FISHING
REPORT FOR APRIL 14, 2010
CENTRAL
Arcadia: April 12. Elevation: normal, water 61. Crappie good on minnows and
chartreuse jigs at 8-12 ft. and beginning to move up in the shallows.
Largemouth bass fair on slow moving swim baits and crankbaits at 6-12 ft.
off rocky points. White bass fair on grubs in the lower Deep Fork between
Memorial Road and the Turnpike early and late. Channel and blue catfish fair
to good on whole and cut shad and punchbaits near the dam and on rocky
points. Report submitted by Mark Murray, game warden stationed in Oklahoma
County.
Arcadia: April 9. Elevation above normal. Blue catfish fair to good on
rooster tails at 7-11 ft. near the dam early and late. Crappie fair to good
on soft plastics at 9-12 ft. near the dam and crappie dock at night. All
other fishing fair. Report submitted by Linnie Mason, gate attendant.
Hefner: April 14. Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on
lizards and crawdads shallow at cuts in the lake. Smallmouth bass good on
lizards, crawdads and crankbaits shallow at cuts in the lake. White bass
good on lipless baits shallow around points. Striped bass hybrids fair.
Channel catfish fair on punchbaits at 6-12 ft. along windy banks. Blue
catfish fair on cut baits at 12-25 ft. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
along shorelines. Walleye good on grubs and sassy shad shallow off points
early and late. Report submitted by Lucky Lure Tackle.
Overholser: April 12. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal, water 65 and murky.
White bass slow to fair. Striped bass hybrids slow to fair. Crappie slow to
fair on grubs, minnows, plastic lures and jigs off rocks on the east and
west side and off the jetty on the east side. Report submitted by Joey
Rushing, game warden stationed in Canadian and Oklahoma counties.
Thunderbird: April 11. Elevation is 1/2 ft. above normal, water 53 and
clear. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 4-6 ft. around brush piles and
structure. Largemouth bass fair to good on tandem spinnerbaits with black
and yellow skirts in coves on structure at 3-4 ft. of water. Report
submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County.
Wes
Watkins: April 11. Elevation is normal, water 65-68 and clear. Largemouth
bass good on plastic worms and spinnerbaits. White bass fair. Crappie fair
on minnows. Report submitted by Mike France, game warden stationed in
Pottawatomie County.
NORTHEAST
Bell
Cow: April 9. Elevation normal, water 62 and muddy. Largemouth bass good on
small crankbaits. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 7-10 ft. around docks.
Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Birch:
April 11. Elevation normal, water 60 and clear. Largemouth bass good on
spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Channel catfish good on chicken liver and
worms. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around structure. Report submitted
by David Clay, game warden stationed in Osage County.
Carl
Blackwell: April 12. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 62 and muddy.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs 7-8 ft. Saugeye good on jigs and crankbaits.
Catfish good on all baits. Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game warden
stationed in Payne County.
Copan:
April 11. Elevation normal. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at Copan point
and Cotton Creek and in areas with submerged structure. Blue catfish fair on
cut shad. Channel catfish fair below the dam. Report submitted by Joe
Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Eucha:
April 14. Elevation slightly above normal, water 61 and clear. Largemouth
bass good on jerk baits and spinnerbaits over rocky points. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs at 10-12 ft. around brush and structure. Report submitted
by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Ft
Gibson: April 11. Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal and steady, water 54. White
bass excellent on white curl tail jigs, white rooster tails and jigs in all
the creeks and the river leading into the lake north of Chouteau Bend
Recreation Area. Crappie excellent on minnows and jigs at 2-5 ft. along the
banks and riprap around the bridges and structure. Largemouth bass slow on
spinnerbaits and crankbaits at 5-15 ft. Catfish fair on night crawlers, cut
shad and shrimp in the creek channels. Report submitted by Rick Stafford in
Wagoner.
Grand:
April 13. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 64 and clear to murky.
Largemouth bass good on crankbaits and worms in green and red, and black and
blue at 5-10 ft. White bass excellent on rooster tails and grubs in white
and chartreuse in Spring River and Elk River. Catfish good on shad, night
crawlers, brooders, shrimp, liver and Secret 7 dip bait at 30 ft. along
bluffs, channels and rivers. Crappie excellent on Bobby Garland lures,
Grandpa’s jigs, minnows, shiners, rosy reds and tube skirts around docks,
bridges and brush piles. Paddlefish excellent from Sailboat Bridge to Miami
on the Neosho River. Report submitted by Grand Lake Sports Center.
