Category: Fishing & Bait

Flathead catfish are the biggest predator in Kansas water. The state record sits over 100 pounds. Wichita-area lakes and rivers hold flatheads pushing 50, 60, 70 pounds for anglers who know what they’re doing. Here’s how to be one of them.

What Makes a Flathead Different

Channel cats eat anything. Blue cats eat flesh. Flatheads eat live fish only. They don’t touch stink bait. They don’t touch cut bait. They want something kicking on the end of your line or they’re not interested.

That’s the rule. Fish dead, miss the flathead.

Where Kansas Flatheads Live

Flatheads love three things: deep holes, woody cover, and current breaks. Find those three together and you’ve found a flathead.

Top Kansas flathead water near Wichita:

• Arkansas River — below the Wichita dams, deep holes with snags
• Walnut River — log jams below Winfield
• Verdigris River — flathead factory, especially around the bridges
• Cheney Reservoir — try the deep arms at night
• Council Grove Reservoir — deep timber holds big cats
• El Dorado Lake — drop-offs near the river arm

When Flatheads Bite

Flatheads feed hard from late May through early September. Night fishing is the biggest factor — flatheads hunt after dark and that’s when the biggest ones come out of cover.

Best windows:

• Last hour of daylight through midnight — peak feed
• Right before a storm — falling pressure fires them up
• First few warm nights after a cold front — they’re hungry

Live Bait Selection

Live bait is everything. The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish — within reason.

• Bluegill (5–8 inches) — top choice, hooked through the back
• Goldfish or carp (4–6 inches) — where legal, they last on the hook forever
• Bullheads — tough, lively, hard for cats to kill quickly
• Perch — work great where you can catch them legally
• Live shad or skipjack — for blues AND flatheads

Catch your own bait before the trip — KDWP regulations apply. Our Bait & Tackle aisle stocks the gear to catch bluegill and bullheads — small jigs, worms, and the rest.

Rigging for Flatheads

You’re fishing for fish that bend rods in half. Don’t bring light gear.

• Rod: 7’6″ to 8′ heavy power, fast action
• Reel: 5000–6000 series, smooth drag
• Line: 50–80 lb braid mainline, 50 lb mono leader
• Hook: 7/0 to 10/0 circle hook, sharpened
• Weight: No-roll sinker or slip sinker, 2–4 oz
• Light: Headlamp. Don’t fish nights without one.

Basic flathead rig: slip sinker, swivel, 18–24″ leader, circle hook through the live bait’s back. Cast to the edge of cover, set the rod in a holder, drag set firm.

How to Fight a Flathead

When the rod loads, don’t jerk. Circle hooks set themselves. Just lift, lean, and reel.

Then hold on. A 40+ pound flathead can run you into snags and break you off in seconds. Steady pressure, keep the head up, walk down the bank if you have to.

Catch-and-Release the Big Ones

Kansas flatheads grow slow. A 40-pounder is 20 years old. The 60-pounders are older than most fishermen. Eat the smaller ones, take a picture of the giants, slip them back in the water. They take decades to replace.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Bait & Tackle Shop in Wichita, KS
• Fishing in Wichita, KS — Local Guide
• Catfishing the Arkansas River Through Wichita

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Headed out flathead fishing this weekend? Stop in for live bait, heavy line, and the right hooks. Call ahead — (316) 265-9930 — and we’ll have what you need ready.

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Kansas isn’t Louisiana — but we’ve got crawfish. Plenty of them, in the right water, at the right time of year. Here’s how to fill a five-gallon bucket and boil up a real Cajun-style spread without leaving the state.

When Crawfish Season Hits

Kansas crawfish are most active from late April through July. Water has to be warm — above 60°F — and the crawfish are most aggressive in spring when they’re mating and feeding hard.

