FISHING REPORT FOR
APRIL 23, 2008
CENTRAL
Arcadia:
Elevation normal. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits.
White bass good. Channel and blue catfish good on
cut shad. Crappie good at heated docks. Report
submitted by Tim Campbell, game warden stationed in
Oklahoma
County.
Hefner: Elevation below normal, water murky. Largemouth
bass good on spinnerbaits. White bass good.
Channel catfish good on cut shad.
Crappie good on the dam. Report submitted by Tim
Campbell, game warden stationed in
Oklahoma County.
Overholser: Elevation normal, water murky. White bass
good on 2 in. white grubs and minnows. Striped bass hybrids good on 2
in. white grubs. Channel catfish good on cut shad.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs on the rocks.
Report submitted by Tim Campbell, game warden stationed in
Oklahoma
County.
NORTHEAST
Bell Cow: Elevation above normal and murky. Channel catfish fair on dough
bait. Crappie fair on minnows. Report submitted
by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in
Lincoln
County.
Carl Blackwell: Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 57 and muddy.
Striped bass hybrids good on cut baits and live baits.
Crappie good on jigs in shallow water.
Saugeye fair on crankbaits around docks. Report
submitted by Jon Cunningham, game warden stationed in
Payne
County.
Copan:
Elevation 6 ft. above normal and murky. Crappie good on minnow and jigs near
submerged structure at 10-15 ft. Blue catfish good on cut shad.
Channel catfish good in flooded areas on worms.
Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington
County.
Eucha: Elevation slightly above normal, water 61 and murky. The upper end of
the lake is slowly clearing while the lower end continues to be muddy.
Largemouth bass have been active on spinnerbaits and crankbaits.
White bass good on the upper end.
Crappie fair on jigs and minnows. Report
submitted by Dwight Moore, City of
Tulsa Fisheries.
Grand: North end - elevation above normal, water 58-64 and murky to muddy,
clearing in Elk River. Largemouth bass
fair to good on crankbaits and jigs at 8-10 ft. Channel, blue and flathead
catfish good on shad, worms, brooders and goldfish at all depths. Paddlefish
slow, with mainly smaller fish being caught. Report submitted by Sam
Williams, Grand
Lake Sports
Center.
Greenleaf: Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth
bass good on crankbaits and spinnerbaits along shoreline and creek channels.
Catfish good on stinkbaits and cut baits on bottom.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs at fishing dock and brush structure.
Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in
Muskogee
County.
Hudson:
Elevation above normal. White bass fair to good on small lures in creeks.
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 13 ft. above normal and murky. Crappie good on minnows and
jigs near submerged structure at 10-15ft. Blue catfish good on cut shad.
Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington
County.
Kaw: Elevation 12 ft. above normal and murky. White bass excellent on
in-line spinnerbaits and sassy shad in the upper portions of
Little and Big Beaver Creeks.
Channel and blue catfish good in the Bear Creek flats on juglines and
trotlines at 5-14 ft. using fresh cut shad for bait.
Crappie fair on minnows and jigs in flooded brush and
timber areas of the major creeks and on the
Washunga
Bay riprap.
Paddlefish snagging is very slow below the dam due to lack of released
water. Report submitted by Tracy Daniel, game warden stationed in
Kay
County.
Keystone: Elevation 16 ft. above normal, water muddy. Largemouth bass fair
on spinnerbaits, jigs and chunkbaits at 3-6 ft.
in back of coves with flooded cover. Smallmouth bass slow on crankbaits at
8-12 ft. around points. Spotted bass slow on rattletraps at 4-8 ft. around
points. White bass fair on minnows and tube jigs at 3-8
ft. in creeks and below the dam. Striped bass fair on buck tails and
sassy shad at 3-8 ft. below the dam. Channel catfish
good on worms at 5-10 ft. in back of coves and creeks.
Blue catfish good on cut shad at 5-10 ft. below the dam
and in the mouths of creeks. Flathead catfish
good on goldfish and large shiners at 5-10 ft. below the dam and in riprap
areas. Crappie fair on minnows and bright-colored
jigs at 4-10 ft. below the dam and along riprap across creeks. Report
submitted by Woody’s Bait and Tackle.
Oologah: Elevation 13 1/2 ft. above normal, water 60 and muddy. Channel
catfish good on worms and dough baits fishing around flooded willows and
flooded fields. Blue catfish fair on shad using juglines on flats in upper
end of the lake at 10 ft. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around flooded
trees at 5-8 ft. Report submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in
Rogers
County.
Skiatook: Elevation 5 ft. above normal, water clear. Largemouth bass fair on
crankbaits along windy points on the lower half of the lake. White bass and
striped bass hybrids fair in open water. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs at 10-20 ft. around structure. Report submitted by
Paul Welch, game warden stationed in
Osage
County.
Spavinaw: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water 60 and muddy. Muddy
conditions have slowed fishing. Largemouth bass being
caught on spinnerbaits with
Colorado
blades. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of
Tulsa Fisheries.
Tenkiller: Elevation 20 ft. above normal, water 60-62 and steady. Smallmouth
bass good off creek banks on small plastic worms on jig heads. White bass
fair in creeks on spinners or spoons. Report by
Monte
Brooks
Cookson
Village Resort.
Webbers
Falls: Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water
murky. Largemouth bass good on crankbaits and
spinnerbaits along riprap, creek channels and rocky points. Catfish
good on stinkbaits and cut baits on bottom. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
at brush structure at bridges and along shoreline. Report submitted by Lark
Wilson, game warden stationed in
Muskogee
County.
NOTHWEST
Ft.
Supply: Elevation normal, water clear. Walleye
fair on jigs and minnows below dam. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger,
game warden stationed in
Harper
County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water 61 and stained
to muddy. Crappie good on small jigs in most coves.