Greenleaf: April 12. Elevation normal, water 55 and clear. Largemouth bass
good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits along shorelines, creek channels and
rocky points. Catfish good on fresh cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on
minnows and green, yellow or red jigs at 6-12 ft. around fishing dock and
brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in
Muskogee County.
Hudson: April 12. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 59 and murky.
Largemouth bass fair to good on spinnerbaits and plastic lures. White bass
good on small lures and minnows in the upper end in creek tributaries.
Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs in the upper end in coves and brush
pile areas. Paddlefish good on in the upper end in the river system. Report
submitted by Steve Loveland, game warden stationed in Rogers and Mayes
counties.
Hulah:
April 11. Elevation normal. Crappie being caught at 6-12 ft. near submerged
structure in shallow creeks entering the lake. Blue and channel catfish
being caught on cut shad and worms. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game
warden stationed in Washington County.
Kaw:
April 12. Elevation normal, water upper 50s to lower 60's and stained. Blue
and channel catfish good on juglines with cut bait at 4-10 ft. Crappie
excellent on minnows and jigs at 1-5 ft. over structure up the creeks. White
bass and striped bass hybrids fair on jigs up the Arkansas River and Beaver
Creek. Try Beaver, Otter, and Wolf Creeks for crappie making a run.
Paddlefish slow below the dam. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game
warden stationed in Kay County.
Lower
Illinois: April 12. Elevation normal, water 48 and clear. Largemouth bass
fair on crankbaits at 1-3 ft. in coves and backwater. White bass fair on
jigs at 1-4 ft. all along the river. Channel catfish good on cut bait on
bottom all along the river. Crappie slow on jigs at 1-4 ft. all along the
river. Trout excellent on flies at the surface, on rooster tails at 1-2 ft.
and on power bait on bottom above Gore Landing.
Oologah: April 11. Elevation 1 ft. above normal and falling, water mid to
upper 50s and murky. White bass fair in Verdigris River and Big Creek above
the lake on jigs. Crappie fair at 10 ft around standing timber in creeks
around the lake. Channel and blue catfish fair on shad on flats near the
main river channel 20 ft.
Sooner: April 12. Bass good on minnows along Hwy 15. White bass and striped
bass hybrids fair on sassy shad and live shad. Catfish fair on cut bait and
live bait in the channels. Crappie good on minnows and jigs along Hwy 15.
Report submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in Noble County.
Spavinaw: April 14. Elevation slightly above normal, water 61 and dingy.
Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs
around the dam area. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Tenkiller: April 12. Elevation 2 ft. above normal and steady, water 59-62
and clear. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits in shoreline brush and on
soft plastic baits at 4-8 ft. White bass good on spinnerbaits or jigs in
creeks and trolling in the upper end. Crappie fair in coves on minnows or
jigs and on minnows or jigs in docks and under lights after dark. Catfish
fair on crankbaits at 4-8 ft. Report by Monte Brooks, Cookson Village
Resort.
Webbers Falls: April 12. Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water 55 and murky.
Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jig and worm in creek
channels and riprap. Catfish good on fresh cut bait drift fishing and on the
mud flats on bottom. Crappie good on minnows and purple or black jigs around
bridges and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden
stationed in Muskogee County.
NORTHWEST
Canton: April 12. Elevation 1/5 ft. below normal, water 61 and clear.
Striped bass hybrids good on night crawlers and crawdads at Longdale
landing. White bass fair on jigs and crankbaits along dam. Channel catfish
good on cut shad near big bend. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden
stationed in Blaine County.
Ft.
Supply: April 12. Elevation normal, water clear. White bass fair along the
dam and Wolf Creek above the lake. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs long
reeds in shallows. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger, game warden
stationed in Woodward County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: April 10. Elevation 10 inches below normal, water 56-61 and
stained. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around docks, starting to move to
shallow. White bass being caught on rattletraps and wiggle tailed grubs up
creeks. Bass being caught on Carolina-rigged lizards, jerk baits and
spinnerbaits at 4-15 ft. water. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Blue
River: April 13. Elevation normal, water 62 and clear. Bass fair on minnows
and flies. Channel catfish fair to good on liver, worms and stinkbait.
