The ice over has begun on Kaw. Coon creek is already frozen and it's moving east. Lake will most likely be completely iced in by the first of next week. Haven't had a shad kill in many years so should really improve the fishing.
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The ice over has begun on Kaw. Coon creek is already frozen and it's moving east. Lake will most likely be completely iced in by the first of next week. Haven't had a shad kill in many years so should really improve the fishing.
Been many years since the lake has been frozen solid. Eagles and geese setting all over the ice. There will be a massive shad kill, which we needed. Gonna be a lot more difficult for folks to find shad this spring but in the long run it will improve overall fishing.
Boy I would love about a gallon of winter kill shad for jugging or drifting. I freeze them in cornmeal and they last a year in the freezer.
I would love to transfer a chunk of that shad to Draper.
Tell you what is hard to believe there was so many shad their growth rate dropped a lot. Usually by winter the most recent spawn are normally 3 to 4 inches. This winter they are almost all 2 inches. Don’t know if they got so thick they depleted their food supply or just stunted. Take someone smarter than me to answer that.
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Yes that’s true. From research I guess it’s actually better for the lake to freeze because it acts as an insulator and stabilizes the water temperature. Apparently the biggest shad kills occur when there is a rapid water temperature drop and doesn’t have to freeze over. Mortality rate on smaller shad is much higher than big shad so it would affect shad that crappie feed on vs the big shad even though I have seen crappie that have swallowed 4 inch shad
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Tim, Is Kaw still froze?
Sarge south is open except the coves. Sarge north and west still frozen. Water temp is 33 deg. Shad are running in 40 fow flat on the bottom at times 10 to 20 ft thick.
Did you find the Crappie anywhere as thick as the Shad?
I wish as long as the shad are hugging the bottom it’s gonna be tough
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Well so much for a shad kill it didn't happen
Same problem on my lake!
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Tim - How deep was the top of that shad ball??
George that particular ball came up to about 10 ft from the surface and others like this one was 5 to 6 ft under the surface. It's very apparent gizzard shad are very adaptable to extreme water temperatures vs threadfins can't.
Boy lots of shad on kaw, I fished today and it was tough. Caught lots of smalls but large crappie were tough to catch.
Well they opened the gates this morning to start the draw down for the sediment survey and repairs. They are looking at 2 ft below normal pool or so. They have no idea how long they will hold it at that level depends on the weather.
Might come up and fish Kaw this weekend. Any reports on the bite? Crappie, sandbass, etc?
I don't have a report on a bite but I was there on Thursday and checked the water temp at the sarge creek riprap. 57°. I've been wanting to try out the beaver creek area but its all going in blind.
Very slow for me on Saturday, granted I haven’t fished the lake in 10 years or so. One dink crappie in 15 fow over a brush pile near the Washunga bridge rip rap on an 1/8oz Bink’s spoon. Tried at the mouth of Sarge creek and a few creeks around the Washunga area from about 4-15 fow with nary a bite casting Roadrunners and baby shad as well as jigging with various jigs. I marked a ton of fish on Livescope at all depths but could not get any more takers.
Water was 56-60 depending on location. Wind was out of the north after the Friday night’s storms until it became calm around 6pm when I loaded out.
Caught a couple sandbass and a catfish casting the rip rap on the north side of the highway 77 bridge with a silver rooster tail.
Blue cat fishing getting hot from the banks on the flats. Time to go drifting.
How’s the water level?
Currently 2.92’ above normal level. High enough that one can get into the upper river now.
Better think twice about that upper river everything has drastically changed
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Fished kaw yesterday and lots of shad around. Hit around 15 different spots and kept 10 or so. That lake needs a shad kill in a bad way. All the fish caught were not very active and full of shad.
Does anyone know if any of the ramps are open at Kaw.[emoji476]
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I know of two people that fished Saturday. Don’t know what ramps they used but probably sarge.
Thanks went yesterday and the lake had no ice on it but the crappie had lock jaw and would even swim up and look at a bait. But it was a beautiful day on the lake.
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Does any know happen to know if the crappie have started spawning yet?
I guess nobody fishes Kaw anymore . Well using minnows and caught some channel cats along the bank with bobbers near kaw city bridge. Went up to wolf creek and got a few crappie. Heard it was better crappie fishing a few weeks ago
Haven’t fished it since January. Sorry but no help.