White bass being caught up Guy Sandy hitting
rattletraps. Bass being caught in coves using jerk baits,
spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged lizards. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Blue
River: Elevation normal, water 65 and clear. Bas
fair on minnows and flies. Catfish fair to good on liver and worms. Report
submitted by Charles Baker, technician at the Blue River Public Fishing and
Hunting Area.
Broken Bow: Elevation 22 ft. above normal.
Largemouth bass good on worms, plastics and crankbaits.
Catfish good on juglines and trotlines baited with sunfish.
Crappie being caught around structure. The only
open boat ramp is south of Smithville at the narrows. Report submitted by
Dru Polk, game warden stationed in
McCurtain County.
Eufaula: Elevation 9 1/2 ft. above normal and murky. Largemouth bass fair on
plastic baits flipping into flooded timber. White bass
good on jigs below the dam. Blue catfish fair on shad in shallow
flats. Crappie fair on minnows or jigs at 4-10 ft. in
deeper brushy areas. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden
stationed in McIntosh
County.
Hugo: Elevation 10 ft. above normal, water 61. Crappie
fair to good on minnows at 6-10 ft. Largemouth bass fair on plastics in
flooded vegetation. Crappie and blue catfish good
on jigs below the dam. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden
stationed in Choctaw and
Bryan
Counties.
Konawa: Elevation normal, water 73 and clear. Largemouth bass good on
plastic worms at 5-8 ft. in weed beds. White bass and hybrid striped bass
fair on crankbaits at 8-10 ft. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden
stationed in Seminole
County.
McGee Creek: Elevation 8 ft. above normal, water 62 and murky. Largemouth
bass fair to good on soft plastic lures and crawfish-colored crankbaits at
6-12 ft. along brush. Crappie fair on minnows at 12-18
ft. over cedar brush. Channel catfish fair to good on stinkbait in
flooded timber. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in
Atoka
County.
Murray: Water
54 and clear. Largemouth bass excellent on soft plastic baits, crankbaits
and jerk baits in shallow water. Channel catfish fair on worms, minnows and
stinkbaits. Crappie good on minnows and jigs in shallow
water. Walleye good on minnows, jigs and soft
crankbaits around the dam. Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game
warden stationed in Carter
County.
Pine Creek: Elevation above normal and murky. Bass good
on crankbaits in submerged road beds. Crappie
fair in flooded timber and great at the spillway on jigs. Catfish
being caught on night crawlers around Turkey Creek and in the upper river
channel. Lake
is elevated and many structures could be hidden. Many boat ramps are closed
also. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in
McCurtain
County.
Robert S. Kerr: Elevation normal, water 66 and murky.
Largemouth bass good on plastic baits at 1-3 ft. in the weed and rocky
spawning areas. Crappie good on minnows at 1 ft.
in the weed and stumpy spawning areas. White bass fair on jigs below
Webbers
Falls and Kerr dams. Blue
catfish good on fresh cut bait and worms at 3-10 ft. in the rocky and weedy
areas the wind has stirred up. Report submitted by Rick Olzawski, game
warden stationed in Haskell
County.
Sardis
Lake: Elevation 5 ft. above normal and muddy.
Bass fair on plastics around shallow structure at 2-3 ft. White bass fair in
creek channels using plastic bait and yellow and white grubs.
Catfish excellent on worms in flooded fields.
Crappie fair on minnows around brush piles, tower and
bridges. Walleye fair trolling islands. Report submitted by Allen
Couch, game warden stationed in
Pushmataha
County.
Texoma: Elevation 6 ft. above normal, water 60 and clear south and murky
north. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good on combination baits on
the south half of the lake. Striped and white bass fair
to good on live bait and sassy shade on the south half of lake.
Channel and blue catfish fair to good on live bait and cut baits from
Platter flats north. Crappie fair to good on minnows and
jigs in Widow Moore and upper Rock Creeks. Report submitted by Danny
Club, game warden stationed in
Bryan
County.
Wister: Elevation 24 1/2 ft. above normal, water is 3 ft. over spillway and
murky. Largemouth bass good on soft plastic baits.
Crappie good with minnows and jigs below dam.
Channel and blue catfish good on cut shad below the dam. Report submitted by
Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in
LeFlore
County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert: Elevation 2.57 ft. below normal and rising slowly.
Crappie poor. Walleye, white bass and striped
bass hybrids fair to good. Blue catfish good to very
good around the old fish-o-rama.
Report submitted by Sue Hokanson,
Quartz
Mountain
State Park.
Ellsworth: Elevation above normal with three floodgates open. Catfish fair
on cut bait. Walleye fair on jigs behind the dam. Report submitted by Mike
Carroll, game warden stationed in
Comanche
County.
Foss: Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 55 and clear.
Striped bass hybrids good with live bait along dam.
Walleye fair near rocks. Crappie fair with minnows.
Catfish good. Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B
& K Bait House.
Ft.
Cobb: Elevation 2 1/2 ft. above normal and
falling. Crappie slow on jigs and minnows.
Striped bass hybrids and white bass slow. Catfish slow on cut bait.
Saugeye slow. Report submitted by James Edwards
Jr., game warden stationed in
Caddo
County.
Lawtonka: Elevation above normal with one
floodgate open. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at the
dam. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in
Comanche
County.
Waurika: Elevation above normal, water 55 and murky. White bass and hybrid
striped bass fair on pearl-colored jigs and live bait. Blue catfish fair on
juglines and rod and reel with cut bait. Crappie fair in
shallows around rock and structure. Report submitted by Phillip
Cottrill, game warden stationed in
Jefferson
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.
|
 |
