FISHING REPORT FOR APRIL 29, 2009
CENTRAL
Draper: Elevation normal and murky. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs
off fishing docks and structure. Largemouth bass fair to good on tandem
spinnerbaits in coves with structure. White bass good on white grubs at
water inlet. Report submitted by Chad Strang, game warden stationed in
Cleveland County.
Hefner: Elevation normal, water murky. White bass good on white jigs and
spinnerbaits. Channel and blue catfish good on cut shad. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs along the rocks. Walleye good trolling the riprap. Report
submitted by Tim Campbell, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County.
Overholser: Elevation normal, water clear. White bass and striped bass
hybrids fair along windy shorelines and tailwaters below the dam. Channel
catfish fair on cut baits along windy shorelines and tailwaters below the
dam. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 18-24 inches along the shorelines
and tailwaters below the dam. Report submitted by Ron Comer, game warden
stationed in Canadian County.
Thunderbird: Elevation normal and murky. Crappie good on small minnows and
jigs at 3-4 ft. around structure in evenings. Largemouth bass fair on tandem
spinnerbaits in shallow coves on structure. Channel catfish fair on cut bait
and stinkbait off points. Saugeye fair off windy points on crankbaits and
jigs on overcast days. Report submitted by Chad Strang, game warden
stationed in Cleveland County.
NORTHEAST
Bell Cow: Elevation below normal, water clear. Bass good on plastic lures.
Catfish fair on doughbaits. Crappie excellent on jigs. Report submitted by
Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Birch: Elevation above normal, water 60. White bass and striped bass hybrids
good below dam on chartreuse and white jigs. Crappie excellent at 2-3 ft. on
jigs and minnows. Catfish fair on worms and livers below dam and in coves.
Largemouth good on spinnerbaits and soft plastics at 4-5 ft. around
structure. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage
County.
Carl Blackwell: Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 62 and murky. Crappie
good on minnows and jigs at 2-5 ft. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits and
plastic baits. Striped bass hybrids good on live bait and crankbaits,
Catfish good on most all baits. Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game
warden stationed in Payne County.
Chandler: Bass good on spinnerbaits and plastic lures. Channel catfish fair
on doughbaits. Crappie good on jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game
warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Copan: Elevation above normal and murky. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at
10-14 ft. around submerged structure. Channel catfish fair on stinkbaits and
worms below the dam. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden
stationed in Washington County.
Eucha: Elevation normal, water 65 and murky. Crappie fair on jigs and
minnows around brush and structure at 10-12 ft. Largemouth bass fair on
spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa Fisheries.
Greenleaf: Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on
spinnerbaits and crankbaits along shorelines and creek channels. Catfish
good on fresh cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on minnows and yellow and
white jigs at the fishing dock. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden
stationed in Muskogee County.
Hudson: Elevation normal. Largemouth bass good on plastic lures and
spinnerbaits. White bass good on small lures and jigs in the upper end of
the lake into mouths of creeks feeding into the main river and below the
dam. Channel and blue catfish good on juglines and trotlines with cut shad.
Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs in brush pile areas. Paddle fish
good in the upper end of the lake. Report submitted by Steve Loveland, game
warden stationed in Rogers and Mayes counties.
Hulah: Elevation above normal and murky. Crappie at 10-14 ft. near
structure. Channel and blue catfish good on cut shad and stinkbait below the
dam. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington
County.
Kaw: Elevation is 4 1/2 ft. above normal and rising. Blue catfish fair on
fresh shad in upper Coon Creek and Arkansas River. Crappie and white bass
good in Beaver, Otter and Bear creeks before recent rains, rising lake
levels will probably slow this fishing down. Report submitted by Marshall
Reigh, game warden stationed in Grant and Kay Counties.
