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Cottonwood River Fishing Report

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

Flint Hills water: the Cottonwood runs smallmouth and channel catfish through Kansas prairie.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
96 cfs
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
SSE 13 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07182250, 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.

Cottonwood River lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 96 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 13 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 73 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

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

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

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

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 Cottonwood River near Plymouth.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07182250.

1,1193,0184,91796 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 73 F
WindSSE 13-14 mph
Pressure1008.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 19:51
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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, 98/73 F, wind 15 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

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.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Cottonwood River 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Cottonwood River 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. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 99 F, wind to 19 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 100 F, wind to 18 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 100 F, wind to 17 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

Kansas license. Smallmouth and catfish limits per current KDWP regulations.

Access

Road crossings and public access around Cottonwood Falls, Emporia and Marion.

About this water

A 150-mile river through the Kansas Flint Hills to the Neosho River, Chase and Lyon counties.

Fishing Cottonwood River: the full guide

A prairie river with rock

The Cottonwood River flows about 150 miles through the Kansas Flint Hills to the Neosho River, running over limestone ledges and gravel in a landscape of tallgrass prairie. That rock gives it structure most prairie rivers lack, holding smallmouth bass alongside channel and flathead catfish, white bass and sunfish.

Smallmouth on the ledges

Smallmouth hold the limestone ledges, riffles and deeper pools, taking tubes, small crankbaits and spinners on light tackle. The river is wadeable through much of its length at summer flows, making it accessible without a boat. Fish run modest with better ones in the deeper holes: this is quality-of-experience fishing rather than trophy hunting.

Catfish and the flow

Channel catfish are abundant and reliable on cut and prepared baits, with flatheads in the deeper holes and around log jams. The river rises fast with prairie thunderstorms and drops just as quickly, running low and clear by late summer: watch the gauge and fish the settled water for best conditions.

Flint Hills logistics

Access is via road crossings and public areas around Cottonwood Falls, Emporia and Marion. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve sits nearby, making the area worth visiting beyond the fishing. Services are limited outside the towns, and the prairie setting is genuinely striking in a way most anglers do not expect from Kansas.

Common questions

Are there really smallmouth?

Yes: the limestone ledges give the river structure most prairie streams lack, and smallmouth use it.

Can I wade it?

Yes, through much of its length at summer flows: accessible fishing without a boat.

What is the setting like?

Tallgrass prairie and limestone: genuinely striking, with the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve nearby.

Is fishing good at Cottonwood River 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

Marion Reservoir29 miEl Dorado Lake40 miMelvern Lake46 miPomona Lake56 miMilford Lake61 miClinton Lake72 mi
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