Report submitted by Charles Baker, technician at the Blue River Public
Fishing and Hunting Area.
Broken
Bow: April 11. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits, worms and crankbaits
moving into the shallows. Catfish good on juglines and trotlines with cut
bait. Crappie good on minnows and jigs with bobbers in the shallows around
structure, banks and coves. Walleye good on good on crawdad colored
crankbaits off points and rocky islands. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game
warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Eufaula: April 10. Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water clear in the east
and murky in the west. Largemouth bass good on jerk baits and plastic baits
at 1-5 ft. in rocky areas and brush. White bass good on small jigs and
spinnerbaits at 2-4 ft. in feeder creeks. Blue catfish fair on shad at 4-10
ft. in shallow flats. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 1-6 ft. in areas
with brush or rocks along the bank. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game
warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo
Lake: April 11. Elevation normal. Largemouth bass good on soft plastics and
spinnerbaits at 2-4 ft. near brush. Crappie good on minnows and jigs in
shallow water around button brush. Blue catfish and crappie good below the
dam. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw
County.
Konawa: April 13. Elevation normal, water 62 and clear. Largemouth bass good
on plastic baits at 3-8 ft. along weed beds and road beds. White bass good
on minnows and jigs at 15 ft. in the discharge canal. Channel catfish good
on shad at 5-15 ft. along points and discharge canal. Report by Daryl Howser,
game warden stationed in Seminole County.
McGee
Creek: April 11. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 62 and clear. Crappie
fair on minnows and jigs at 16-25 ft. off creek channels around submerged
brush. Largemouth bass fair to good on dark colored soft plastic lures at
3-10 ft. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka
County.
Murray: April 13. Elevation normal, water 59 and clear to murky in the north
end. Largemouth bass good. Smallmouth bass fair. Channel catfish being
caught. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs. Walleye good on minnows and jigs
off the dam before dark. Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game warden
stationed in Carter County.
Pine
Creek: April 11. Elevation normal, water murky. Crappie great on jigs in 2-5
ft around brush. Bass good on crankbaits at 6-8 ft. near rocky structures.
Catfish fair on bait shrimp and cut shad fished near brush. White bass good
on white rooster tails in the upper river channel. Report submitted by Mark
Hannah, game warden Stationed in McCurtain County.
Robert
S. Kerr: April 12. Elevation normal, water 67 and murky. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs at 2-5 ft. along the shorelines. Catfish fair on juglines
with fresh shad or cut bait and drift fishing. White bass fair on jigs and
minnows in the upper San Bois Creek channels. Bass fair on rubber and soft
baits in creek channels. Report submitted by Leland Sockey, game warden
stationed in Haskell County.
Sardis: April 10. Elevation normal, water 62 and murky. Bass good on soft
baits, plastic baits and spinnerbaits. White bass good in creeks and mouths
of creeks. Channel catfish good on worms and cut bait. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs at 4-6 ft. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden
stationed in Pushmataha County.
Texoma: April 11. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 57 and clear.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass good on plastic combination baits at 5-15 ft.
around underwater structure. Striped and white bass good on live bait and
sassy shad at 10-20 ft. off the points and in river channels. Channel and
blue catfish good on stinkbait and cut shad at 10-20 ft. from Platter Flats
to the north and in the Washita River arm. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
at 5-15 ft. around underwater brush piles in the creeks. Sunfish good on
worms around the fishing docks. Paddlefish good below the dam. Report
submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister: April 11. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 54 and murky.
Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits, worms and jigs. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs at 15-25 ft. around structure. White bass good on white
roadrunners in the upper Poteau River. Channel catfish good on juglines with
cut shad and liver. Flathead catfish fair on live sunfish. Report submitted
by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert:
April 11. Elevation 14 ft. below normal and rising slowly. Walleye good.
Crappie fair to good on minnows. White bass fair to good on minnows off
points near dam. Report submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz Mountain State
Park.
Ellsworth: April 11. Elevation above normal, water murky. Crappie fair to
good on minnows and jigs at Ralph’s Resort and Tony Creek. Report submitted
by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in Comanche County.
