What's in Outdoors

27/08/2024

Book your hunting guide soon with Level Creek Outfitters. Relax on our porch after your hunt before a good night's rest.
cottagehousecgks.com

14/08/2024

Goodness, what a fun summer and already looking forward to next year's contest! Tight lines, my Friends!
Council Grove Marina
Morris County Happenings

14/08/2024

Drum Roll Please…… we are with Phil Taunton and his friend Fred Bammes at the Council Grove Marina to draw the final winners for the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing Contest! We want to thank our sponsors Cabela's, the Council Grove Republican, Thump30 Guide Service, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com, and the Flint Hills Life Channel! Our $100 winners are Laikyn and Connor Reich, Owen Oviatt, Ryder Masenthin, Hunter Petersen, and Hazley Buttrey! The winner of the Thump30 Guide Service Family Fishing Outing is Silas Symmonds, and the Lifetime License goes to Brayden Dill! Congratulations to all our winners! Stay tuned for more information about next year's contest and updates from Phil about all the adventures, activities, and outdoor opportunities available in the coming months!

09/08/2024

Our pleasure to support your cause and looking forward to seeing you all Sunday!

08/08/2024

Sorry, we are late getting the drawing video posted! We were with Phil Taunton and Ginger Cansler-Taunton at the Council Grove Marina to draw winners for the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing Contest the other day. Congratulations to all the winners! Thanks to our sponsors, Cabela's, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, Thump30 Guide Service, KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com, the Flint Hills Life Channel, and the Council Grove Republican!

31/07/2024

We are back with Phil Taunton at the Council Grove Marina and today we have a special guest, Andy Hutter! There are only 2 weeks left in the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing Contest, so get those entries sent to [email protected]. Thank you to our sponsors, Cabela's Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks Thump30 Guide Service the Council Grove Republican KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com, and the Flint Hills Life Channel!

25/07/2024

Goodness, the City Lake will be the place to be on August 3 if you want to hear some good music! And I know I will be wetting a line during the performance! That will be a first!
Hope to see you on the water soon, my Friends!

Saturday, August 3rd at K-19! Live music!

25/07/2024

Outdoor Communicators of Kansas
Council Grove City Lake Community
Kansas Hunting and Fishing
Morris County Happenings

This is "6.24.24 Drawing" by The Flint Hills Life Channel on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

25/07/2024

Sorry for the late post of today's drawing. Phil Taunton has some special guests today! As always thank you to our sponsors Council Grove Marina Council Grove Republican Cabela's Thump30 Guide Service Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks Flint Hills Life Channel and KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com

This is "6.24.24 Drawing" by The Flint Hills Life Channel on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

18/07/2024

Council Grove Marina
Cabela's
Council Grove Republican
Council Grove City Lake Community
Morris County Happenings

17/07/2024

Our Summer Long Family Fun Fishing Contest is into it's final month so keep those entries coming.
The world needs more tackle boxes than X-Boxes!

17/07/2024

We are at the Council Grove Marina to draw names for Week 7 of the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing Contest! Ginger and Phil Taunton are filling us in on how the 4th of July went at the lake. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to our sponsors Cabela's, Thump30 Guide Service, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
the Council Grove Republican, KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com and the Flint Hills Life Channel!

11/07/2024

10/07/2024

We are back with Phil Taunton and his friend Gary at the Council Grove Marina to draw week 6 winners! Thanks to our sponsors Cabela's, Thump30 Guide Service, the Council Grove Republican, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com and the Flint Hills Life Channel!

04/07/2024

Make sure the only things that go BOOM this 4th of July are your fire works and NOT your Propane Tank! Lots of folks will be using propane to cook with this hoilday... What's in Outdoors and the Council Grove Marina want to remind everyone to be careful with those propane tanks! Go to https://propane.com/safety/ for information or follow the Propane Education & Research Council page for more information. There are also saftey brochures at the Marina!

