Fishing at Strowbridge Reservoir, Osage County, Kansas

• Overview

  The Osage County end of Kansas holds Strowbridge Reservoir. The water sits 1,093 feet up. It runs to roughly 243 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Head to Carbondale, 2.6 miles away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Overbrook (5.2 miles) and Auburn (11 miles). The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Strowbridge Reservoir

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Survey and observation records for Osage County include black bullhead, orangespotted sunfish, white sucker and green sunfish. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Strowbridge Reservoir the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 79°F; the cold one sits at 27°F. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Expect Strowbridge Reservoir to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Osage County Lake is 4 miles off. Check the position at Strowbridge Reservoir before loading the car.