Best months:

• May — peak crawfish activity
• June — still strong, especially after rains
• July — slowing down as water heats above 80°F
• August onward — crawfish back off into deeper, cooler water

Where to Find Them

Crawfish like:

• Slow-moving creeks with rocky or muddy bottoms
• Pond edges with vegetation
• Shallow river backwaters
• Drainage ditches with steady water

Kansas spots that produce:

• Arkansas River backwaters — slow eddies and shoreline cover
• Cowskin Creek west of Wichita
• Ninnescah River backwaters
• Farm ponds — many Kansas ponds are loaded if you have access
• Slough Creek — out east of town

Public water is fair game with a Kansas fishing license. Private water — get permission.

How to Catch Them

Three methods that work:

1. Hand-Catching (Kid-Friendly)

Walk shallow water, flip rocks, grab them behind the claws. Wear old shoes. They pinch but they don’t hurt much.

2. Trap Method (Most Productive)

Drop a wire-mesh crawfish trap baited with raw chicken, hot dogs, or fish heads. Leave it overnight, pull it in the morning. One good trap can produce 5–10 pounds.

3. String-and-Bait

Tie a chicken neck on a string, drop it in the water. When you feel a tug, slowly pull it up and scoop the crawfish off with a net before it lets go.

What You Need

• Crawfish trap — pyramid or rectangular, about $15–25
• Bait — raw chicken parts, hot dogs, canned cat food
• Five-gallon bucket with a lid
• Mesh bag to hold the catch in the water until you leave
• Cooler with ice for the ride home

We carry traps, line, and basic gear in our Bait & Tackle section. Bait for trapping: hit the grocery side — raw chicken thighs work better than anything fancy.

Kansas Crawfish Regulations

You need a Kansas fishing license to take crawfish (unless under 16). No daily limit on most species, but check the latest KDWP regulations before each season — rules adjust.

How to Cook a Kansas Crawfish Boil

Once you’ve got your bucket:

1. Purge — soak the live crawfish in cold salt water for 30 minutes to clean them out. Drain.
2. Boil water with seasoning — Cajun crab boil seasoning (Zatarain’s, Old Bay, or homemade), lemons, garlic, onion, hot sauce.
3. Add potatoes and corn first (10 minutes), then sausage (5 minutes), then crawfish (5–7 minutes).
4. Turn off heat and let soak 15–30 minutes for the seasoning to penetrate.
5. Drain and dump on a newspaper-covered table. Eat with your hands. No plates, no forks.

Pair with cold beer, hotlinks from our smoked meat case, and good company.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Fishing in Wichita, KS — Local Guide
• How to Get a Kansas Fishing License in Wichita

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Trapping crawfish this weekend? Stop in for the trap, the bait, and the boil ingredients all in one trip. Call (316) 265-9930 to check stock.

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Stink bait catches more channel cats than any other bait — but only if you rig it right and fish it patient. Half the folks who buy a jar lose fish because of one or two simple mistakes. Here’s how to fix that.

What Stink Bait Actually Does

Stink bait works on scent. Channel catfish track scent trails the way a dog tracks game in a field. Real fish oil, real minnows, real protein — that’s what pulls them in from across a hole.

Mr. Mc’s Magical Catfish Stink Bait is built thick and oily on purpose. Thick holds on the hook. Oily disperses scent. Both matter.

The Three Stink Bait Rigs You Need to Know

1. Treble Hook Rig (Punch Bait)

For thick, sticky punch bait.

• 3/0 to 5/0 treble hook
• Slip sinker, 1–2 oz
• Push the bait around the treble with a stick — don’t use your hands unless you want to smell like dead fish for a week
• Drop, hold tight, wait for a hit

2. Dip Worm Rig (Dip Bait)

For thinner dip bait.

• Plastic dip worm or dip tube on a single hook
• Slip sinker, 1–2 oz above a swivel
• Dip the worm into the jar, twist, lift it out coated
• Cast and let it sit — the worm holds the bait, the bait builds the scent cloud

3. Spring Hook Rig (Dough Bait)

For soft moldable dough bait.

