Visit Our Sponsor

FISHING REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 11, 2009

CENTRAL

Draper: Elevation normal and clear; crappie fair on jigs and minnows 7-9 ft. off fishing docks; try for walleye on windy days off dam with jigs. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County.

Hefner: Elevation normal, water 43 and murky. White bass good on jigs and grubs. Channel and blue catfish good on cut shad around the dam. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 30 ft. around the dam. Report submitted by Tim Campbell, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County.

Thunderbird: Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal and clear. Crappie fair to good on small minnows and jigs 8-10 ft around structure. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County.

NORTHEAST

Bell Cow: Elevation below normal, water clear. Crappie fair on jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.

Birch: Elevation normal. Crappie fair on chartreuse/black jigs at 20-25 ft. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage County.

Ft. Gibson: Elevation normal, water clear. Crappie good on electric chicken jigs and minnows at 15 to 25 ft. under the docks and in structure. Catfish good on cut bait and shad heads in the main channel. Largemouth bass starting to bite on crankbaits and jig and pig combinations in deep holes around structure. Report submitted by Rick Stafford with

Grand: Upper end: Elevation normal, water 42-52 and clear. Largemouth bass good on minnows, chrome rattletraps and jigs at 12-20 ft. Smallmouth bass fair in upper rivers. White bass good on grubs in chartreuse glitter, pearl white and pink/white at 4-6 ft. in the upper end of Elk River. Channel catfish good on shad and shad guts at 60 ft. around rock bluffs and main channel. Crappie good on minnows, shiners, rosy reds and grandpa's jigs in pink/chartreuse at 20 ft. Paddlefish excellent at 35-60 ft. in the Grand River channel. Report submitted by Grand Lake Sport's Center.

Greenleaf: Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on crankbaits, bill baits, jig and worms in creek channels, rocky points and along the shoreline. Catfish fair on fresh cut baits on bottom. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 18-22 ft. at fishing docks and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.

Kaw: Crappie good on 1/16 ounce tube jigs and minnows at 18-22 ft. around brush piles in the Washunga Bay area. Blue catfish fair on trotlines and juglines with fresh cut shad in the upper end of the lake. Report submitted by Marshall Reigh, game warden stationed in Grant and Kay counties.

Lower Illinois: Elevation normal, water 55 and clear. Channel catfish fair on cut bait on bottom from Gore Landing to the mouth of the river. Trout excellent on flies on the surface, on rooster tails at 2 ft. and on power bait on the bottom at Watt's, the dam and river access by Gore Landing. Fly-fishing excellent at Watt's. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.

Oologah: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water upper 40's to lower 50's and murky. Crappie fair on jigs and minnows around brush piles at15-18 ft. White bass and crappie fair on jigs below the dam. Report submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in Rogers County.

Pawhuska Lake: Elevation 8 ft. below normal, water 40 and clear. Trout excellent on pink/white power bait with 16 inch leaders and fair on rooster tails and other in-line spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage County.

Skiatook:  Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal, water low 40's and clear. Crappie fair on minnows at 20 ft. over brush piles. Report submitted by Paul Welch, game warden stationed in Osage County. For more information about Skiatook Lake

Sooner: White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on slabs and live shad in the lake. Report submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in Noble County.

Webbers Falls:. Elevation normal, water murky. Largemouth fair on bill baits and spinnerbaits along riprap, creek channels and rocky points. Catfish fair on fresh cut baits on bottom. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 16-20 ft. around brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.

NORTHWEST

Canton: Elevation 1 ft. above normal. Crappie good on minnows and jigs near brush along dam and Canadian area. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine County.

Ft. Supply: Elevation normal, water clear. White bass fair on jigs and spinnerbaits along the dam. Walleye fair on jigs and spinnerbaits along the dam and below the dam. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger, game warden stationed in Woodward County.

