Share your catch

Marion Reservoir Fishing Report

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

The Flint Hills' walleye bowl: a windswept Kansas Corps lake where the hedge rows drowned and the gold learned to ride the mud lines.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
S 14 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.

Marion Reservoir offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 14 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 98. 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.

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 / Low98 / 73 F
WindS 14-15 mph
Pressure1008.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain14% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:00 / 19:53
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, 98/73 F, wind 15 mph, rain 1%

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 Marion Reservoir: 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 Marion Reservoir 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 Marion Reservoir 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 100 F, wind to 19 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Walleye led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 19 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 18 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. Walleye 15-inch/5; wiper 2 over 18: check KDWP.

Access

Cottonwood Point, Hillsboro Cove, Marion Cove Corps ramps.

About this water

6,200 acres on the Cottonwood River, Marion County, KS. The Flint Hills walleye bowl.

Fishing Marion Reservoir: the full guide

Flint Hills water

Marion pools the Cottonwood River at the Flint Hills' edge: 6,200 stained Corps acres of drowned hedgerows and windward mud lines. The walleye program anchors it: with wipers, crappie in the trees and channel cats as the supporting Kansas cast.

Wind-line gold

The walleye ride the wind here more than most: mud lines off the points stack bait and the gold follows: jigs at ice-out on the riprap, bottom-bouncers across the flats in June, and cranks trolled the windward edges all summer. The hedge rows (visible on sonar as perfect lines) hold the schools between blows.

Trees, wipers and the rest

The drowned hedges make crappie structure by the mile (spider rigs in spring, vertical jigs at the winter stack), wipers crash shad mid-lake under birds, and the cats drift-fish everywhere: a Kansas Corps lake's full menu without Milford's traffic.

Prairie practicalities

Corps parks ramp all corners (Cottonwood Point the flagship): the Flint Hills wind is a schedule, not a surprise (fish the lee, love the mud lines): and Marion's modest fame keeps weekdays close to private. The county's hedgerow-Kansas scenery is the quiet bonus.

Common questions

Why fish Marion over Milford?

Solitude and hedgerows: the drowned tree lines pattern fish beautifully and the pressure stays county-scale. The walleye average trades nothing.

Where do Marion walleye hold?

On the wind: mud lines off the windward points and the hedge rows at 8-15 ft. Calm days push them to the channel edges: the bouncer bite covers both.

When do Marion's wipers school?

June-September under working birds mid-lake: shad sprays give them away and slabs convert. The dam face at dawn holds the summer's most reliable topwater window.

Is fishing good at Marion Reservoir 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

Cottonwood River29 miEl Dorado Lake40 miKanopolis Lake52 miMilford Lake57 miMelvern Lake74 miPomona Lake84 mi
Share your catch