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Milford Lake Fishing Report

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

Kansas' biggest lake: 16,000 acres of Republican River water famous for wipers, walleye and springtime white bass.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
99 / 100 F
Wind
SE 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 391259097001800, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
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.

Milford Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 100. 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 101 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 MILFORD LAKE NEAR WAKEFIELD, KS.

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 temp99 F
High / Low100 / 75 F
WindSE 9-10 mph
Pressure1008.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:59 / 19:54
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 · Overcast, 100/75 F, wind 13 mph, rain 1%

Slow. 100 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Milford 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 Milford 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 Milford 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 99 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

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.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Walleye led the card at good. 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. Wiper: 2 per day over 21 inches (review current). Walleye: 5 per day, 15-inch minimum. Blue catfish: 5 per day with trophy slot rules. Confirm with KDWP.

Access

State park ramps (Milford SP), School Creek, Curtis Creek, Rolling Hills and the outlet area below the dam for bank anglers.

About this water

15,700 acres on the Republican River, Geary/Dickinson/Clay counties, KS. Corps of Engineers, impounded 1967. Largest lake in Kansas.

Fishing Milford Lake: the full guide

The Fishing Capital of Kansas

Milford backs up the Republican River across 16,000 acres near Junction City: the largest lake in Kansas and its self-proclaimed fishing capital. The claim holds up: a benchmark wiper (hybrid striper) fishery, reliable walleye, spring white bass runs up the river, heavyweight blue catfish, and enough crappie cover to keep the panfish crowd busy year-round.

Chasing the wipers

Milford's wipers school hard: spring pushes them up the Republican with the whites; summer means dawn blow-ups on main-lake points and flats (slabs, topwater when they show) and downlines over the river channel when the sun climbs; fall follows the shad into the big coves. Walleye work the time-honored Kansas program: jig-and-crawler on the rocky face of the dam and wind-blown flats in spring, deeper structure and trolled cranks by summer.

The rest of the lineup

Blue catfish have boomed here: drifting cut shad over the flats produces fish to 60-plus pounds. Crappie stack on brush and the timbered upper end; the Corps and KDWP sink habitat constantly. Watch for blue-green algae advisories in late summer: they close swim beaches but rarely stop the fishing.

Common questions

What exactly is a wiper?

A hatchery cross of white bass and striped bass: the aggression of one, the size of the other. Milford's program produces 8-12 lb fish that fight like nothing else in Kansas.

When is the white bass run?

April into May, up the Republican River above the lake with the first stable warm spells: small jigs and spinners in the current seams, fast limits when you time it.

Does the algae shut down fishing?

Late-summer blue-green blooms trigger advisories: avoid water contact and don't let dogs swim, but fishing (and eating properly cleaned fillets) generally remains permitted. Check KDWP advisories in July-September.

Is fishing good at Milford 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

Marion Reservoir57 miCottonwood River61 miKanopolis Lake67 miGlen Elder Reservoir74 miWilson Lake83 miMelvern Lake84 mi
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