SOUTHEAST

Arbuckle: Lake down 4 1/2 ft., water 46 on main lake and clear to stained from algae bloom. Bass fishing fair to good on swim baits, crankbaits and brown jigs. White bass fair on spoons on main lake drop-offs. Report submitted by Jack Melton.

Blue River: Elevation below normal, water 40 and clear. Trout fair on powerbait, super dupers, mealworms, and in-line spinners.  Flyfishing good on red midges, egg patterns, soft hackle pheasant tails, and woolly buggers.  Black bass slow on soft plastics and small crankbaits.  Catfish slow on stinkbait and chicken liver. Report submitted by Matt Gamble, biologist at the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area.

Broken Bow: February 9. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair on jigs around structure in deeper water. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around structure. Look for walleye starting to run when water temperatures reach 45 degrees in the upper end on rouges and crawdad colored grubs. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Eufaula: Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water clear. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 10-20 ft. in riprap at I-40 and boat docks baited with brush. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.

Konawa: Elevation normal, water 45 and clear. Largemouth bass good on plastic worms at 5-8 ft. in cattails. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.

Lower Mountain Fork River: February 5. Trout good on small soft hackled flies and midges.  In Zone 2 a streamer, shad have been coming through the power house. Dry fly action has been really good at times using a small adams or blue winged olive. Some March Brown Mayflies have begun to hatch. Report submitted by Beavers Bend Fly Shop.

McGee Creek: Elevation 1 ft. below normal, 48 degrees, and clear. Largemouth bass fair on soft plastic lures and jig and pigs fished slowly at 20-30 ft. over underwater structure. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County.

Robert S. Kerr: Elevation normal, murky and 48 degrees. Largemouth bass slow on plastic baits and jigs at 8-10 ft. along riprap jetties and rocky areas. Crappie fair to good on minnows at 10 ft. around the edges of the old creek channels or drift fishing in the middle of the old channels. Blue catfish good on fresh cut shad at 20-30 ft. in the old Arkansas River channel. Report submitted by Rick Olzawski, game warden stationed in Haskell County.

Sardis Lake: Bass fair to good on crankbaits around points and creek channels and on spinnerbaits around cover, warmer afternoons best. Crappie excellent on minnows off of Jack Fork Bridge, on live minnows off of tower and on pink grubs or green and black around brush piles. Flathead catfish slow on jugs or trotlines with live bait. Blue and channel catfish fair on jugs and trotlines with cut bait or shrimp. White bass fair trolling around islands and on plugs. Walleye fair trolling around islands and on deep diving plugs around riprap. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.

Texoma: Elevation normal, water 47 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good around riprap. Striped and white bass fair to good south part of lake. Channel and blue catfish fair to good from Catfish Bay north. Crappie fair to good around underwater brush. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.

Wister: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water murky. Largemouth bass slow to fair on dark plastic baits around points and drop-offs. Crappie slow to fair with small spinnerbaits and jigs around brush piles and slow to fair on minnows below the dam area. Channel catfish slow to fair on juglines with on cut shad and liver. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.  

SOUTHWEST

Altus-Lugert: Elevation 9 ft. below normal and rising very slowly. Crappie fair. Trout in river fair. Report submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz Mountain State Park.

Ellsworth: Elevation 3 ft. below normal. crappie good on jigs and minnows at Ralph's Resort around the boathouses. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in Comanche County.

Ft. Cobb: Elevation 1/3 ft. above normal. Crappie slow on jigs around marina. Saugeye slow to fair along east end of dam. Catfish slow to fair on cut baits. Report submitted by James L. Edwards Jr., game warden stationed in Caddo County.

Lawtonka: Elevation 2ft. below normal. Crappie good on jigs and power bait at the dam. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in Comanche County.

Tom Steed: Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 20 ft. near the dam. Report submitted by David Smith, game warden stationed in Kiowa County.

Waurika: Elevation slightly below normal, water murky. Blue catfish fair on cut baits. 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.