04/07/2024

For more about Cade Johnson and catching big flathead catfish in the Neosho River Basin, read the following Catfish Now article by outdoor writer extraordinaire, Brent Frazee.

Plan a Trip to Kansas if You Want to Catch a Big Flathead
by Brent Frazee

Kansas’ murky rivers and reservoirs have the habitat and food that world-class catfish like.
The region producing some of the best flathead fishing in the nation doesn’t get a lot of fanfare.

You won’t find fishing resorts or waterfront restaurants in southeast Kansas. Nor will you find many flathead guides, marinas, or bait and tackle shops.

In fact, it’s tough to even find access to some of the rivers because of Kansas law that gives landowners ownership of up to half of the stream bed.

But make no mistake, the muddy rivers and reservoirs of southeast Kansas are big-cat country.

Want some proof? Check this out:

The world-record flathead, a 123-pound monster, was caught in Elk City Reservoir in 1998.
Local tournaments, which allow both rod and reel and setlines, post some unbelievable totals. In the Yeager-Jenkins Memorial Catfish Tournament on the Neosho River this year, 18 teams weighed in their five biggest flatheads. Total weight of those fish, most of which were released: A whopping 2,321pounds.
In river towns such as Hartford, Kansas, flathead fishing is a generational lure. Visit homes of some families and you’ll see framed black and white photos of ancestors posing with huge catfish.
Fisheries biologists acknowledge that southeast Kansas offers many options for anglers wanting to catch a giant flathead. With its brush-filled, nutrient-rich rivers and reservoirs, flatheads live the good life in the Sunflower State.
“We can’t really sample the flatheads in these rivers because of the lack of access,” said Ben Neely of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. “But we do know that there are still a lot of big fish in there.”

The Neosho River in Kansas has a history of producing flathead catfish as big as children. This photo was taken in 1960.
The Neosho River in Kansas has a history of producing flathead catfish as big as children. This photo was taken in 1960.
“Flatheads are native to Kansas, and they do well in this region. They have the habitat they like—the brush and snags where they can hide out during the day and the shallow areas and riffles where they can feed at night.”

“And they have a lot of food—shad, sunfish, crayfish, you name it,” continued Neely.

Occasionally, the flatheads even take a whopper-sized meal. An examination of the world-record flathead’s stomach revealed that it had just ingested a 28-inch bigmouth buffalo.

The Neosho River is the lifeblood of Kansas flathead fishing. It starts in Morris County in east-central Kansas and flows southeast for 463 miles into northeast Oklahoma.

Some of its tributaries such as the Cottonwood River, and the reservoirs it feeds such as Council Grove and John Redmond, also hold some bruiser flatheads.

The best public-fishing opportunities can be found below the dams at Council Grove and John Redmond and in city parks in towns such as Chetopa, Burlington, Iola, Chanute, and Oswego.

Talk to Cade Johnson, who was brought up catfishing. Four generations of his family have been chasing big flatheads on the Neosho and Cottonwood Rivers and Council Grove Reservoir.

Johnson and his dad have landed an 83-pound flathead on a trotline in Munkers Creek above Council Grove Reservoir and a 65-pound fish on rod and reel below a dam.

That rod and reel fish was caught on a jig and a 6-foot spinning rod and a reel spooled with 12-pound test line. Sound like a fish story? Johnson has a video to prove it.

Cade Johnson hoisted a big flathead he caught in a Kansas river. Plenty more await visiting anglers.
Cade Johnson hoisted a big flathead he caught in a Kansas river. Plenty more await visiting anglers.
“The best time to catch them on rod and reel is the month of June, but we’ll also catch them in April and May,” said Johnson, who is 31. “Our favorite time for running trotlines is late September and October when they are feeding to put on some weight for winter.”

Johnson finds his best fishing in bends in the river where brush has piled up.

“Anywhere you find brush in 5 to 6 feet of water, there will be flatheads under it,” he said.

