s_self88 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Does anyone have any advice on Shawnee Mission Park lake? I have fallen into a rut of always going to Kill Creek because I feel comfortable fishing it, but I would like to start to get that comfort level at some other local KC lakes. With the weather looking like it will cooperate this weekend, and the fact I have a boat now, I was thinking of giving SM park a go.Any ideas on where to start out there? I was thinking of fishing the coves on south side, mainly since I have never been able to fish in those areas with out a boat. Thanks I fish SMP a lot, but I'm stuck on shore. Â If the sun stays out this week, then it might trigger the best bite of the year there, prespawn. Â There are some flats with a little bit of grass on them, and you can catch a lot of fish, just burning a spinnerbait or using a suspending jerkbait across them. Â Once it gets closer to spawning, i'd start to fish the south side coves, I know you've probably read that bass like to be on the north side of the lake when they are approaching the spawn in the spring, but the structure/cover on the north side isn't any good. Â The coves on the south side are full of brushpiles and laydowns, and there will be a lot of fish around them. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Found this old thread we need to get going again. I am stuck in a rut of Kill Creek and Gardner, need some new holes to frequent. Any of you KC area fisherman found any good spots lately that would work for a small boat? I have fished this year at Kill Creek, decent but nothing of size. SMP, had a real nice morning there that included a 2.5 lb, 18 inch fish. Lake Lenexa once on pre spawn, caught some small bass but I can see in a couple years this place getting a good bite. I saw a thread earlier where someone mentioned James A Reed, can you take a boat out there? A 9 foot 2 man electric? Where else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted July 7, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 7, 2010 Found this old thread we need to get going again. I am stuck in a rut of Kill Creek and Gardner, need some new holes to frequent. Any of you KC area fisherman found any good spots lately that would work for a small boat? I have fished this year at Kill Creek, decent but nothing of size. SMP, had a real nice morning there that included a 2.5 lb, 18 inch fish. Lake Lenexa once on pre spawn, caught some small bass but I can see in a couple years this place getting a good bite. I saw a thread earlier where someone mentioned James A Reed, can you take a boat out there? A 9 foot 2 man electric? Where else? i like kill creek. i caught 7 from the bank tonight, and i stink at bank fishing. bigger fish can always be caught from a boat. that fish was the end of last year. i never fish gardner. you might try douglas county or baldwin county. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Nice fish, did you catch that at kill creek? Whats your trick out there? You hitting the deeper water around the trees, or getting back in the muck? I struggle to fish those trees in deeper water, I need some tips. I have caught a lot of fish there don't get me wrong, just looking for something new. Although you may have renewed my interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted July 7, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 7, 2010 right now the only thing you need is your plastics gear. in open water i like a shaky head and zoom trick worms. around the brush/moss i like creature baits on chompers weedless jig heads.i superglue the baits to the shank of the hook so the baits can be "popped" through the grass and the moss without the bait sliding down. i like chompers shaky worm out there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Fishes in trees Posted July 7, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 7, 2010 I've been mostly sticking to smaller Conservation department lakes. Buffalo Bill - outside of Cameron, Maple Leaf - outside of Higginsville, Indian Creek Lake - outside of Chillicothe, Tri-City Lake - outside of Centralia, Happy Hollow Lake - outside of Savannah. It has been a good year so far for crankbaits - medium & deep diving Timber Tigers around medium and deep trees. It has been a good year for rattlebaits so far. pulled over the tops of grass on flats. 3 fish over 6 lbs doing this so far this year. The senko bite for me has been off so far this year, I think mostly due to water clarity issues. The jerkbait bite that normally happens on all these lakes every spring didn't happen at all for me this year. A combination of me not getting out all that much early this spring and the weather being funky when I did. Jigs & soft plastics on jig heads hasn't really been happening for me this year. I can't explain it. I think that the issue is primarily between my ears, but bites on jigs and soft plastics on jig heads have been few and far between. I'm talking all kinds of jigs & soft plastics on jig heads. Eakins jigs ( heavy & light) , swim jigs, assorted other brands, shakey heads on 8 lb fluorocarbon & heavier stuff on 14 lb fluorocarbon. Spinnerbait bite has been very hit and miss. I'm starting to get arthritis issues in my hands and after 30 or so minutes straight of throwing spinnerbaits , or square bill cranks or deep diving cranks, my hands start to hurt and so I stop doing that for a while. I have had a number of decent days though. For me a decent day is 20 or more fish touched with at least some of them being 15" or more. The drop shot has created most of these decent days. A flippin stick, 14 or 20 lb fluorocarbon and a 38 or 1/2 ounce weight. Most of the time I'm using a pretty short drop line - 9" or less. I retie when it gets less than 4" I've been texas rigging Bass Pro Stick-os and chigger craws and beavers and paddle tail worms on the heavier drop shot