• Treble hook with a spring coil above
• Mold the dough around the coil and treble
• Slip sinker, 1 oz, with a swivel

Beginner Mistakes That Cost You Fish

1. Setting the hook too early. Cats inhale and run. Let them load the rod before you set. Wait until the tip bends hard.

2. Reeling in to check the bait. If you can still smell it, it’s still working. Leave it down for 20–30 minutes per cast.

3. Casting into dead water. Stink bait works best in current, holes, or below structure. Open mud flats in 90° sun produce nothing.

4. Using light tackle. Channel cats fight hard. A 7-foot medium-heavy rod with 15–20 lb line keeps you in the fight.

5. Letting the jar dry out. Stink bait dries on top in heat. Stir it before each trip and store it tight-lidded out of direct sun.

When to Fish Stink Bait

Stink bait works year-round but shines from late April through October in Kansas. Best bite windows:

• Two hours before sunset to two hours after dark
• Right after a rain stirs up the water
• Warm muddy water above 65°F

Where to Get It

We make Mr. Mc’s Magical Catfish Stink Bait right here in Wichita — small batches, real ingredients, no shortcuts. Pick up a jar plus your treble hooks, dip worms, and weights in our Bait & Tackle aisle.

Run a clean rig, fish patient, let the scent do the work. That’s the whole thing.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Bait & Tackle Shop in Wichita, KS
• Behind the Jar — What Makes Mr. Mc’s Stink Bait Work
• Wholesale Bait & Tackle in Wichita

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Pick up a jar of Mr. Mc’s Magical Catfish Stink Bait — call (316) 265-9930 or stop in.

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The white bass run is the most fun stretch of the Kansas fishing year. Schools of aggressive fish push upstream to spawn, and for two to three weeks you can catch them until your arm gives out. Here’s how to be on the water when it happens.

When Does the White Bass Run Hit in Kansas?

The Kansas white bass run kicks off when water temperatures hit 55°F to 65°F. In south-central Kansas that’s usually late March through early May. A warm spell can fire it off early. A cold front can stall it.

The run lasts about 2–3 weeks at any one spot. Once they spawn, they slide back to the lakes and the bite gets a lot harder to find.

Where the Run Happens

White bass run UP rivers and creeks from the lakes they live in. Pull a map, find a lake with a feeder river, and the run will stage near the mouth and move upstream until they hit something they can’t cross.

Top Kansas white bass run spots near Wichita:

• Walnut River above El Dorado Lake — classic run water
• Ninnescah River above Cheney Reservoir — both forks produce
• Whitewater River above El Dorado
• Arkansas River below the Wichita dams — when the water’s right

What to Throw

White bass eat shad. Match it.

• Roadrunner-style jigs — 1/8 to 1/4 oz, white or chartreuse
• Small inline spinners — Mepps, Rooster Tails
• Curly-tail grubs on jigheads — 2-inch white or pearl
• Live minnows — when the artificial bite slows down

When the school is fired up, almost any flash works. When the bite gets picky, downsize and slow down.

Pick up everything — jigheads, grubs, spinners, and live minnows — in our Bait & Tackle aisle. Live minnows are sold by the pound if you want backup bait.

How to Fish the Run

Find moving water. Look for current breaks behind rocks, eddies on the inside of bends, and slack water below riffles. Cast upstream, let the jig swing through the current, and hold on.

When you catch one, throw right back to the same spot. White bass run in schools — where there’s one, there’s usually fifty.

Tackle and Limits

Light gear works:

• 6’6″ medium spinning rod
• 8–10 lb line
• A bucket — Kansas regulations let you keep a generous daily limit (check the current KDWP regs before you keep)

A run trip done right fills the cooler in an afternoon. Get the kids out, get the freezer stocked, and don’t forget to clean the fish before they get soft.