Johnson often baits his trotline and bank poles with green sunfish. But bullheads, creek chubs, and other small panfish also will lure flatheads.

Nick Bess of Hartford, Kansas, an avid catfish chaser and one of the organizers of the Yeager-Jenkins tournament, also follows family tradition when he fishes for big flatheads.

He has fished with his grandpa, his dad, and his uncles for as long as he can remember. He has photos of local fishing legends with flatheads as big as a child. And he remembers days when he experienced the thrill of fighting one of those river monsters.

Bess caught an 85-pound flathead on a trotline, and a 63-pound fish on rod and reel.

“Usually, our best fishing comes when there is some current,” said Bess, who is 33. “Especially when the water is up, if you can find a creek running into the river, it’s great.”

“If there’s some brush near those creek mouths, it’s even better,” added Bess. “There always seem to be big flatheads around beaver dams.”

Like Johnson, Bess releases the big fish he catches. And he credits that growing catch and release ethic among many other avid catfish anglers as playing a part in the river’s success story.

But just as important, Kansas’ trespassing laws play a role in the river’s success. Because the Neosho River flows through so much privately owned land, it’s impossible for fishermen to float the river for any distance. That, in effect, results in refuge areas for big fish.

“The lack of access definitely plays a part,” Neely said. “There are stretches of river that just don’t get hit too hard, and that’s an advantage for the catfish.”

Cade Johnson is kicking off 2024 Fourth of July festivities in grand fashion by landing a 50 plus pound flathead this morning in the Council Grove Reservoir using goldfish for bait!
Check out the Grove Marina for all your fishing needs and here's wishing you all have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July Holiday.
-Phil Taunton What's in Outdoors

04/07/2024

Cade Johnson is kicking off 2024 Fourth of July festivities in grand fashion by landing a 50 plus pound flathead this morning in the Council Grove Reservoir using goldfish for bait!
Check out the Grove Marina for all your fishing needs and here's wishing you all have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July Holiday.
-Phil Taunton What's in Outdoors

03/07/2024

It is time again to draw winning names for the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing Contest! We are here with Phil Taunton at the Council Grove Marina and his new buddies Hank and Brooks! Thanks to our sponsors Cabela's Thump30 Guide Service the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, the Council Grove Republican, and the Flint Hills Life Channel Due to the 4th of July holiday, there will not be an article in the Council Grove Republican this week. Keep those entries coming to [email protected]

26/06/2024

We are excited to announce the week 4 winners of the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing Contest! We are back at the Council Grove Marina with Phil Taunton and his grandson to draw names. Remember to check out the Council Grove Republican for pics of the winners. Thanks to our sponsors... Thump30 Guide Service, Cabela's, the Flint Hills Life Channel, The Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, and KVOE 1400 AM, Country 101.7 FM, Mix 104.9 FM and KVOE.com!

20/06/2024

Emporia has something fun to offer everyone, young and old alike!
Thanks for including What's in Outdoors in the Great American Worm Race and congratulations to the winners of the fishing combos!

19/06/2024

29/08/2023

We are once again at the Council Grove Marina with our friends Phil Taunton and Ginger A Taunton to draw the BIG WINNERS of the Summer Long, Family Fun Fishing contest. Thanks to all our wonderful sponsors and everyone who submitted an entry! Don't forget, the fun doesn't end with the contest... the Marina has lots of great events happening and there are fun things to do outdoors all year long. We will see you in May of 2024 for year 4!

27/08/2023

Big Sexy at his best!

27/08/2023

What a beautiful evening.
Met families and taught the benefits of fishing all day at PAROC.
Now it time to warble a tune or two and party!

25/08/2023

20 hours and counting. Hope to see you there!

Join us for our 7th annual Vamos a Pescar event tomorrow Saturday, August 26th at the Emporia State University Prophet Aquatic Research and Outreach Center, 601 E 18th Ave. it will be a fun day full of activities, but if fishing is what you are looking for, then come on down and join us and fish on King lake!