rigs. So far this year, this rig has turned rotten days into decent days. Hope this helps. I think should we go a couple of weeks without rain, the water should clear up quite a bit and the summer senko bite will be on. So far this year, visibility has been less than a foot and a half and I have trouble making senkos work consistently. Should it keep raining as often as it has been - once or twice a week, we still got options. There will be an intermittent reaction bait bite. Every time you find bait fish and larger humps on your screen, there is a chance of that happening. My other plan is to keep pitching the bubba drop shot rig into places where the base of trees and bushes intersects with the top of the thermocline. This has been between 7 and 12 feet down for me so far this year. My best results and the vast majority of the keeper fish I've caught have come from not throwing directly into the shade pocket but by being close (6-12") right next to the shade pocket. I hope this gives someone food for thought. I'm having a number of minor boat issues occur all at once and I won't get to go this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 ^^^^great post Fishes in Trees Glad to see this thread come alive, hopefully we can get some good reports this weekend. I might try and add one as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 right now the only thing you need is your plastics gear. in open water i like a shaky head and zoom trick worms. around the brush/moss i like creature baits on chompers weedless jig heads.i superglue the baits to the shank of the hook so the baits can be "popped" through the grass and the moss without the bait sliding down. i like chompers shaky worm out there too. I have some Sweet Beavers just like that top one, go to bait for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted July 11, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 11, 2010 were doing Melvern tomorrow. reports to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Fishes in trees Posted July 24, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 24, 2010 I was off the water for a couple weeks due to a couple of minor boat issues. These are resolved and I got to go yesterday (Friday 7/23) Might as well not have went. 200 acre Mo conservation lake. 90 degrees water temp. 90 degree + air temp and windy. very windy. made boat control a pain. Water color was stained - around a foot of visibility.  Tried shallow - nothing. Tried cranking trees - DC16 Timber Tiger - nothing. Ended up catching 7 fish all day - Okie keepers - 14 inch slot fish. 8 to 10 feet deep in a shade pocket on a drop shot rig. Tried several drop shot baits. Only hits came on a green pumpkin crazy legs chigger craw (legs dyed chartreuse) I had every intention to fish til dark thirty, but I got hungry and unmotivated and hot so I quit around 7. I'd like to catch one of these hot days when it is cloudy and still rather than sunny and windy, I think I'd do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Yeah it has been brutally hot in KC, either that or it rains on the weekend. Hoping to get out this weekend if everything goes as planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Fishes in trees Posted July 31, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 31, 2010 Had a decent day Friday 7/30 after getting skunked Weds 7/28. Weds. was miserable hot, had 18 waters & 4 beers in the cooler, When I got home, there were 5 waters and 3 beers left. Friday was a different story, it was supposed to be miserable hot, partly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. Well, it rained off and on all day. Frogg Toggs are cool. 4 different times, it rained so hard you couldn't see 100 feet in front of you. Water color was moderate to heavily stained. Visibility averaged less than a foot. I caught fish off and on all day long. Lost count - more than 20 but probably less than 30. Mostly slot fish, but 3 solid keepers.. A few fish came on cranks and spinner baits, majority of the fish came on the Bubba drop shot rig - 20 lb fluoro and 1/2 ounce weight. I experimented with baits alot - best bait was the Gulp sinking minnow - green pumpkin with the tip of the tail dyed chartruese. I would have used that all the time, but the Gulp dries out quick. Driving from one end of the lake to another - 10 minutes - would dry it out noticeably. I'd forgotten how much fun fishing in the rain is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted July 31, 2010 Super User Share Posted July 31, 2010 i got skunked monday, but the water was so dirty you could walk across it. caught 11 on wednesday. most of the fish i caught wednesday were suspended in brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted August 1, 2010 Super User Share Posted August 1, 2010 caught a bunch of these today. kill creek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 I was out at kill creek yesterday from about 6am until 9:30 or so and only caught a couple little ones. What is your secret? Out in the trees in deeper water? Bait? I am struggling out there lately. Deeper water is not my strength. Do tell your secret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted August 3, 2010 Super User Share Posted August 3, 2010 I was out at kill creek yesterday from about 6am until 9:30 or so and only caught a couple little ones. What is your secret? Out in the trees in deeper water? Bait? I am struggling out there lately. Deeper water is not my strength. Do tell your secret. a boat and a good fishfinder. drop offs and fish chasing bait fish. i didnt fish the bank at all. the same pattern worked at Lenexa lake last night. BTW...........if you see this boat out there and theres no one on the back, wave me down. ill bring you on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasBassin Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I was out at kill creek