Hell Creek Armon Milford Lake
What's working on Milford Lake
- 01October Caddis are a significant fall hatch and can draw opportunistic surface strikes.
- 02Subsurface forage like leeches, baitfish, crayfish, and Mysis shrimp are crucial food sources.
- 03Focus efforts around main lake points, submerged structure, and channel drop-offs.
- 04A slower retrieve is often more effective for streamers and nymphs in cooler water.
- 05Fishing from a pontoon boat provides excellent mobility to explore diverse habitats.
What to tie on at Hell Creek Arm
Picked from recent reports for this stretch.
Crayfish (Fly)
Crayfish are a primary food source for smallmouth bass and other bottom-dwelling predators. Imitating the 'slow dragging a tube' technique with this pattern is highly effective in spring.
Buy at AmazonCrappie Jig Fly
Spring is prime time for crappie spawning around structure, and this jig fly is highly effective for crappie, walleye, saugeye, and wipers.
Buy at AmazonWoolly Bugger (Black)
A highly versatile streamer that imitates leeches and baitfish, both of which are key forage for predatory fish in Milford Lake. It's especially effective as fish become more active in warming spring waters.
Pine Squirrel Leech (Olive)
Small leech patterns effectively mimic sluggish baitfish and annelids in cold to warming water, enticing strikes from a variety of predatory species, aligning with a slow subsurface retrieve.
Clouser Minnow (Bass) (Chartreuse/White)
This baitfish imitation is a go-to for smallmouth and largemouth bass, as well as other predatory species, and is effective when worked subsurface, mimicking the reported 'slow dragging' technique.
Scud (Pink/Orange)
Freshwater shrimp (scuds) are a consistent and important food source in Milford Lake, especially in areas with aquatic vegetation. A pink or orange variation is particularly effective in early spring.
Buy at AmazonMop Fly
This grub/larvae imitation is a versatile and consistent producer, effective for a wide array of bottom-feeding and opportunistic species in Milford Lake, including bass and catfish, during the summer.
Dragonfly Nymph (Olive)
Dragonfly nymphs are a large, protein-rich food source for cruising warmwater species in Milford Lake throughout the summer; strip these slowly near weed edges.
Gurgler (Bass)
Topwater action for bass and other predatory species is excellent during summer, especially in low-light conditions. This popper creates an enticing disturbance on the surface of Milford Lake.
Kansas season by season
What changes on the water through the year, with the flies for each season.