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Melvern Lake Fishing Report

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

The Osage cedar bank: clear-for-Kansas water with smallmouth on the riprap, crappie in planted forests and walleye off the points.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
95 / 96 F
Wind
S 12 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.

Melvern Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 12 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 96. 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 99 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 temp95 F
High / Low96 / 71 F
WindS 12-14 mph
Pressure1009.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:55 / 19:48
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, 96/71 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 Melvern 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 Melvern 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 Melvern 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 95 F, wind to 17 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 97 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Walleye led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 15-inch protective: check KDWP. Brush-pile GPS published.

Access

Coeur d'Alene, Outlet, Arrow Rock, Turkey Point Corps ramps; Eisenhower SP.

About this water

6,900 acres on the Marais des Cygnes, Osage County, KS. The clear smallmouth outlier of eastern Kansas.

Fishing Melvern Lake: the full guide

The clear one

Melvern runs clearer than Kansas habit: less silt, more rock: and its fishery follows: the state's best-known smallmouth program patrols the dam riprap and gravel points, walleye track the wind on the flats, and the crappie fleet works cedar plantations the Corps and KDWP sink by the hundred.

Smallmouth on the rocks

The dam face and Coeur d'Alene-style riprap banks hold bronze year-round: Ned rigs and tubes in spring, topwater at dawn all summer, jerkbaits when it cools. Kansas smallmouth run modest: 2-4 pounds: but Melvern's are real wild-water fish, and the dawn riprap bite embarrasses fancier destinations.

Cedar-tree crappie

KDWP publishes Melvern's brush-pile coordinates: cedar forests at 12-25 ft off every ramp: and the crappie rotation runs all year: spawners in the coves' shallow brush each April, summer schools on the deep piles, winter stacks in the river channel. Jig-and-minnow over marked wood: the milk-run method perfected.

Walleye and the wind

Post-frontal winds pile bait on the flats' edges and Melvern's walleye follow: bottom bouncers along the old river channel, jigs on the windward points at dusk. May and October produce the stringers: the clear water pushes the bite to low light more than neighboring stained lakes: plan the alarm accordingly.

Common questions

Does Kansas really have smallmouth fishing?

Melvern is the proof: the riprap and gravel structure hold the state's flagship population. Dawn topwater in June feels transplanted from the Ozarks.

Where are Melvern's crappie piles?

KDWP publishes coordinates: cedar plantations off every major ramp at 12-25 ft. Idle, mark, drop: the winter channel schools produce the fastest limits.

Is fishing good at Melvern 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

Pomona Lake13 miClinton Lake33 miHillsdale Lake46 miPerry Lake46 miCottonwood River46 miMarion Reservoir74 mi
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