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Fishing Kanopolis Lake: what the data says
2,975-acre reservoir near Marquette. Kansas's first federal reservoir, known for saugeye and wiper. The lake tops out around 32 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Kanopolis Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 32 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Kanopolis Lake
Spring channel catfish on Kanopolis Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 32 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 17 ft, rated prime for summer channel catfish. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Kanopolis Lake
Spring crappie on Kanopolis Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 32 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Kanopolis Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Walleye fishing at Kanopolis Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 32 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 32 ft. Gravel shoal is the standout, a gravel shoal at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 10 to 32 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 32 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Saugeye fishing at Kanopolis Lake
Spring saugeye on Kanopolis Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Gravel shoal, a gravel shoal in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Kanopolis Lake also holds white bass & hybrids (10 to 30 ft in summer), blue catfish (8 to 32 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 32 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 17 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Kanopolis Lake?
Kanopolis Lake is about 32 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Kanopolis Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, blue catfish on Kanopolis Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Kanopolis Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Kanopolis Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Smoky Hill River · Wilson Lake · Cheney Lake · Marion Lake · Herington Reservoir · Milford Lake
See how Kanopolis Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kansas · best walleye lakes in Kansas · best saugeye lakes in Kansas · best crappie lakes in Kansas
Browse all Kansas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.