New Kaw lake record
flathead hooked
If Lesley McNeff of Mustang had caught her 78 lb. flathead catfish from Kaw
Lake this time last year, she may have been the only one to cherish the
sweet memory, but since she caught it March 8 of this year, the big cat will
go down in the record books.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation initiated its Lake Record
Fish Program in February, 2008, to recognize the biggest fish from a number
of lakes across the state, as well as the anglers who reel them in.
McNeff’s catfish goes down as the first lake record flathead catfish and the
third lake record caught since the inception of the program. It was caught
on a trotline baited with whole shad, and McNeff, 25, and her father braved
cold weather to bring home the fish.
“It was really cold,” McNeff said. “It was 19 degrees when we got on the
water.”
The pair checked her father’s trotline first, coming up with three
nice-sized flatheads, then switched to check Lesley’s trotline. There was
only one fish on the trotline, but neither of them expected to find a Kaw
lake record — weighing an even 75 lbs with a length of 51 inches and a girth
of 34.25 inches.
“I was not disappointed that it was the only fish on the line!” McNeff said.
McNeff enjoys running trotlines this time of year with her father, who
learned the art of successful trotline fishing from his father.
“My dad’s the best trotline fisherman I know,” McNeff said. “He knows how
and where to set them, how to run them.”
And McNeff’s father has been showing her the ropes since she was just a
youngster. Her flathead catfish comes after two other lake records were set
in late February. One was a 14 lb., 8 oz. largemouth bass caught by Allen
Gifford, Davis, from Arbuckle Lake, and the other was a 40.1 lb. Grand Lake
blue catfish caught by Illinois resident Denny Halgren.
Besides Kaw Lake, there are currently 12 other major lakes included in the
Lake Record Fish pilot program, including Arbuckle, Broken Bow, Canton,
Eufaula, Ft. Cobb, Grand, Keystone, Sardis, Skiatook, Tenkiller, Texoma and
Thunderbird.
Species eligible for spots in the lake records book include flathead, blue
and channel 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 and are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
Anglers who catch a potential record fish 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.
An easily-operated search feature is available on the Web site 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.
All past and current state record fish are registered in the Lake Record
Fish Program as records for their respective lakes.
For more information about the new Lake Record Fish Program, or for more on
bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
Lesley McNeff of
Mustang
FISHING REPORT FOR APRIL 02, 2008
CENTRAL
Arcadia: Water
clear. Largemouth bass being caught on spinnerbaits. Catfish being caught on
cut shad and worms. Crappie being caught on red and white jigs and minnows
around docks. Report submitted by Tim Campbell, game warden stationed in
Oklahoma
County.
Draper: Elevation normal and clear. Largemouth bass fair to good on tandem
spinners in shallow water coves. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game
warden stationed in
Cleveland
County.
Overholser: Elevation normal and clear. White bass being caught on two inch
grubs. Hybrid striped bass being caught on two inch white grubs. Blue
catfish being caught on cut shad and worms. Crappie being caught around the
docks. Report submitted by Tim Campbell, game warden stationed in
Oklahoma
County.
Thunderbird: Elevation 1 ft. above normal and clear. White bass good in
Little River on sassy shad, jigs and inline spinners. Largemouth bass fair
to good on tandem spinners and plastic worms in shallow coves. Report
submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in
Cleveland
County.
NORTHEAST
Birch: Elevation above normal, water in the lower 50s and clear. Crappie
fair on minnows and jigs around brush piles at 10-15 ft. Blue and channel
catfish good on cut shad fishing flats near the creeks channels at 5-12 ft.
Largemouth bass and spotted bass good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits at 4-10
ft. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage
County.
Carl Blackwell: Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 52 and muddy. Crappie
fair on minnows and jigs. Striped bass hybrids fair trolling with crankbaits.
Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game warden stationed in
Payne
County.
Copan:
Elevation 1 ft. above normal. Crappie fair on minnow and jigs near submerged
structure. Good reports from Copan Point fishing dock. Blue Catfish good on
cut shad. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington
County.
Ft.
Gibson: Elevation 14 ft. above normal, water 55
and murky. White bass good in the river on twisty tails and rattletraps.
Catfish good off points and in the mud flats on shad and cut bait.
Paddlefish snagging good north of Chouteau Bend. Report submitted by Marvin
Stanley, game warden stationed in
Wagoner
County.
Grand: Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water 51-58 and dirty above Sailboat
bridge to Horse Creek and stained from Horse Creek to the dam. Bass good on
spinnerbaits, stick baits and jigs. Crappie slow. Catfish good in the rivers
on shad. White bass are biting well in both rivers. Paddlefish snagging good
at Riverview
Park in
Miami. There are more being caught from the Bee Creek
to Twin Bridges. Trolling in boats is the method being used. Report
submitted by Littlefields Sporting Goods & Greg Lambs Guide Service.
