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Hillsdale Lake Fishing Report

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

Kansas City's crappie campus: a timber-rich Corps lake where brush-pile culture, walleye stockings and metro convenience meet.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
98 / 99 F
Wind
S 9 mph

Sources: 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.

Hillsdale Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 99. 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 102 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low99 / 71 F
WindS 9-11 mph
Pressure1010.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 19:44
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 · Partly cloudy, 99/71 F, wind 13 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 13 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale 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 98 F, wind to 14 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 100 F, wind to 13 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 100 F, wind to 13 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. Crappie 20/day, walleye 15-inch/5 typical: check KDWP.

Access

Hillsdale SP ramps, Russell Crites area, Marysville ramp: Corps and state access.

About this water

4,580 acres on Big Bull Creek, Miami County, KS. Kansas City's habitat-rich crappie lake.

Fishing Hillsdale Lake: the full guide

The metro Corps lake

Hillsdale sits 30 minutes from the Kansas City sprawl: the metro's youngest Corps lake and its most habitat-managed: hundreds of marked brush piles, standing timber in every arm, and a stocking program (walleye, wipers) layered over the crappie-and-bass base. Suburban convenience with genuine fishing depth.

Brush-pile literacy

The crappie program runs on published structure: KDWP's brush-pile coordinates (and the lake's visible timber) organize a year-round milk run: spawners in the buck brush each April, summer schools at 15-25 ft on the piles, winter stacks in the creek channels. Jig-and-minnow over marked wood: the lake teaches electronics fishing kindly.

Walleye and wiper layers

Stocked walleye patrol the flats and rocky points (jigs at ice-out on the riprap, harnesses over 12-18 ft in June): wipers chase shad across the main lake all summer: watch for surface sprays off the dam at dawn. Both programs produce keepers steadily if not headlines: metro protein fisheries done right.

Working the suburbs' water

Big Bull and Little Bull creeks shape the arms: stained upper water for spring bass flipping, clearer main-lake points for the finesse crowd. The 10-mph-in-coves rule keeps arms calm; ramps at the state park and Corps areas spread traffic. Weekday mornings fish like the country: weekends like the city came along.

Common questions

Where are Hillsdale's brush piles?

KDWP publishes GPS coordinates for hundreds: download before launching. The piles at 15-25 ft near channel swings hold crappie most of the year.

Is Hillsdale good for bank fishing?

Better than most Corps lakes: the state park's fishing piers sit over brushed water and the riprap points hold spring walleye and wipers within casting reach.

Is fishing good at Hillsdale 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

Clinton Lake31 miPomona Lake37 miPerry Lake42 miMelvern Lake46 miSmithville Lake54 miTruman Lake78 mi
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