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FISHING
REPORT FOR JANUARY 26, 2011
NORTHEAST
Copan:
January 23. Elevation slightly below normal, water clear. Crappie good on
minnows and hot pink jigs at 10-14 ft. near submerged structure north of
Washington Cove and on the north side of the dam. Catfish slow on cut shad
on bottom. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington County.
Greenleaf: January 24. Elevation normal. Catfish fair on cut bait on bottom.
Crappie fair on minnows and purple or black jigs around fishing docks.
Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
Hulah: January
23. Elevation normal, water clear. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs deep
near submerged structure on the north side of the dam. Report submitted by
Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Kaw:
January 24. Elevation above normal, water 35 and clear. The Bear Creek boat
ramp is inaccessible to large boats; all other ramps are open and usable.
Crappie excellent on minnows and jigs at 15-25 ft. under Washunga Bay Bridge
and Sarge Creek Bridge, and over brush piles throughout the lake. Blue
catfish slow on juglines baited with shad at 15-20 ft. in the Arkansas River
arm and fair on stinkbait in the Beaver Creek arm. Report submitted by
Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Kay County.
Lower
Illinois: January 24. Elevation normal, water 42 and clear. Channel catfish
good on cut bait on bottom all along the river. Trout excellent fly-fishing
the surface, on rooster tails and super dupers at 1-2 ft. and on power bait
on bottom above Gore Landing. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
Oologah:
January 23. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal, water low 50s and clear.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 15 ft. around brush piles. Report
submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in Rogers County.
Sooner:
January 24. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on live shad and sassy
shad in the discharge. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs in deeper water.
Report submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in Noble County.
Tenkiller: January 23. Elevation 7 ft. below normal and steady, water clear.
Crappie fair on tube jigs in mid lake coves and docks near hanging brush
early and late. Sunfish fair on 1/64 ounce worm tipped jigs. Report by Monte
Brooks, Cookson Village Resort.
Webbers
Falls: January 24. Elevation normal, water murky. Catfish fair on fresh cut
bait on bottom. Crappie fair on purple or black jigs around brush structure
and bridges. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in
Muskogee County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle:
January 22. Elevation 2 ft. below normal, water 43 and clear. Crappie being
caught off docks at first light. White bass being caught on C.C. Spoons on
humps and drop-offs in mid lake and at 45 ft. off ledges. Bass being caught
on finesse worms, rigged shakey or drop shot and on crankbaits in shad
pattern. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Broken
Bow: January 23. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good on jig and pig. Catfish
good on juglines baited with cut bait. Crappie good on jigs at 30-35 ft.
along structure. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in
McCurtain County.
Eufaula:
January 23. Elevation 4 ft. below normal, water clear. Crappie fair on small
minnows and small jigs at 8-20 ft. around boat docks with brush underneath.
Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo:
January 23. Elevation 2 1/2 feet below normal. Crappie fair on jigs along
the upper Kiamichi River channel. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game
warden stationed in Choctaw County.
Konawa:
January 23. Elevation normal, water 39 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on
crankbaits at 5-10 ft. around points and road beds. Report submitted by
Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.
McGee
Creek: January 23. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal, water 44 and clear.
Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 16-24 ft. around cedar brush off main
creek channels. Largemouth bass fair on soft plastic lures and dark colored
jig and pig at 12-25 ft. fished slowly around structure and off rocky
points. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka
County.
Pine
Creek: January 23. Elevation below normal, water clear. Bass good on slow
rolling crankbaits along old roadbeds. Crappie good on blue or pink jigs
fished near creek channels. Catfish fair to good on juglines baited with cut
shad. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain
County.
Sardis
Lake: January 23. Elevation below normal, water murky. Crappie fair to good
on minnows and jigs at 18-25 ft. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden
stationed in Pushmataha County.
Texoma:
January 23. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 45 and clear. Largemouth and
smallmouth bass fair to good on jigs and combination baits at 15-20 ft. off
the drop-offs and around riprap. Striped and white bass fair to good on live
bait, sassy shad and slabs at 15-20 ft. in the river channels. Channel and
blue catfish fair to good on minnows and cut shad at 10-20 ft. from Platter
Flats to the Washita River. Crappie fair to good on small minnows and jigs
at 5-15 ft. around the fish attractors and other underwater brush.
Paddlefish fair while generating below the dam. Report submitted by Danny
Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister:
January 23. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water murky. Largemouth bass
fair on dark colored jig and pig. Crappie fair to slow on minnows and jigs
at 18-25 ft. around structure. Channel catfish fair on juglines baited with
cut shad and liver. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed
in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert:
January 21. Elevation 16 ft. below normal and steady. Catfish fair to good.
Crappie fair. White bass fair to good. Walleye fair to good. Report
submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz Mountain Nature Center.
Foss:
January 25. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal with gates closed, water 40s
and clear. Striped bass hybrids good on slabs in deep water. Walleye fair on
live bait. Catfish slow to fair. Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B & K Bait
House.
WATERFOWL REPORT FOR JANUARY 19, 2011
NORTHWEST
Canton:
Lake level is 1.76 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are fair on the lake,
with winter wheat planted and harvested row crops in the area are in fair to
good condition. Duck season closed. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity
is low, with no reports of success. Some geese are roosting on the lake and
feeding on crop fields around the lake. Boat ramps are still usable on all
sides of the lake, but shallow water may be encountered leaving the cove
from the NW boatramp, and the Longdale ramp is usable by small boats only.