Greenleaf: Elevation 1 ft. above normal and clear. Largemouth bass fair on
spinnerbaits and crankbaits off rocky points, in creek channels and around
brush structure. Channel catfish fair on cut bait on bottom near the
spillway and in creek channels. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around
fishing dock and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game
warden stationed in Muskogee
County.
Hudson:
Elevation above normal. White bass good in creeks on small lures. Blue
catfish good on cut shad. Paddlefish snagging good in the upper end of the
lake. Report submitted by Steve Loveland, game warden stationed in Mayes and
Rogers counties.
Hulah: Elevation 3 ft. above normal. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs near
submerged structure. Blue catfish excellent on cut shad. Report submitted by
Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington
County.
Kaw: Elevation 3 ft. above normal, water 53 and murky in the lower end and
muddy in the upper end. White bass fair to good in Little Beaver Creek on
various colored jigs and inline spinners. Crappie fair to good on
chartreuse/black, white, purple, and yellow jigs and minnows lakewide at 6-
20 ft. near brush and riprap. Largemouth bass good in Little Beaver creek
and Five Fingers cove using jerk baits and Booyah Boo bugs w/ Yum baby
crawbugs. Blue and Channel catfish good on juglines and trotlines in the
Coon and Bear Creek flats using cut shad, blood bait and Moist and Chunky
dog food at 5-14 ft. Walleye fair on 1/16 oz. chartreuse and yellow
roadrunners in Little Beaver Creek in the Vickery Ranch area. Paddlefish
snagging fair below the 1,000 ft. mark of Kaw dam. Report submitted by Tracy
Daniel, game warden stationed in
Kay
County.
Keystone: Elevation 5 1/2 ft. above normal, water murky to muddy. Largemouth
bass fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits at 3-6 ft. in creeks and flooded
coves. Smallmouth bass fair on crankbaits, jigs and chuck baits at 5-10 ft.
off secondary points and in Salt Creek. Spotted bass fair on spinnerbaits
and crankbaits at 3-6 ft. in main lake coves. White bass fair on minnows and
two- to three-inch sassy shad at 4-8 ft. in creeks and below dam. Striped
bass good on buck tails and sassy shad at 3-8 ft. below the dam. Channel
catfish good on worms at 4-8 ft. in coves and creeks. Blue catfish good on
shad at 4-8 ft. on the flats and up rivers. Flathead catfish fair on
goldfish at 10-15 ft. around bluffs down lake. Crappie fair on minnows, tube
jigs and small shad at 6-18 ft. Report submitted by Woody’s Bait and Tackle.
Oologah: Elevation 5 ft. above normal, water in the mid 50s and muddy on
north end to murky on the south end. White bass good on jigs in the
Verdigris
River and Big Creek above
the main lake. Crappie fair in the Big Creek area on minnows. Blue catfish
good on jugs and drifting with shad on flats in upper areas of the lake at
5-15 ft. Report submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in
Rogers
County.
Pawhuska
Lake: Elevation above normal, water in the upper
40s and clear. Trout fair on power bait and roostertails and fair trolling
super dupers at 5-15 ft. Largemouth and spotted bass good on jig and pigs.
Crappie fair on chartreuse jigs in brush at 5-15 ft. Report submitted by
Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in
Osage
County.
Skiatook: Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water clear. Largemouth bass fair on
crankbaits around rocky points. White bass fair on white sassy shad at
Hominy Creek. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around standing timber and in
creek channels. Report submitted by Paul Welch, game warden stationed in
Osage
County.
Sooner: Largemouth bass slow. White bass fair at 8 ft. and trolling in lake.
White bass and hybrid striped bass being caught in the discharge channel on
rattletraps and sassy shad. Crappie slow. Report submitted by Doug
Gottschalk, game warden stationed in
Noble
County.
Webbers
Falls: Elevation 2 ft. above normal and murky.
Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits and crankbaits along riprap and in
creek channels. Channel catfish good on cut bait on bottom. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs around brush structure and bridges. Report submitted by
Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in
Muskogee County.
NORTHWEST
Canton: Elevation normal. Walleye good along the dam on
crankbaits and jigs. White bass good in the river above the lake on jigs and
roadrunners. Channel catfish fair on shad 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 and spinnerbaits along the dam. Report submitted by Mark
Reichenberger, game warden stationed in
Harper
County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: Elevation 1 1/2 ft. above normal, water 56-58 and
stained. Channel catfish biting in headwaters. Crappie good around brush.
White bass chasing shad in backs of creek and coves. Bass best on crankbaits
off points and good on Carolina
rigs. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Blue
River: Elevation normal, water 65 and murky.
