White Bass are staging near rivers and creeks in preparation for their spring spawning runs. Late March and early April is a good time to target White Bass in rivers and creeks.

Blue catfish are being caught using cut shad. Target wind-blown shorelines and shallow mud flats. Fish can be found cruising the river channel during the day.

Channel catfish can be caught on a variety of baits including nightcrawlers, chicken livers, and cut bait.

Bass fishing is slow until water temperature warm in mid to late spring

Channel Catfish Good 0.5-5 lbs Melvern, like most Kansas reservoirs, has good channel catfish angling and 2018 should be no exception. Higher numbers of larger fish were observed in the 2017 sample.

Crappie Poor-Fair 0.25-1.5 lbs High numbers of crappie were sampled in 2017, but the overwhelming majority were less than 10" in length. Angling for crappie should be similar to last year.

Black Bass Fair-Good 0.25-5 lbs Lower numbers of smallmouth and largemouth bass were sampled during 2017 compared to the previous year. Anglers should still have good luck fishing for smallmouth, but they will find it tougher to consistently catch largemouth.

Sauger/Walleye Poor-Fair 0.5-4 lbs Sauger/walleye fishing should be similar to the previous 5 years based upon sampling. Anglers have reported catching increased numbers of sub-legal walleye, so perhaps the population is on the upswing.