Keystone: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal. Largemouth bass fair on Colorado
blade spinnerbaits and black neon tube jigs at 3-6 ft. in creeks and back of
coves. Smallmouth bass slow on small jig and chunk and crankbaits in red
crawdad color at 6-10 ft. along gravel banks in Salt Creek area. Spotted
bass fair on small crankbaits in crawdad color and small jig and chunk at
4-8 ft. in main lake pockets. White bass fair on minnows and roadrunners at
4-8 ft. in creeks in upper lake. Striped bass fair on live shad and buck
tails at 3-6 ft. below the dam. Channel catfish good on worms and liver at
4-8 ft. in creeks and coves. Blue catfish good on cut shad and worms at 5-10
ft. along sloping secondary points in coves with rocky banks. Flathead
catfish fair on live shad and goldfish at 6-10 ft. in deep coves with bluff
banks. Crappie fair on minnows and red and chartreuse jigs at 3-12 ft. in
coves with spawning banks. Report submitted by Woody's Bait and Tackle.
Lower Illinois: Elevation normal, water 57 and clear. Largemouth bass fair
on crankbaits at 1-3 ft. all along the river. White bass fair on jigs and
spinnerbaits at 1-3 ft. all along the river. Striped bass fair on jigs and
shad at 2-3 ft. at Gore Landing. Channel catfish good on cut bait on bottom
all along river. Crappie fair on jigs and spinnerbaits on bottom all along
the river. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
Skiatook: Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water mid 50s and murky. Largemouth
bass fair on spinnerbaits. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on soft
plastic lures off windy points. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 5-10 ft.
Report submitted by Paul Welch, game warden stationed in Osage County.
Sooner: White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on slabs and live shad.
Catfish fair on cut baits and live baits in channels and up by the dam where
they are pumping water. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around brush piles.
Report submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in Noble County.
Spavinaw: Elevation slightly above normal, water 65 and clear. Crappie fair
on jigs and minnows around the dam area. Largemouth bass fair on
spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa Fisheries.
Tenkiller: Elevation 3 ft. above normal, water 59-60 and clear in lower end
and stained in upper end. Largemouth bass fair on main lake points on a
variety of baits. Crappie fair in brush at 15-20 ft. brush on jigs. Catfish
fair on flip-flops at 40-60 ft. on cut baits. White bass slow with some
action trolling mid-lake. Report by Monte Brooks Cookson Village Resort.
Webbers Falls: Elevation normal, water murky. Largemouth bas good on
spinnerbaits, plastic worms and crankbaits in riprap, creek channels and
moss beds. Catfish good on fresh cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on purple
jigs and minnows at 1-9 ft. around brush structure, bridges and shoreline.
Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
NORTHWEST
Canton: Elevation 1/2 ft above normal. Walleye good on jigs, crankbaits and
minnows in upper end of lake. Striped bass hybrids and channel catfish good
on night crawlers and live sunfish along thunder road. Crappie fair near
brush piles in Indian Cove. White bass good on jigs and slabs along dam and
near drop-offs. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in
Blaine County.
Ft. Supply: Elevation above normal, water clear. White bass fair on jigs and
spinnerbaits, still running up river. Crappie fair on minnows, jigs and
spinnerbaits in jetties and Crappie Cove. Report submitted by Mark
Reichenberger, game warden stationed in Woodward County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: Stained from wind and algae bloom, water 64-66. Crappie good on
chartreuse jigs at 3-4 ft. around docks and in shallow water. White bass are
in the shallows mostly on flats. Bass are hitting flukes, spinnerbaits, jigs
and crankbaits. Channel catfish are being caught on doughbaits. Report
submitted by Jack Melton.
Broken Bow: Elevation rising, water high 50s. Largemouth bass are still
schooling. White bass run is slowing down. Report submitted by Dru Polk,
game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Eufaula: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good
on spinnerbaits and crankbaits at 2-5 ft. in rocky areas. White bass good on
jigs below the dam when water is running. Blue catfish fair on shad in
shallow flats. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 1-6 ft. along the banks.
Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo: Elevation slightly above normal, water 59. Largemouth bass good on
spinnerbaits. Catfish fair on trotlines with cut baits. Crappie good on
minnows at 2-4 ft. around brush structure. Report submitted by Jay Harvey,
game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan counties.
Konawa: Elevation normal, water 65 and clear. Largemouth bass good on
plastic worms at 3-5 ft. in the cattails. White bass and striped bass
hybrids good on minnows and jigs at 15 ft. in the discharge canal. Channel
catfish fair on chicken liver at 5-10 ft. along the points. Report submitted
by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.
McGee Creek: Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 62 and clear. Largemouth
bass fair to good on black and blue jigs and avocado colored soft plastic
baits fished at 3-6 ft. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden
stationed in Atoka County.
Murray: Elevation below normal, water clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass
good on various lures. White bass good on crankbaits and topwater lures in
creek channels on the north end of the lake, early and late. Channel catfish
are picking up on chicken liver and stinkbaits. Crappie slow to fair on
minnows and jigs around brush piles and along the bank in shallow water.
Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game warden stationed in Carter County.
Pine Creek: Elevation above normal and murky. Bass fair on soft plastics
when fished slowly around timber. Crappie fair on minnows around flooded
timber and around the old bridge. Catfish good on liver and cut shad. Report
submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Robert S. Kerr: Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 64 and murky.
Largemouth bass fair on soft plastic baits and crankbaits at 3-5 ft. along
the shoreline. White bass fair. Catfish good on fresh cut bait on shad at
5-10 ft. in old creek channels. Crappie are just getting started, being
caught on minnows and jigs in deeper water. Report submitted by Leland
Sockey, game warden stationed in Haskell County.
Sardis: Elevation above normal. Bass good in grass beds or shallows up to
1-5 ft. deep on chatter bait, spinner baits and plugs also good on
watermelon lizards. Crappie excellent off of Jack Fork Bridge and half
bridge with minnows and off of tower on live minnows, and on brush piles
using pink grubs or green and black. Flathead catfish fair on juglines or
trotlines with shad. Blue and channel catfish fair on juglines and trotlines
with cut bait or shrimp or shad. White bass fair up creek and excellent when
found surfacing on lake. Walleye fair trolling around islands on rattle
traps. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Pushmataha
County.
Texoma: Elevation normal, water 62 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass
fair to good around the points. Striped and white bass fair to good in the
river channels. Channel and blue catfish fair to good in the Washita River
arm of the lake. Crappie fair to good at 1-5 ft. in spawning areas. Sunfish
good around the fishing docks. Paddlefish fair to good below the dam. Report
submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister: Elevation 2 ˝ ft. above normal and murky. Largemouth bass good on
watermelon and avocado lizards, dark plastics and spinnerbaits around points
and drop-offs. White bass slowing down on white road runners and
rattletraps. Crappie good with small spinnerbaits and pink jigs around brush
piles and good on minnows and pink jigs and grubs below dam area. Channel
catfish good on juglines with cut shad and liver, best on red worms below
dam area. Flathead catfish fair to good on live sunfish. Report submitted by
Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert: Elevation 6 1/2 ft. below normal and rising very slowly.
Crappie, striped bass hybrids and walleye fair to good. Report submitted by
Sue Hokanson, Quartz Mountain State Park.
Ellsworth: Elevation 4 ft. below normal and murky. Crappie fair to good on
minnows and jigs. Catfish fair on cut bait. Report submitted by Mike
Carroll, game warden stationed in Comanche County.
Foss: Elevation normal, water 58 and clear. Gates closed. Walleye good on
rocks in front of dam. Striped bass hybrid fair. White bass fair with live
bait. Catfish fair. Crappie fair. Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B & K
Bait House.
Ft. Cobb: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal. Crappie fair on jigs and minnows
in shallow water. Striped bass hybrids slow to fair. Catfish slow to fair on
cut baits. Report submitted by James L. Edwards Jr., game warden stationed
in Caddo County.