yesterday from about 6am until 9:30 or so and only caught a couple little ones. What is your secret? Out in the trees in deeper water? Bait? I am struggling out there lately. Deeper water is not my strength. Do tell your secret. a boat and a good fishfinder. drop offs and fish chasing bait fish. i didnt fish the bank at all. the same pattern worked at Lenexa lake last night. BTW...........if you see this boat out there and theres no one on the back, wave me down. ill bring you on. Nice I like that lake Lenexa, going to be a good body of water in the coming years. If I see your boat I will wave you down, I could learn a thing or two about reading my depth finder. What are you driving, I have a newer white 4 door Tacoma with a 8 foot bass magnum in the back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted August 4, 2010 Super User Share Posted August 4, 2010 I was out at kill creek yesterday from about 6am until 9:30 or so and only caught a couple little ones. What is your secret? Out in the trees in deeper water? Bait? I am struggling out there lately. Deeper water is not my strength. Do tell your secret. a boat and a good fishfinder. drop offs and fish chasing bait fish. i didnt fish the bank at all. the same pattern worked at Lenexa lake last night. BTW...........if you see this boat out there and theres no one on the back, wave me down. ill bring you on. Nice I like that lake Lenexa, going to be a good body of water in the coming years. If I see your boat I will wave you down, I could learn a thing or two about reading my depth finder. What are you driving, I have a newer white 4 door Tacoma with a 8 foot bass magnum in the back! 06 Ford F-150 supercab, mist blue with gold on the bottom. BTW..........were doing Cedar Lake tonight, wont have room for a 2nd but if the mood strikes bring out your boat and well see if we can land a bigger fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revo_Carrot Stix Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I have hit Cedar a dozen times this year and it has been such a disappointment this summer compared to last year. I consistently caught (and released) keepers almost every outing from the bank last year. The water weeds (willows) just don't seem to hold 'em anymore. Last year, I caught 55 bass there. This year I'm at 12. :-[ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_Frog Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 New to the site, thank you Revo_Carrot Stix, but excited to learn more about KC area fishing opportunities! I am primarily a bank fisherman and have fished many of the small lakes and ponds in southern Johnson County. Fished Heritage this morning for 45 minutes on the way to work and caught two dinks, one on a Ribbet Frog and one on a black buzz bait. Last weekend I fished Kill Creek and caught 4, two on a black buzz bait and two on Ribbet frog including an 18'er, my largest at Kill Creek to date. Heading to Trophy Country, with Revo and 4 others, next week where I hope to tie into some larger fish. ___________________________________________________ 2010 - 297 2009 - 312 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLaw13 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I'm going on a recon mission to Melvern Saturday morning. Any areas that I should definitely hit? Any areas to definitely avoid? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted August 5, 2010 Super User Share Posted August 5, 2010 I have hit Cedar a dozen times this year and it has been such a disappointment this summer compared to last year. I consistently caught (and released) keepers almost every outing from the bank last year. The water weeds (willows) just don't seem to hold 'em anymore. Last year, I caught 55 bass there. This year I'm at 12. :-[ Cedar is tough. the spawn was completely out of whack this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revo_Carrot Stix Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Cedar is tough. the spawn was completely out of whack this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User skunked_again Posted August 7, 2010 Super User Share Posted August 7, 2010 I'm going on a recon mission to Melvern Saturday morning. Any areas that I should definitely hit? Any areas to definitely avoid?Thanks! i like fishing the boat ramps. should be bait fish balls to follow. we will be on Melvern early Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLaw13 Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 We fished Melvern Lake in Kansas today (August 7). Even though the temperatures have been hot and the lake level down, we still had a successful day on the water. We launched just after 6am and began throwing topwater lures on main and secondary lake points. Most of these were rip rap banks and/or chunk rock with substantial structure found from 6 to 10 feet deep. One good bite on a pop-r was all we could manage in the still, early morning hour. My boater caught a sauger on a spinnerbait. We ran toward the dam and had bites on crankbaits and soft plastics but we still had no bass in the boat. We then fished the dam and finally my boater caught a smallmouth bass. We went into a cove and fished a breakwall next and I caught a largemouth on a shaky head and within 5 minutes I caught a Kentucky on the same set-up. We noticed the bite really picked up as the breeze got stronger and there was some chop on the water. We finished the morning with both of us catching largemouths and smallmouths on crankbaits, senkos, and Texas-rigged soft plastics. As we were scouting the lake for a youth tournament tomorrow, we packed it in just before noon with both of us catching a limit. The water temperature was in the low 80s and clarity was near 2 feet at the dam and muddying up the further you ran from the dam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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