Beta

GuidedFloats is in beta. The full site launches March 1, 2027. The mobile app follows.

Guides: claim before March 1, 2027 and your first full season of Premium is free. Claim your founding spot →

Log in List your guide serviceFor guides
Home › Waters › Kansas › Milford Lake
Reservoir · Flint Hills · Kansas

Milford Lake Fishing Guides

The largest lake in Kansas, on the Republican River in the Flint Hills, with a wiper and walleye fishery that draws anglers from across the state.

Boats moored along a wooded lakeshore under blue sky
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Milford Lake

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

No guides listed yet

Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.

About the Milford Lake

Milford is the largest lake in Kansas, a Corps reservoir on the Republican River just north of Junction City in the eastern edge of the Flint Hills. It is big, open and wind-swept, and the fishing on it is built around open-water species rather than shoreline cover.

Walleye and wipers are the headline. Wipers, the white bass and striped bass hybrid, are stocked heavily and grow fast in the fertile water, and chasing schooling wipers across open water on a summer morning is one of the signature experiences of Kansas fishing. Walleye are fished on the points and flats and trolled through the summer. White bass run up the Republican in spring in numbers.

The catfishing is excellent and often overlooked, with blue catfish reaching serious size in the main lake and channel cats abundant everywhere. Crappie hold on brush and the riprap, and there are both largemouth and smallmouth bass on the rock.

Wind is the defining condition. There is very little shelter on Milford, and a hard south wind can make most of the lake unfishable while turning the protected north-facing shorelines into the best water on the lake. Learning to use the wind rather than hide from it is most of what local knowledge means here.

Milford also has an outlet fishery below the dam and a set of wetlands and river ponds nearby, which gives bank anglers and small-boat anglers somewhere to go on a day when the main lake is unfishable. On a windy weekend that is not a consolation prize, it is the sensible plan.

The gauge below reports pool elevation and stored volume. Milford runs a seasonal flood-control pattern, and because the lake has broad shallow flats at the upper end, the level decides how much of that water is fishable at all.

This water needs a real photo

The photo at the top of this page is not Milford Lake.

It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.

Add a photo of this water See the badges

Pioneer badgeUnclaimed

Add a photo of this water

Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.

Never published. It is how the badge is held for you until member accounts open.

Posting to Milford Lake.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. Landscape orientation looks best at the top of the page. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name printed under the photo and on your badge. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Pool right now

1,145.87ft NGVD29
  • 24 hours+0.05 ft → steady
  • Storage398,200 acre-ft
  • For the dateAbout normal for the date

Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 06857050, MILFORD LAKE NR JUNCTION CITY, KS. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.

Fished this water? Add a photo

Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.

Never published. We use it only if we need to ask about the photo.

Posting to Milford Lake.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Lake level alert

Tell me when the pool at Milford Lake ft (NGVD29)

Now: 1,145.87 ft pool elevation, read 10:30 pm CDT, Wed Oct 21, 2026 (USGS 06857050, MILFORD LAKE NR JUNCTION CITY, KS).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Milford State Park: ramps, camping and the main developed access.
School Creek and Curtis Creek: Corps ramps on the west side.
Farnum Creek and Timber Creek: additional Corps launches.
Dam area near Junction City: deep water and bank access.
Republican River above the lake: the spring white bass run.
Outlet below the dam: bank fishing and a separate river fishery.
Note: very little shelter from wind. Check the forecast before you launch.

Seasons

Winter: quiet water, deep walleye, and catfish still catchable.
Spring: the white bass run and the walleye spawn, the busiest weeks of the year.
Summer: wipers schooling on open water at dawn, catfish on the flats.
Fall: cooling water concentrates walleye and wipers and the crowds thin.

From the water

No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.

Log this water

Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.

Questions

What species can you catch on the Milford Lake?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, White Crappie, Wiper on the Milford Lake in Kansas.

Where can you access the Milford Lake?

Milford State Park: ramps, camping and the main developed access. School Creek and Curtis Creek: Corps ramps on the west side. Farnum Creek and Timber Creek: additional Corps launches. Dam area near Junction City: deep water and bank access. Republican River above the lake: the spring white bass run. Outlet below the dam: bank fishing and a separate river fishery. Note: very little shelter from wind. Check the forecast before you launch.

When is the best time to fish the Milford Lake?

Winter: quiet water, deep walleye, and catfish still catchable. Spring: the white bass run and the walleye spawn, the busiest weeks of the year. Summer: wipers schooling on open water at dawn, catfish on the flats. Fall: cooling water concentrates walleye and wipers and the crowds thin.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Milford Lake?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Kansas agency site: https://ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Fishing-Regulations