoir	Good
John Redmond Reservoir	1.35	0.39	0.00	3.61	Reservoir	Good
LaCygne Reservoir	1.35	1.05	0.00	4.38	Reservoir	Fair
Hillsdale Reservoir	1.31	0.07	0.02	1.67	Reservoir	Fair
Elk City Reservoir	1.23	0.17	0.00	2.80	Reservoir	Fair
Council Grove Reservoir	1.13	0.04	0.00	2.19	Reservoir	Fair
Tuttle Creek Reservoir	0.15	0.00	0.00	1.96	Reservoir	Fair

+Blue Catfish Forecast

BLUE CATFISH	(>20")	(>30")	(>35")	(lbs.)	Fishing Rating
RESERVOIR
JOHN REDMOND	124.65	9.03	0.35	29.57	G
EL DORADO	67.21	1.20	0.40	23.13	G
ELK CITY	61.90	11.37	1.05	24.78	G
PERRY	36.67	10.50	6.46	45.15	G
TUTTLE CREEK	33.17	8.22	1.03	33.04	G
KANOPOLIS	26.93	1.33	0.13	22.44	G
LOVEWELL	24.95	18.71	6.67	35.86	G
GLEN ELDER	22.78	8.13	3.35	39.60	G
MILFORD	21.14	1.10	0.66	59.47	E
CHENEY	20.78	8.63	6.26	57.71	G
WILSON	15.69	5.94	0.75	32.82	G
MELVERN	14.50	5.75	0.25	21.92	G
WOLF CREEK	11.98	3.91	0.26	26.03	G
CLINTON	7.88	3.01	1.51	37.44	F

+Wiper Forecast

WIPER	(>16")	(>20")	(>24")	(lbs.)	Fishing Rating
RESERVOIR
SEBELIUS	6.37	3.77	0.03	8.75	G
KIRWIN	6.22	0.67	0.03	7.63	G
MARION	5.00	1.35	0.00	6.33	E
CEDAR BLUFF	3.25	2.22	0.69	14.57	G
POMONA	2.75	0.97	0.03	5.12	G
WEBSTER	2.47	0.72	0.22	10.77	F
MILFORD	2.17	0.75	0.03	8.02	G
CLINTON	1.74	0.17	0.00	5.98	E
GLEN ELDER	1.66	0.75	0.07	8.60	G
LOVEWELL	1.57	0.84	0.07	8.57	G
CHENEY	1.16	0.24	0.03	10.30	F
EL DORADO	1.05	0.39	0.05	7.36	F
LACYGNE	0.86	0.00	0.00	4.38	F
KANOPOLIS	0.42	0.17	0.02	7.28	G
JOHN REDMOND	0.18	0.00	0.00	3.25	P
WOLF CREEK	0.02	0.02	0.00	4.25	P

+White Crappie Forecast

WHITE CRAPPIE	(>8")	(>10")	(>12")	(lbs.)	Fishing Rating
RESERVOIR
TORONTO	23.04	6.67	2.69	1.84	E
HILLSDALE	21.45	8.02	1.14	1.59	E
MELVERN	18.93	10.57	1.33	1.41	G
PERRY	16.48	6.52	0.50	1.06	G
BIG HILL	12.60	5.80	0.90	1.26	G
ELK CITY	12.41	7.05	2.51	1.76	G
LACYGNE	11.26	5.02	0.37	1.31	G
FALL RIVER	10.73	3.75	1.31	2.50	G
POMONA	10.20	4.93	0.78	1.88	G
JOHN REDMOND	9.53	9.00	1.67	1.71	G
COUNCIL GROVE	9.50	1.36	0.33	1.83	G
MARION	8.72	2.89	0.11	1.08	G
TUTTLE CREEK	8.05	5.55	0.82	1.54	G
CLINTON	7.61	3.89	0.34	1.37	G
EL DORADO	5.07	2.89	0.54	1.70	G
KANOPOLIS	3.75	0.89	0.06	0.96	G
LOVEWELL	3.23	1.82	0.26	1.37	G
MILFORD	2.77	1.85	0.52	1.90	F
WEBSTER	2.39	0.78	0.06	1.06	F
SEBELIUS	2.27	1.23	0.17	1.12	F
KIRWIN	1.19	0.83	0.56	1.85	F
WOLF CREEK	1.00	0.33	0.00	0.59	F
GLEN ELDER	0.81	0.53	0.08	1.41	F
WILSON	0.80	0.18	0.11	1.30	F
CEDAR BLUFF	0.62	0.27	0.25	1.90	F

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John Redmond Reservoir Fishing Information