Catfish good on liver and worms. Bass fair on minnows and flies. Trout fair
on power bait, super dupers and roostertails. Report submitted by Charles
Baker, technician at Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area.
Broken Bow: Elevation 17 ft. above normal. Largemouth bass being caught in
the mouths of creeks on jigs and spinnerbaits. White bass fair on yellow and
yellow and white grubs and roostertails in the upper end. Crappie being
caught on minnows and jigs around structure. Walleye being caught in the
upper end of the lake on five-inch pumpkin seed and chartreuse grubs. Report
submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in
McCurtain
County.
Eufaula: Elevation 5 ft. above normal, water clear to the east and murky to
the west. Largemouth bass fair on plastic baits in flooded brush. White bass
good on jigs below the dam and in feeder creeks. Channel catfish slow.
Crappie fair on minnows along the I-40 riprap and around brush piles at 5-6
ft. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in
McIntosh
County.
Hugo: White bass and crappie fair on minnows. Blue catfish and crappie good
below the dam. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in
Choctaw and Bryan
Counties.
Konawa: Largemouth bass good on plastic worms in the discharge canal and
weed beds at 5-10 ft. White bass and hybrid striped bass good on minnows and
shad at 15 ft. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in
Seminole
County.
McGee Creek: Elevation 8 ¼ ft. above normal, water 52 and murky. Largemouth
bass fair to good on soft plastic lures at 6-14 ft. and fair on deep
shad-colored crank baits along rocky points. Crappie fair on minnows at
12-18 ft. over cedar brush. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden
stationed in Atoka
County.
Murray: Water
50 and clear. Largemouth bass good on soft plastics, crankbaits, worms,
spinnerbaits and jerk baits. White bass good on jigs and worms. Channel
catfish slow. Crappie good on jigs and minnows. Walleye good on jigs and
minnows around the dam and south end of the lake. Report submitted by Jeremy
Brothers, game warden stationed in
Carter
County.
Robert S. Kerr: Elevation above normal, water 56 and murky. Largemouth bass
fair at 3-5 ft. using spinnerbaits and crankbaits fishing the rock and weed
cover. Crappie fair at 2-5 ft. using minnows and jigs fishing around
spawning beds. White bass good using shad imitation lures fishing up the
major tributaries. Blue catfish good at 3-10 ft. using fresh cut bait
fishing the flats next to the old creeks and river channel. Report submitted
by Rick Olzawski, game warden stationed in
Haskell
County.
Sardis
Lake: Elevation 3-4 ft. above normal and murky.
Largemouth bass good on plastics around submerged brush. White bass fair in
creek channels and deep holes on grubs. Blue catfish good in flooded fields
on worms and on juglines and trotlines baited with cut bait. Crappie being
caught around brush, tower and bridge on minnows. Walleye slow trolling.
Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in
Pushmataha
County.
Texoma: Elevation 3 1/3 ft. above normal, water 54 and clear south and murky
north. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good on live bait and
spinnerbaits from Platter Flats to the south. Striped and white bass fair to
good on live bait and sassy shad near the islands. Channel and blue catfish
fair to good on live bait and cut bait in the Washita River and upper Red
river. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs in Widow Moore and upper
rock creek. All other fishing is slow. Report submitted by Danny Club, game
warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister:. Elevation 25 ft. above normal. Water is going over spillway and
murky. Largemouth bass good on soft plastic baits. Crappie good with minnows
and jigs below dam. Channel and blue catfish very good on cut shad below the
dam. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore
County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert: Elevation 3 1/2 ft. below normal. Crappie poor. Walleye good
on those too small to keep and fair on keepers. White bass fishing fair on
small fish and poor on larger fish. Report submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz
Mountain State Park.
Ellsworth: Elevation above normal with one floodgate open. Walleye and
saugeye fair behind the dam on jigs. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game
warden stationed in Comanche County.
Foss: Elevation 1/4 ft. below normal, water 50 and clear. Gates are open.
White bass excellent in river above lake. Striped bass hybrids good on live
bait. Walleye fair along dam. Catfish good. Report submitted by Eric Puyear,
B & K Bait House.
Ft. Cobb: Elevation 2 ft. above normal. Water is being released. Crappie
slow on jigs and minnows. Saugeye slow. Catfish slow. Hybrid bass and white
bass slow at this time. Report submitted by James Edwards Jr., game warden
stationed in Caddo County
Wintertime Striper Fishing
First Big
Striper of 2008
Introducing Angella:
She is an avid fisherperson and fishes year round, Angella's favorite is
Lake Eufaula and the Lower Illinois River. She is like Okiefish, where ever
her travels take her, she fishes. This picture from a trip to Cozumel,
Mexico. When the fish are biting and where ever, you'll most likely find
Angella close by.
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