Ft.
Supply: Lake level is 0.23 ft above normal. Habitat conditions are fair,
with most local wheat up. Duck season closed. Goose numbers are low. Hunting
activity is moderate, with low success. Bird numbers decreased over the
weekend, but an increase was seen with the arrival of the recent cold front.
SOUTHWEST
Ft. Cobb:
Lake level is 0.80 ft below normal. Habitat condition is good, with fair
winter wheat. Duck numbers are high. Goose numbers are high. Hunter activity
is fair, with fair success. Geese in the area have been using the wheat
fields and returning to the lake during the middle of the day.
Hackberry: Flat reservoir is 6 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are good,
with winter wheat, some milo and native vegetation available. Duck numbers
are fair. Goose numbers are good. Hunting acitivy is moderate, with fair
success. No significant bird movement was observed in the area.
Mtn.
Park: Lake level is 2.02 ft below normal. Habitat condition is fair. Duck
numbers are low. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity is low, with fair
success. A group of ducks seen using the WDU area in the morning, and a good
concentration of birds also using the southwest portion of the lake.
Waurika:
Lake level is 1.00 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are poor on the lake,
but fair on the wetland units. Winter wheat in the area is in fair condition
for geese. Duck numbers a low. Goose numbers are fair. Hunting activity is
low, with no reports of success. A small decrease in the number of birds in
the area has been observed since the last survey.
NORTHEAST
Copan:
Lake level is 1.40 ft below normal. Habitat condition is good, with flooded
native plants on units in excellent condition. Duck numbers are low, but
increasing. Goose numbers are high, with mostly Canada's. Hunting activity
is high on weekends and low during the weekdays. Hunting success has been
low.
Eufaula:
Lake level is 3.80 ft below normal. Habitat conditions at current lake level
are very poor, and farming activity in the area is low. Duck numbers are
low. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity is very low, with no reports of
success. No significant bird movement has been observed in the area
recently. Lake elevation needs to rise a few feet before improved habitat is
available.
Ft.
Gibson: Lake level is 1.33 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are good,
with smartweed, barnyard grass and some agricultural crops in the area. Duck
numbers are moderate to high. Goose numbers are moderate. Hunting activity
is moderate, with good success. No significant bird movement has been seen
in the area.
Hulah:
Lake level is 1.20 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are poor. Duck
numbers are low. Goose numbers are moderate. Hunting activity moderate, with
low success. Most bird movement in the area was observed on the lake.
Kaw: Lake
level is 0.10 ft above normal. Habitat conditions are poor, with low
quantities of millet sedges and natural waterfowl vegetation. Duck numbers
are low. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity is light, with fair
success. Bird movement in the area has been low.
Keystone:
Lake level is 3.39 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are poor due to
storage of water in the flood pool over the summer, and many sloughs and
cutoffs that are typically hunted are dry. WDUs are currently dry due to
renovation work. Duck numbers are low. Goose numbers are low. Small numbers
of birds seen migrating through the area, but none are staying due to poor
conditions. Cottonwood Creek WDU is currently dry and will not be pumped
this year due to renovation work.
Oologah:
Lake level is 1.47 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are poor at current
lake level, with no flooded millet, some plants on the edge of the lake and
ag fields around the lake in poor condition. Duck numbers are good, with
American wigeon, ring-necked, hooded mergansers, common mergansers,
buffleheads, mallards and gadwalls. Goose numbers are good, with a mix
resident Canadas and migrants in the area. Hunting activity is moderate to
high, with fair to good success. Bird numbers are the best yet for this
season.
Sooner:
Lake level is 3.00 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are poor, with winter
wheat stressed around lake. Duck numbers are fair, with mostly mallards.
Goose numbers are fair, with mostly Canada geese. Hunting activity has been
moderate, with fair success. No significant bird movement was observed in
the area recently.
Webber
Falls: Lake level is 2.34 ft above normal. Habitat conditions are good, with
smartweed, barnyard grass, bidens, cut soybeans, corn, milo and wheat in the
area. Duck numbers are moderate to high. Goose numbers are moderate. Hunting
activity is moderate, with good success. No significant bird movement has
been seen in the area.
SOUTHEAST
Hugo:
Lake level is 4.00 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are poor due to water
level. Duck numbers are low, with mainly mallards. A group of 1,500 snow
geese were seen on the lake this week. Hunting activity is low, with low
success. No significant bird movement was observed in the area.
Red
Slough: Units 27A, 27B, 30 & 38 are mostly full. Units 15, 31 & 37 have
enough water to make the usable. Other units are dry. Excellent wild forage
overall in the area. Duck numbers are fair, with around 3,000 birds
observed. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity is low, with fair success.
No significant bird movement was observed in the area.
Sequoyah
NWR: Food conditions in the area are excellent. Duck numbers: mallards
2,226; pintail 20; green-winged teal 16; shoveler 26. Goose numbers:
snow/blue 9,223.
Texoma:
Lake level is 0.69 ft below normal. Habitat conditions are fair with good
Japanese millet. Duck numbers are low. Goose numbers are low. Hunting
activity is light, with fair success. A rise in water level and cooler
temperatures are needed in order to see an increase in bird numbers.
Oklahoma Spoonbill Fishing
Dustin Newer
April 2010
These were
caught near the Twin Bridges State park fishing with Dempsey’s Guide
Service…My fishing partner is a well known OkieFish contributor but I
will let her send in the pics of the 60 lber she caught.
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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