Don’t Sleep on It

The Kansas white bass run is short. Two weeks, maybe three. Watch the water temp, watch the river levels, and when you hear the bite turned on — drop everything and go.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Bait & Tackle Shop in Wichita, KS
• Fishing in Wichita, KS — Local Guide

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 When the run hits, don’t wait — stop in for jigs, grubs, and live minnows. Call (316) 265-9930 for same-day stock.

Get directions on Google Maps · Contact us

Crappie season in Kansas hits hard in spring and runs strong into early summer. Here’s how to put slabs in the bucket — what jig to throw, what color to tie on, and where to drop your line around Wichita.

When Crappie Bite Best Around Wichita

The spring spawn is the big show. Once water temps hit 55°F to 65°F, crappie push shallow into brush, riprap, and standing timber. That’s mid-April through mid-May in most Kansas water.

After the spawn, they slide back out into 8–15 feet of water. Brush piles, bridge pilings, and submerged trees hold fish all summer.

Jig Size — Match the Water and the Fish

Crappie are picky about how a jig falls. Get the weight right or they’ll watch it sink and never touch it.

• 1/32 oz — clear water, slow fall, finicky fish. Spring spawn go-to.
• 1/16 oz — most common. Works in stained water and around brush.
• 1/8 oz — deeper water, windy days, or when you need to punch through current.

We stock all three sizes with hook colors that show up in muddy Kansas water — pick them up in our Bait & Tackle aisle.

Lure Colors That Work in Kansas Water

Most Kansas lakes run stained. Bright wins.

• Chartreuse / pink — number one in stained water. Always have it on.
• White / pearl — clearer water, sunny days.
• Black / blue — overcast, dirty water. Cuts a strong silhouette.
• Orange / red — pre-spawn, when the fish are aggressive.

We carry the Crappie Terminator lineup — Patrick Star, Charmander, Gryffindor, Jack Frost, Raining Ash, Peppered Gravy, Upside Down — colors built specifically for Kansas crappie water. They go on local jigheads we sharpen before they ever hit the rack.

Pair Jigs With Live Minnows

Best crappie trick we know: tip a jig with a small live minnow. The plastic gives the profile and color. The minnow gives the scent and movement. We sell live minnows by the pound — pick up bait on your way out of town.

Local Spots Worth Your Time

• El Dorado Lake — brush piles in the bays. Spring slabs.
• Cheney Reservoir — riprap dam, marina docks.
• Wilson State Fishing Lake — small water, easy access, decent numbers.
• Marion Reservoir — drive a bit, but the slabs are worth it.
• Wichita-area farm ponds — if you’ve got access, ponds turn on first in spring.

Walk In, Walk Out, Get Bit

Stop by Mr. Mc’s, grab a pack of Crappie Terminators, a few jigheads, a scoop of minnows, and a sandwich for the bank. Whole trip in one stop.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Bait & Tackle Shop in Wichita, KS
• Fishing in Wichita, KS — Local Guide

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Crappie season is on. Stop in for jigs, lures, and live minnows — or call (316) 265-9930.

Get directions on Google Maps · Contact us

Catfish are the bread and butter of Kansas fishing. Channel cats, blues, flatheads — Wichita’s got water full of all three. Here’s the no-fluff guide to putting fish in the cooler.

Best Time of Year for Catfish in Kansas

Catfish bite year-round in Kansas, but the best stretch runs late April through September. Water warms up, the pre-spawn fires off in May, and they feed hard all summer.

• Spring (April–May): Pre-spawn channels move shallow. Hit cut bait near the bank.
• Summer (June–August): Night fishing in 70°+ water — biggest catfish of the year come out after dark.
• Fall (September–October): Big channels feed heavy before winter. Stink bait season.
• Winter: Slow but not dead. Tailwater holes below dams stay productive.

Best Bait for Kansas Catfish

Different cats want different bait. Match the fish to the bait or you’re wasting a trip.

