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FISHING REPORT FOR APRIL 15, 2009
 
CENTRAL
 
Draper: Elevation normal and murky. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs off fishing docks. Largemouth bass fair to good on tandem spinnerbaits in coves with structure. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County.
 
Overholser: Elevation normal, water murky. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on grubs, crawdads, minnows and jigs along windy shorelines and below the dam. Flathead catfish fair on cut baits and shad along the shoreline. Report submitted by Ron Comer, game warden stationed in Canadian County.
 
Thunderbird: Elevation normal and muddy. Crappie good on small minnows and jigs at 3-6 ft. around structure. Crappie are beginning to move up into shallower water in evenings. Largemouth bass fair on tandem spinnerbaits in shallow coves on structure. Channel catfish fair on cut bait and stinkbait off points. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County.
 
Wes Watkins: Water 54-61 and very murky, many of the feed-in creeks are very muddy. White bass fair to good trolling crankbaits at 8 ft. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around brush structures in shallow water. Catfish fair to good on chicken liver, bait shrimp, minnows, worms and various stinkbaits. Largemouth bass fair to good on spinnerbaits, rattletraps, purple worms and other soft plastic lures in shallow water, some action in late afternoon as water warms up. Report submitted by M. Fowler.
 
NORTHEAST
 
Bell Cow: Elevation below normal, water murky. Channel catfish fair on doughbaits and minnows. Crappie fair on jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
 
Birch: Water 54 and stained. Channel catfish fair on worms and livers below the dam. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 1-4 ft. off the bank. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage County.
 
Carl Blackwell: Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 55 and stained. Crappie good at 10-12 ft. and starting to move in. Saugeye fair trolling with crankbaits. Catfish fair on cut bait and stinkbait. Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game warden stationed in Payne County.
 
Chandler: Elevation below normal, water clear. Channel catfish fair cut bait. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
 
Copan: Elevation normal and murky. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 10-14 ft. near submerged structure. Channel catfish fair on worms and stinkbait below the dam. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
 
Ft. Gibson: Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water 54 and murky. This is the week we have been waiting for white bass are exploding at the mouth of all the creeks and in the main river. Paddlefish are loading up around the low water area and the main river from Mission Bend North. White Bass are biting on white grubs, rooster tails and jigs. Crappie are moving into the shallow water and brush piles all over the lake and biting real good on minnows and jigs. Largemouth bass are biting on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jig and pig combinations in shallow water along the banks. The rain earlier in the week will trigger all the catfish to start biting so rig up with some night crawlers, cut shad and garlic hot dog wieners. Fish the creek and river mouths that connect to the lake on the bottom and tight line for some great action this week. Report submitted by Rick Stafford with 3riverguideservice.com
 
Grand: Upper end: Elevation slightly above normal, water 46-58 and murky to muddy. Largemouth bass good on crankbaits and jigs at 10-12 ft. White bass fair on chartreuse grubs, pearl white grubs and white rooster tails in upper rivers. Channel, blue and flathead catfish good on shad, goldfish, brooders and night crawlers at 15-30 ft and on secret seven dip bait up rivers and around log jams. Crappie good on Grandpa's jigs, minnows, tube skirts and Bobby Garland's in blue and pink at 18-22 ft.; spawn is near, blood forming on eggs. Paddlefish excellent in Neosho and Spring Rivers. Report submitted by Grand Lake Sport's Center.
 
Greenleaf: Elevation normal and clear. Largemouth bass good on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, beavertail worms watermelon colored. Catfish good on fresh cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on jigs with red head and yellow tail. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
 
Hudson: Elevation 1 ft. above normal. Largemouth bass fair to good on crankbaits and plastic baits. White bass good on small lures and minnows in the upper end of the lake and mouths of creeks. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs around brush pile areas. Paddlefish 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. Channel and blue catfish good below the dam on cut shad and stinkbait. Crappie fair near structure at 10-14 ft. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.

Kaw: Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 53 and muddy. Blue catfish good on cut shad in the Coon Creek and Washunga Bay areas on juglines with cut shad. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 3-12 ft. in Bear, Wolf and Beaver creeks. Paddlefish snagging remains slow below the dam. Significant rain and water releases should improve the fishing dramatically. Report submitted by Tracy Daniel, game warden stationed in Kay County.
 
Lower Illinois: Elevation normal, water 54 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on stinkbait at 1-3 ft. Striped bass fair on jigs at 1-3 ft. in the mouth of the river. Trout excellent on rooster tails at 1-2 ft., on power bait on bottom and on flies along the surface. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
 
Oologah: Elevation 3 ft. above normal, water in lower 50's and muddy. Crappie fair in creek channels on jigs at 10 ft. around standing timber and around brush piles. White bass fair on jigs in creeks running into the lake. Crappie, white bass and striped bass hybrids fair on jigs below the dam. Report submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in Rogers County.
 
Skiatook: Elevation 3 1/2 ft. above normal, water 50 and muddy. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. White bass fair on spinnerbaits off of windy shorelines. Striped bass hybrids fair on spinnerbaits off of windy shorelines. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs along creek channels. Report submitted by Paul Welch, game warden stationed in Osage County.
 