Foss:
April 12. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal with one gate open, water mid 50s
and clear. Crappie good on live bait around marina area. Walleye fair on
live bait near rocks on dam. White bass slow in river. Report submitted by
Eric Puyear, B & K Bait House
Ft.
Cobb: April 8. Elevation normal and water 58 and clear. Crappie slow on
minnows and jigs around docks and brush piles. Striped bass hybrids slow to
fair on crawfish tails off windy points. Catfish slow to fair on cut baits.
Report submitted by James L. Edwards Jr., game warden stationed in Caddo
County.
Lawtonka: April 11. Elevation above normal, water clear. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs at the dam. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden
stationed in Comanche County.
Tom
Steed: April 13. Elevation 3 ft. below normal, water 52 and murky. White
bass and striped bass hybrids good on large minnows and crawdads off points.
Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 10-15 ft. near the dam and fair on
minnows and jigs at 5-8 ft. in Otter and Glenn Creeks. Walleye fair on
roadrunners off the old highway. Report submitted by David Smith, game
warden stationed in Kiowa County.
Waurika: April 12. Elevation slightly above normal, water 70 and murky.
Striped bass hybrids good on white sassy shad and crawdad tails along the
dam, windy shorelines and points. Blue catfish good on cut shad and
stinkbaits along windy shorelines and points. Crappie good on minnows and
jigs at 2-6 ft. along fishing docks over brush and off rocks in Walker Creek
and Corum Bridge early and late. Report submitted by Vince Mesis, game
warden stationed in Cotton County.
New
Lake Records 2009
Lake
Thunderbird
Flathead catfish
Weight: 57 lbs.
Angler: Brad Adkisson
Date:
May 11
Bait:
Trotline
Konawa
Largemouth bass
Weight: 9.1 lbs.
Angler: Brent Dempsey
Date:
May 7
Bait:
Soft plastic
Lake
Tenkiller
Smallmouth bass
Weight: 6.4 lbs.
Angler: Monty Bollinger
Date:
April 21
Bait:
Soft plastic
Hefner Lake
Largemouth bass
Weight: 10.5 lbs.
Angler: Kevin Barnicoat
Date:
April 21
Bait:
Jig
McGee Creek
Largemouth bass
Weight: 12.2 lbs.
Angler: Ray Earley
Date:
April 18
Bait:
Jig
Canton Lake
Striped bass
Weight: 24.1 lbs.
Angler: Kevin Deal
Date:
April 15
Bait:
Natural bait
Sardis
Largemouth bass
Weight: 11.2 lbs.
Angler: Charles Carter
Date:
April 14
Bait:
Spinner
Sooner Lake
Blue
catfish
Weight: 66.9 lbs.
Angler: Paul Shakula
Date:
April 14
Bait:
Processed bait
Skiatook
Flathead catfish
Weight: 43.6 lbs.
Angler: Nathan Coyle
Date:
April 10
Bait:
Natural bait
Fort Gibson
Crappie
Weight: 2.1 lbs.
Angler: Marshall Jones
Date:
April 9
Bait:
Soft plastic
Oologah
Blue
catfish
Weight: 62 lbs.
Angler: Tom Applegate
Date:
April 7
Bait:
Natural bait
Lake Murray
Largemouth bass
Weight: 10.9 lbs.
Angler: Charles Samuel Jewell, Jr.
Date:
March 24
Bait:
Soft plastic
Grand Lake
Crappie
Weight: 2.6 lbs.
Angler: Paul J. Youngblood
Date:
March 9
Bait:
Jig
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.
| |
 |
| Fish Species |
Crappie |
| Lake |
Keystone |
| Reel |
Shimano |
| Rod |
Shimano |
| Bait |
Jig |
| Catch Method |
Spinning rod and reel |
| Disposition |
Released |
| Weighed Condition |
Alive |
| Length (inches) |
17.00 |
| Girth (inches) |
13.00 |
| Weight (pounds) |
3.7 |
| Angler's Name |
Dave Bargas |
| Angler's City |
sandsprings |
| Angler's State |
OK |
| Date Caught |
Jun 3 2009 |
| Area Caught |
saltcreek |
| Lake Record |
Yes |
| Record Keeper |
N-D-N Hunting and Fishing Supplies
|
|
 |
