Kansas has no shortage of white bass fishing locations; these small battlers are in nearly every major reservoir in the Sunflower State.
Most anglers enjoy catching white bass (a.k.a. sand bass) during the early spring while the fish spawn, but they’re too often mistakenly overlooked the rest of the year.
We’re about to reveal Kansas’s best white bass fishing locations, which offer anglers excellent opportunities to catch a few sandies year-round.
When to Catch White Bass in Kansas
White bass fishing in Kansas is best from late March through May when the sand bass head up the rivers and creeks that feed into the reservoirs across the state.
During the summer, they migrate back to the lake, spending most of their time in the river and creek channels near flats where they feed.
As fall sets in, white bass will spend more time in the shallows again, feeding heavily on shad and other baitfish before returning to the open water for most of the winter.
It’s important to remember this is a broad generalization, and each day is different on the water.
For more tips on catching white bass, you’ll find a link to my easy how-to guide below the top locations. But let’s look at those hot spots first.
Top White Bass Lakes
The following are a handful of the very best white bass fisheries in Kansas.
Cedar Bluff Reservoir
Located in west-central Kansas, Cedar Bluff Lake is home to big white bass.
In the spring, you’ll want to head up Smokey Hill River or one of the creeks that feed into the lake. You’ll also find white bass spawning in the backs of coves, especially around rocks and woody structures, which honestly describes much of the lake.
Head for one of the many main lake points and wind-blown banks during the summer to find the sand bass.
Trolling with crankbaits or spoons is how I find white bass in the summer. Once I’ve located a hungry school near the surface, I’ll toss a topwater and watch the chaos begin.
As fall begins, shallow diving crankbaits, jigs, and swimbaits become my go-to white bass lures because these small predators feed heavily along shallow flats to gain weight before winter takes hold.
Natural and translucent colors will work best since Cedar Bluff Reservoir’s water is generally clear. Colors like silver and white with flashes of chartreuse and red tend to be my go-to selections; however, green pumpkin is another color I’ve caught a lot of white bass on.
Cedar Bluff also offers some excellent walleye fishing.
Cedar Bluff State Park is located at the lake.
Clinton Lake
Located just 5 miles west of Lawrence, Clinton Lake is a large reservoir full of white bass.
This bounty is thanks in part to the spring runs up the Wakarusa River, Deer Creek, Dry Creek, Coon Creek, and Rock Creek. You’ll find sand bass schooling in deep holes as far as they can swim upstream while spawning.
Because white bass are so aggressive, there are few wrong lure choices. I’ve caught them using almost every moving lure I’ve ever owned, especially when it resembles shad and other baitfish.
As the summer heat sets in, you can troll up and down the river to find a hungry school or head to the points around the main part of the lake.
As long as the wind isn’t crazy, fishing wind-blown banks is always a good idea, as the wind pushes the algae that the baitfish eat onto the shoreline. The white bass follow their food and trap the baitfish against those same banks.
In the fall, the coves and shallow flats are where you should start your search, as sand bass feed heavily before winter sets in and they return to deeper, more open water.
Clinton Lake is a relatively clear reservoir, so natural and translucent colors work best here. Anything shiny, like chrome or white, will grab a white bass’s attention.
Don’t be surprised to catch a mixed bag of panfish here, because this reservoir also is among the top crappie fishing spots in Kansas.
Clinton State Park offers various amenities.
More: Complete Guide to Fishing at Clinton Lake
Waconda Lake (Glen Elder Reservoir)
Waconda Lake (a.k.a. Glen Elder Reservoir) is in north-central Kansas. It’s historically known for excellent white bass fishing from May to October.
You’ll find plenty of white bass in the forks of the Solomon River and other tributaries that flow into the lake during the spring spawn.
In the summer months, head for the 130 Rd Bridge that crosses the lake just south of Cawker City (home of the World’s Largest Ball of Twine). Or try trolling around some of the many points that stick out into the lake.
As the cool fall weather takes hold, it’s time to head to the shallow coves and flats, where the white bass will feed heavily before winter overtakes the lake.
While Glen Elder Reservoir gets murky at times, it’s more often fairly clear, so natural colors with a touch of red or chartreuse will yield the most bites.
Crankbaits, spoons, swimbaits, and jigs are my go-to lures for white bass, but I’ve also caught them on topwaters and spinners.
When you’re ready for a change, soak some bait to get in on some of the better catfish angling in Kansas.
You’ll find Glen Elder State Park at the lake.
Kanopolis Lake
Another impoundment along the Smoky Hill River, Kanopolis Lake in central Kansas, has high numbers of quality white bass, even though only a few tributaries feed the lake.
Kanopolis ranks as the oldest Corps of Engineers reservoir in Kansas but still has plenty of life for anglers to take advantage of throughout the year.
Early spring means it’s time to head up one of the three tributaries of the reservoir. I recommend going as far up the river and creeks as possible because white bass will migrate miles up the waterways to find the best places to spawn, which are generally rocky areas.
As the water warms, white bass make their way back to the main lake and deeper holes in the river. Since there aren’t many main lake points on Kanopolis, fishing the wind-blown bank near a creek or river channel will be the best bet during the summer.
The sand bass will push back into the coves and shallow flats in the fall to feed on minnows before staging in the open water and deeper holes in the winter.
Swimbaits, spoons, bucktail jigs, and live minnows are the best lures and baits to get a bite from a white bass at Kanopolis Lake.
I recommend silver and white when the water is clear and using a little bit of chartreuse or red when the wind churns up the water.
Kanopolis State Park makes a nice home bass for your fishing trip.
Melvern Lake
Melvern Lake in eastern Kansas has many creek arms and coves where white bass love to hang out.
Begin as far up the Marais de Cygnes River and smaller feeder creeks as you can in the spring, as the white bass will stage and spawn many miles from the main lake.
Once they’ve finished spawning, sand bass begin their journey back to the main lake and creek channels in late spring and early summer. You can catch white bass on the main lake points and wind-blown banks throughout the rest of the summer using crankbaits, spoons, and topwater lures.
In the fall, they’ll follow their food into the backs of the coves and onto shallow flats before moving back to deeper waters for the winter.
Melvern Lake is a clean, clear waterway, so my top choices are natural and translucent colors.
Those smaller bass lures are likely to show you why we’ve also included Melvern among the best smallmouth bass lakes in the state.
Eisenhower State Park is located at the reservoir.
Catch More White Bass
Be sure to check out the simple but effective white bass fishing techniques I use to catch more sand bass.