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Clinton Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lawrence's walleye-and-crappie standby with a healthy dose of wiper.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Lake level
876.15 ft 0.65 vs pool
Air / High
96 / 97 F
Wind
S 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06891478, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Clinton Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 876.15 ft, 0.65 ft above pool, easing 0.18 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 97. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 100 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from CLINTON LK NR LAWRENCE, KS.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06891478. Conservation pool is 875.5 ft.

875.70876.10876.50pool 875.5876.15 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp96 F
High / Low97 / 71 F
WindS 9-12 mph
Pressure1009.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:53 / 19:47
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 97/71 F, wind 12 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Clinton Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Clinton Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Clinton Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 96 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 97 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 97 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Kansas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Walleye 18-inch/5; wiper 2 over 21; crappie 20. Confirm with KDWP.

Access

State park and Corps ramps (Bloomington, Hickory); heated dock in winter.

About this water

7,000 acres on the Wakarusa, Douglas County, KS: Lawrence's home water.

Fishing Clinton Lake: the full guide

Kaw valley reliable

Clinton serves northeast Kansas steadily: walleye on the riprap and points each spring, crappie in the timbered arms, wipers chasing shad all summer. It is not flashy: it is twenty minutes from town and always worth the evening.

The Kansas program

Clinton runs the standard-but-solid Kansas playbook: walleye stocked and structure-faithful (dam face in April, humps in June), wipers roaming with the shad, crappie stacked in the timbered arms of Rock and Deer creeks. Blue cats grow surprisingly large below the busy months.

Wind and water color

Prairie wind sets the day: chocolate banks on the blow side often out-fish the calm: activated bait, activated everything. Post-front clarity moves fish deeper: our pressure-trend panel is your Clinton tell.

The power-plant advantage

Clinton's cooling-lake DNA keeps its water warmer than every natural lake around it: the bite starts weeks earlier in spring and holds deep into fall. Late-winter crappie stack the flooded timber off the discharge arm while neighboring lakes still wear ice, and the hybrid stripers chase shad on the dam flats through Thanksgiving. Fishing a warm January afternoon here while the rest of Illinois augers holes is the local cheat code.

Common questions

When is Clinton's walleye window?

Mid-April on the riprap at dusk: the spawn stage: then June's bottom-bouncer flats. The dam face at 52F is the calendar's starting gun.

Is the power plant still running at Clinton?

Yes: the nuclear station's discharge keeps the north arm warm year-round. The thermal influence is strongest within a mile of the outflow: winter fish and winter anglers both concentrate there.

Is fishing good at Clinton Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Perry Lake15 miPomona Lake20 miHillsdale Lake31 miMelvern Lake33 miSmithville Lake56 miCottonwood River72 mi
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