Wilson Lake fishing: Striped Bass, Walleye, American Eel

Target species: Striped Bass, Walleye, American Eel, White Perch

The reservoir

Wilson Lake covers 8,827 acres in Kansas, across 2 counties: Russell and Lincoln. It is a reservoir: 91% of it is 50 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 70 feet (21.3 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water.

Hell Creek arm Wilson Lake KS.jpg
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Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 70 ft (21.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91% of the water is 50 feet or shallower. We hold 122 depth contour lines for this water.

Lucas Park Wilson Lake KS.jpg
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  • 0–5 ft: 13.2% of the water
  • 5–10 ft: 9.8% of the water
  • 10–15 ft: 8.6% of the water
  • 15–20 ft: 8.6% of the water
  • 20–25 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 25–30 ft: 9.7% of the water
  • 30–35 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 35–40 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 40–45 ft: 8.5% of the water
  • 45–50 ft: 8.9% of the water
  • 50–55 ft: 3.5% of the water
  • 55–60 ft: 3.5% of the water
  • 60–65 ft: 1.1% of the water
  • 65–70 ft: 1% of the water

Stocking: 12,256,561 fish, 2019–2024

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks records list 12,256,561 fish released into this water from 2019 to 2024.

Minooka Park west view Wilson Lake KS.jpg
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  • Walleye: 9,034,398 in 2019–2024
  • Striped Bass: 3,200,484 in 2021–2024

One more species on the stocking list.

4 target fish, led by Striped Bass

  • Striped Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • American Eel — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • White Perch — Feeding water: 50–75°F.

Also recorded here: Northern Pike, Black Crappie.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2017–2018. The latest reading is from 2018, more than three years ago: read these numbers as history, not as the water today.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 8,827 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

Where this data comes from

  • Kansas Applied Remote Sensing (KARS), University of Kansas — Kansas Applied Remote Sensing (KARS), University of Kansas: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • USACE CWMS — USACE CWMS elevation-area curves: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.