Lawtonka: Elevation 3 1/2 ft. below normal and clear. Catfish fair to good
on cut bait. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in
Comanche County.
Tom Steed: White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on large minnows off
points. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs in Otter and Glen Creek.
Report submitted by David Smith, game warden stationed in Kiowa County.
Waurika: Elevation slightly below normal. Blue catfish fair on cut baits.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs at the Chisholm boat ramp, Wichita Ridge,
Walker Creek, Coral Ridge and the marina. Report submitted by Phillip
Cottrill, game warden stationed in Cotton County.
Huge striped bass hybrid takes lake
record spot at Canton
Lifelong Oklahoma angler James Wesley Jones, Jr. of Canton said
he loves fishing because it is a relaxing activity, but there was likely no
relaxing going on April 19 when he landed a 23.2-lb. (23 lbs., 3 oz.)
striped bass hybrid from Canton Lake. The huge fish qualifies as a lake
record for Canton
and falls only about an ounce shy of taking the state record spot as well,
which is held by Paul Hollister and his 23-lb., 4 oz. fish caught April 1,
1997, from Altus-Lugert
Lake.
Jones caught his fish in the evening using a 1-oz. rattletrap.
Though the hybrid fell short of the state record, it reminds anglers that if
they catch a potential state record fish, they should contact an employee of
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for procedures on
certifying state records. Lake
record fish are weighed on scales through lake record keepers registered
with the Wildlife Department, but the weighing of state records must be done
on certified scales with a witness from the Wildlife Department present.
Jones said the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s
new Lake Record Fish Program does more than just recognize fish, but that it
also encourages the sport of fishing. Before the program was in place, his
near state record fish could have gone overlooked by anglers across the
state, but the recognition his fish received through the Lake Record Fish
Program reminds anglers of the potential that Oklahoma’s lakes hold for
producing monster-sized fish.
“It gets people motivated to fish knowing that there are larger
fish in the lake,” Jones said.
He said it is common in discussions among anglers to wonder
about the sizes of the largest fish caught in lakes across the state.
“You don’t have to wonder anymore,” he said. “You can just go on
and find out.”
Jones is referring to the Wildlife Department’s Web site,
wildlifedepartment.com, which includes an easily-operated search feature
that allows those interested to view a wealth of lake record fish
information, ranging from the size of record fish caught to what kind of
bait or rod and reel was used to catch them. And right now, lake records are
being set and broken on a regular basis, which means the wealth of
information on the Web site is updating and growing regularly as well.
Other recent lake records include a 4.8-lb. smallmouth bass
caught by Derek Thurman of
Collinsville. His fish went down as a record
smallmouth for Skiatook Lake, but that record was broken just days later, on
April 5, when angler Jim Horn of Cleveland landed a 6.6-lb. smallmouth bass
from Skiatook using a bait casting rod and reel set up with a jig.
Lakes included in the program include Arbuckle, Broken Bow,
Canton, Eufaula, Ft.
Cobb, Grand, Kaw, Keystone,
Sardis, Skiatook, Tenkiller, Texoma and Thunderbird.
Species eligible for spots in the lake records book include
blue, channel and flathead catfish and largemouth, smallmouth and spotted
bass in addition to crappie, paddlefish, striped bass, striped bass hybrids,
sunfish (combined) walleye/saugeye and white bass. Minimum weights are set
for each species are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
Anglers who catch a potential record from a participating lake
should contact designated business locations around the lake that are
enrolled as lake record keepers. A listing of official lake record keepers
is available on wildlifedepartment.com.
Once it has been determined that an angler has landed a record
fish, the media is notified and the public will be able to view information
about the catch on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
All past and current state record fish are registered in the
Lake Record Fish Program as records for their respective lakes.
To see the complete database of all lake record fish caught, or
to learn more about the Lake Record Fish program, log on to the Wildlife
Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.
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