Channel Catfish — Stink Bait Wins

For channel cats, nothing beats a real stink bait. Mr. Mc’s Magical Catfish Stink Bait is built from real minnows and real fish oils — more scent, stronger hold, longer in the water. Use a treble hook or a dip worm and let the scent trail do the work.

Blue Catfish — Cut Shad or Live Shad

Blues want flesh. Cut shad, cut skipjack, or live shad on a Carolina rig. Bigger bait, bigger blues.

Flathead Catfish — Live Only

Flatheads eat live bait. Period. Live bluegill, live perch, live bullheads. If it’s dead, a flathead’s not interested.

Best Local Spots Around Wichita

• Arkansas River — runs right through town. Below the dams downtown produces channel cats year-round.
• El Dorado Lake — good blue cat water, especially in the river arm.
• Cheney Reservoir — solid channels and the occasional big blue.
• Wilson State Fishing Lake — small water, hungry channels.
• Local farm ponds — best bites are right after a rain stirs the water up.

Tackle That Holds Up

You don’t need fancy. You need strong.

• 7′ medium-heavy rod
• 4000-series reel with 20–30 lb braid or 15 lb mono
• Circle hooks (4/0 to 8/0 depending on bait size)
• Slip sinkers, 1–3 oz
• A landing net big enough for what you’re going to catch

We carry the whole rig in our Bait & Tackle section — pick up bait, terminal tackle, and our stink bait on the same trip.

One More Thing — Run Cleared Lines

Kansas catfish don’t care how expensive your gear is. They care about scent, presentation, and patience. Set the rod, run a clean line, give it time. The bite comes.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Bait & Tackle Shop in Wichita, KS
• Fishing in Wichita, KS — Local Guide
• Catfishing the Arkansas River Through Wichita

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Heading out for catfish? Stop in for live bait, stink bait, and tackle — or call (316) 265-9930 to confirm what’s in stock today.

Get directions on Google Maps · Contact us

Need live minnows in Wichita? You’re in the right place. Mr. Mc’s Market keeps a tank of live minnows ready to scoop, sold by the pound. Drive up, grab your bait, get on the water.

Live Minnows, Sold by the Pound

We sell live minnows by the pound — not by the dozen, not in some sealed bag from a gas station cooler. Real minnows, kept alive in an aerated tank, scooped the day you buy them.

That matters. Tired minnows don’t move. Minnows that don’t move don’t draw bites. Fresh, lively bait outfishes dead bait every time.

Why Anglers Around Wichita Pick Us Up

• Open hours that match fishing hours. Stop in before you head to the lake.
• Sold by weight, not guesswork. You leave with what you paid for.
• Stocked all season. Spring crappie run, summer catfish, fall walleye — we keep minnows in the tank.
• Right next to the tackle. Hooks, jigs, sinkers, and our crappie lures are in the same aisle.

What Are You Fishing For?

Live minnows put in work on almost everything that swims in Kansas water:

• Crappie — small minnows on a 1/16 or 1/32 jighead hold strong and bring in the bites.
• White Bass & Wipers — bigger minnows on a slip rig drift well in current.
• Catfish — pair a chunk of cut minnow with a dip of stink bait from our Bait & Tackle aisle and let the scent do the rest.
• Walleye — minnow under a slip bobber, just off the bottom.

Pick Up Live Minnows + Everything Else You Need

Grab your minnows, then walk one aisle over for hooks, line, jig heads, terminal tackle, and stink bait. One stop. Back on the road. On the water.

Head straight to Live Minnows by the Pound and we’ll have your bait ready.

📚 Related on Mr. Mc’s Market

• Bait & Tackle Shop in Wichita, KS
• Fishing in Wichita, KS — Local Guide
• How to Get a Kansas Fishing License in Wichita

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Stop in for live minnows by the pound — call (316) 265-9930 to check stock before you drive out.

Get directions on Google Maps · Contact us