By David Markham

As of Jan. 1, separate county fishing permits will no longer be required to fish in Johnson County Park and Recreation District waters.

This change is the result of a memorandum of understanding recently approved between the Johnson County Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Under this agreement, KDWP will take over management of JCPRD lakes. In exchange, JCPRD will receive increased state support for its fisheries.

Kansas State Fishing Licenses and State Trout Permits, where applicable, will still be required. No changes are being made to JCPRD boating and archery permits, which are still required for those activities.

“The decision to remove the JCPRD fishing and trout permits is part of a broader effort to remove a barrier to fishing and collaborate with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks,” said Natural Resources Manager Matt Garrett.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” added Superintendent of Parks and Golf Courses Bill Maasen. “One of the things that got me thinking about this is that the (Johnson County) Library got rid of fines for late books. If that kept people from getting books, then get rid of it! And that’s how I look at fishing.”

All JCPRD bodies of water where fishing is allowed will transition to standard statewide creel and length limits. Johnson County Park Police will still be enforcing creel limits in JCPRD parks. Lakeside kiosks will be updated in early 2025 to reflect the new limits. To see KDWP fishing limits, visit KDWP Home / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com).

In all, fishable lakes and ponds in nine JCPRD parks are identified in the MOU and include bodies of water in: Antioch, Big Bull Creek, Blue River Steamway, Heritage, Kill Creek, Lexington Lake, Meadowbrook and Shawnee Mission parks.

Under the agreement, KDWP will provide technical assistance and guidance to accomplish fishery management goals, and fish for stocking in JCPRD bodies of water.

“KDWP’s local fisheries biologist is already stocking JCPRD lakes and conducting population surveys with JCPRD staff,” Garrett noted. “Management decisions for all county lakes will still be a collaboration with JCPRD natural resource staff.”

2025 will be a transition year for JCPRD’s trout program in Shawnee Mission and Kill Creek park lakes.

“Currently, we buy and stock trout and then fishermen buy a separate permit for that,” Maasen said. “In 2024, we stocked trout already and those fish will be catchable, but in the new year, you’ll have to have a state trout tag to fish for trout. In 2025, JCPRD is paying for February and December trout stockings, and in 2026, we’ll be in the state program, where they’ll stock those two lakes.”

He noted that about the same amount of trout will be stocked, but this will be done in two stockings rather than three as in the past.

David Markham is communications specialist at the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.