Webbers Falls: Elevation 2 ft. above normal. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits in creek channels. Catfish good on cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on minnows or purple colored jigs around brush structure, bridges and jetties. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
 
NORTHWEST
 
Canton: Elevation 1/2 ft above normal. Walleye good along dam after sundown on jigs and crankbaits. White bass good in upper end of lake. Striped bass hybrids good from beach to Longdale landing on crawdads and night crawlers. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine County.
 
Ft. Supply: Elevation normal and clear. White bass fair on jigs, spinnerbaits and minnows. Walleye fair on minnows below the dam and along the shoreline. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger, game warden stationed in Woodward County.
 
SOUTHEAST
 
Arbuckle: Elevation 6 ft. below normal, water 57 and stained with algae bloom and high winds. Crappie fishing off docks and marked brush piles using jigs and minnows. White bass scattered, some in shallows in upper creek arms. Bass hitting lizards, rattletraps, crankbaits along channels and swim baits. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
 
Blue River: Elevation below normal, water 56 and clear. Trout slow on spinnerbaits and power bait. Smallmouth and spotted bass good on soft plastics and small, shallow diving crankbaits. Channel catfish excellent on minnows, worms, and chicken liver Report submitted by Matt Gamble, biologist at the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area.
 
Broken Bow: Elevation rising, water high 50s. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good around structure. Spotted bass starting to school, being caught on buzzbaits early and late. White bass fair on yellow rooster tails and chartreuse grubs with 5 inch troll tails and 1/4 ounce lead heads, still running up Mountain Fork River. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
 
Eufaula: Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water stained. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in shallow rocky areas. White bass good on jigs below the dam when water is running. Blue catfish fair on shad along shallow flats. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 1-5 ft. along banks. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.
 
Hugo: Elevation 1 ft. above normal and water 57. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 4-6 ft. preceding the cold fronts. Largemouth bass fair around the button brush. Catfish fair on cut bait along the river channel. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan counties.
 
Konawa: Elevation normal, water 55 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on plastic worms at 3-5 ft. along cattails. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on jigs and shad at 15 ft. in the discharge canal. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.
 
Lower Mountain Fork River: We had some great reports from zone 3 (the area below the Re-Regulation Dam down to Presbyterian Falls). Zone 2 continues to be the most challenging area to fish. The fish are there, but they are stream wise "holdovers". That area is not stocked often. Best flies seem to be very small dry flies or soft hackles. Today, three folks told me that last evening (Tue, April 7) they witnessed the most prolific hatch they had ever seen.  One man said it looked like a "snowstorm", "everything was hatching" seems as though at least a couple of species of each insect was represented in this hatch. This occurred in the Evening Hole section of the river. Report submitted by Beavers Bend Fly Shop.
 
McGee Creek: Elevation 1 ft. below normal, 59 degrees and clear. Largemouth bass fair to good on spinnerbaits at 4-7 ft. in standing timber in the upper end of lake. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County
 
Murray: Elevation below normal, water clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good on various baits. White bass good trolling minnows and jigs and at night around structure. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game warden stationed in Carter County.
 
Pine Creek: Elevation normal and murky. Bass have slowed down but can still be caught on soft plastics by slowly rolling them across the bottom. Crappie good on blue/white jigs and minnows at 10 ft. Catfish good on cut shad. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
 
Sardis Lake: Elevation normal. Bass good in grass beds or shallows at 1-5 ft. deep on chatter bait, spinnerbaits and plugs also good on watermelon lizards. 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 fair on juglines or trotlines with shad. Blue and channel catfish fair on juglines and trotlines with cut bait, shrimp or shad. White bass good on grubs, starting run when flows increase from rains in creeks. Walleye fair trolling rattletraps around islands. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.
 
Texoma: Elevation normal, water 58 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good on combination baits around the riprap. Striped and white bass fair to good on live bait and sassy shad from Platter Flats south. Channel and blue catfish fair to good on cut baits and worms from the Highway 70 Bridge north. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs around areas with underwater brush. Paddlefish fair to good below the dam. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
 
Wister: Elevation 5 ft. above normal and murky. Largemouth bass good on dark plastics and spinnerbaits at points and drop-offs. White bass good on white roadrunners and rattletraps, upper Poteau River below dam area. Crappie good with small spinnerbaits and pink jigs around brush piles, on minnows and pink jigs below dam area. Channel catfish good on cut shad and liver with juglines baited with red worms below dam area. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.   
 
SOUTHWEST
 
Altus-Lugert: Elevation 7 ft. below normal and rising very slowly. Crappie fair to good. Striped bass hybrids and walleye fair to good. Report submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz Mountain State Park.
 
Foss: Elevation normal, water 52 and clear, gates closed. Crappie fair around enclosed fish house. White bass fair. Catfish fair. Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B & K Bait House.
 
Ft. Cobb: Elevation 1/3 ft. above normal and steady. Catfish slow to fair on cut baits. Largemouth bass slow to fair. Report submitted by James L. Edwards Jr., game warden stationed in Caddo County.
 
Tom Steed: White bass and striped bass fair on minnows off points. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 10-12 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 juglines with live bait and cut bait. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at Coral, Wichita 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.