Clinton Lake Update

Sunday, July 29, 2012 Kansas 0 Comments

A few weeks ago I was at Clinton Lake fishing near the feeders and was able to talk with one of the KDWP Ichthyologists about current fishing conditions at Clinton as well as past and future stocking efforts. The first thing he said was that the only fish which typically use the feeders are Catfish and Carp. Crappie, Bass and other gamefish typically do no use the feeders as a food source at all. I was somewhat surprised by this as it seems a huge effort to just support a Catfish fishery as most anglers regard, unfortunately, the Common Carp as a trash fish. Though admittedly we Fly Anglers have no problem with the development of large Carp to run our spools. Finally, in regard to the feeders themselves he said that during samplings they have consistently found large Blue Catfish off the feeder adjacent to the beach by Rock Creek. 

Secondly, he said that it has been about 5 years since the last stocking of Wipers and that Clinton had been on the docket for a restocking this past year until a sampling earlier in the year revealed a population which did not require it. Finally he mentioned a plan by the state to develop Clinton into a much more productive Smallmouth Fishery.