Share your catch
US

Kanopolis Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Kansas City District's first reservoir: a Smoky Hill River lake in Ellsworth County where saugeye, white bass and channel catfish are the main targets.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Lake level
1466.64 ft
Air / High
79 / 79 F
Wind
S 20 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06865000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Kanopolis Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The gauge reads 1466.64 ft, easing 0.37 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 20 mph, falling pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 79. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:09 AM-12:09 PM and 10:37 PM-12:37 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

White bassGood

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55Β°F.

CrappieGood

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Hybrid striped bassGood

In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Tomorrow: Similar at 81 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Kansas requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $27.50 for residents. What a Kansas licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with KDWP before you keep anything. The season dates for Kansas, read off the agency, are on the Kansas seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06865000.

1464.981465.841466.691466.64 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp79 F
High / Low79 / 56 F
WindS 20-27 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:49 / 18:42
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Kanopolis Lake this week

Today is the pick of the week on Kanopolis Lake, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
10:09 AM-12:09 PM and 10:37 PM-12:37 AM
Minor period
4:31 AM-5:31 AM
Sun
07:49 to 18:42
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 21 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55Β°F.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

When to come: the Kanopolis 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
Crappie
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Kanopolis Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 19 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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 fishing license; a trout permit is needed to possess trout from the seep stream during its November 1 to April 15 season. KDWP's special-limits table (dated June 21, 2024, linked from its 2026 regulations page) sets a 35-inch minimum and 5-a-day limit for blue catfish at Kanopolis, and lists the reservoir among the float-fishing waters (July 15 to September 15). Zebra mussels are present: live fish and bait may not be moved from the lake. Check KDWP's table for walleye, saugeye, wiper and crappie limits.

Access

Corps parks at Venango and Riverside, Kanopolis State Park (Horsethief and Langley areas) and Tower Harbor Marina. Riverside was closed to reservations during the 2026 riprap work.

About this water

A 3,400-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir (Corps figure) on the Smoky Hill River, Ellsworth County, Kansas; dam completed in 1948.

Fishing Kanopolis Lake: the full guide

The lake and the dam

Kanopolis Dam was completed in 1948, and the Corps of Engineers calls Kanopolis Lake the first reservoir built by its Kansas City District. The Corps gives the lake 3,400 acres and runs it in tandem with Cedar Bluff Reservoir upstream to regulate flows in the Smoky Hill River basin; part of its storage supplies Post Rock Rural Water District. An outlet-channel repair, addressing erosion found in a 2020 inspection, disrupted normal water conditions in 2025; the Corps reported the gates operating again from late March 2026 so the lake could begin its seasonal fill. The USGS lake gauge on this page reads the reservoir level directly.

Fish and seasons, by the Corps

The Corps names saugeye, white bass and channel catfish as the most sought-after species, with crappie and wipers also caught. Its seasonal notes: white bass in the shallows near Bluff Creek soon after ice-out, and an up-river spawning run in March and April when river conditions allow; saugeye on the dam face and rocky points during the late March to early April spawn, then on the flats from Bluff Creek to Yankee Run Point in late April and May; channel catfish mostly at night in summer at the upper end of the lake. Rainbow trout are stocked each year in the seep stream below the dam, where the trout season runs November 1 to April 15.

Parks around the lake

Four developed parks ring the lake. The Corps manages Venango, on the northwest end of the dam, with 126 campsites, a boat ramp and a swimming beach, and Riverside, on the southeast end of the dam along the Smoky Hill River. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks manages the Horsethief and Langley state park areas, and a concessionaire runs Tower Harbor Marina. The Horsethief Trail leads to rock outcrops and overlooks.

Common questions

What do anglers target at Kanopolis?

The Corps lists saugeye, white bass and channel catfish as the most sought-after species, with crappie and wipers also caught.

Is there trout fishing at Kanopolis?

Yes, below the dam. The Corps says rainbow trout are stocked yearly in the seep stream, with a November 1 to April 15 season and a trout permit required to keep them.

Is the lake back to normal after the dam repairs?

The Corps said in April 2026 that the gates had been working since late March, letting the lake start its seasonal fill, and that the added downstream riprap work would not affect lake levels.

Is fishing good at Kanopolis Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Wilson Lake34 miMarion Reservoir52 miGlen Elder Reservoir62 miMilford Lake67 miCottonwood River80 miEl Dorado Lake84 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06865000 β€” KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.6330, -97.9980 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.