FISHING REPORT FOR
APRIL 30, 2008
CENTRAL
Thunderbird: Elevation 3 ft. above normal and murky. Saugeye fair to good on
jigs off points. Crappie beginning to move up to shallow water to spawn.
Some are being caught on minnows and jigs on structure at 4-5 ft. White bass
good on jigs and in-line spinnerbaits off points and trolling. Largemouth
bass good on tandem spinnerbaits in shallow areas of warmer water around
structure. Catfish slow. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden
stationed in Cleveland
County.
NORTHEAST
Bell Cow: Elevation above normal and murky. Largemouth bass slow. Blue
catfish slow. Crappie good jigs and minnows. Report submitted by Gary
Emmons, game warden stationed in
Lincoln
County.
Carl Blackwell: Elevation normal, water 65 and muddy. Striped bass hybrid
fair on live bait and crankbaits. Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game
warden stationed in Payne
County.
Chandler:
Elevation above normal and muddy. Largemouth bass slow. Crappie good on
jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in
Lincoln
County.
Copan:
Elevation 3 1/2 ft. above normal and murky. Crappie slow on minnows and jigs
near submerged structure at 10-15 ft. Blue catfish fair on cut shad. Channel
catfish good on worms and cut shad in flooded areas and below the dam.
Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington
County.
Eucha: Elevation slightly above normal, water murky on the upper end and
muddy on the lower end. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits. Crappie good
on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of
Tulsa Fisheries.
Ft.
Gibson: Elevation 16 ft. above normal, water 60
and murky. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. White bass
good up creeks and in moving water. Channel catfish good on cut bait, shad,
worms and livers in flooded mud flats. Report submitted by Marvin Stanley,
game warden stationed in
Wagoner
County.
Grand: In the upper end, elevation is above normal and dropping, water 64
and clearing. Largemouth bass good on dark-colored plastic worms shallow
along shoreline. White bass and crappie fair to good on minnows,
spinnerbaits and jigs with power baits in Elk River.
Channel, blue and flathead catfish good on brooders, shad and stinkbaits at
30-40 ft. Paddlefish slow; smaller fish are being caught. Report submitted
by Sam Williams, Grand
Lake Sports
Center.
Greenleaf: Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on
spinnerbaits and crankbaits along shoreline, creek channels and brush.
Catfish good on cut baits and stinkbaits. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
at fishing dock and brush. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden
stationed in Muskogee
County.
Hulah: Elevation 11 1/2 ft. above normal and murky. Crappie slow on minnows
and jigs near submerged structure at 10-15 ft. Blue catfish fair on cut
shad. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in
Washington
County.
Kaw: Elevation 11 1/2 ft. above normal, water 62 and murky. Blue catfish
good on cut shad on rod and reel, juglines and trotlines from Coon Creek to
Trader's
Bend in the Arkansas River.
Catfish fair on minnows and jigs at 4-10 ft. in Little Beaver and Big Beaver
Creeks. White bass good in Little Beaver Creek and below Kaw Dam. Paddlefish
snagging fair below the dam. Report submitted by Tracy Daniel, game warden
stationed in Kay
County.
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 4 ft. above normal, water stained. Largemouth bass fair
on crankbaits along points. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on
white sassy shad and roostertails along dam. Crappie fair on minnows and
jigs at 5-10 ft. along riprap. Report submitted by Paul Welch, game warden
stationed in Osage
County.
Sooner: White bass fair on live shad and slabs in the main lake. Catfish
fair on cut and live bait in channels and off points. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs off Hwy. 15 and Hwy 177. Report submitted by Doug
Gottschalk, game warden stationed in
Noble
County.
Spavinaw: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water 63 and muddy. Muddy
conditions have slowed fishing, but some crappie being caught in the dam
area. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Dwight
Moore, City of Tulsa Fisheries.
Webbers Falls: Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water murky. Largemouth bass
good on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jigs in creek channels and riprap.
Catfish good on cut baits and stinkbaits on bottom in creek channels.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs around bridges and brush. Report submitted
by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County
NOTHWEST
Canton: Elevation normal. Striped bass hybrids good on live bait from the
beach to Longdale landing. Walleye good on minnows and crankbaits in the
upper end of the lake. Crappie good on minnows and jigs in upper end of the
lake. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine
County.
Ft. Supply: Elevation normal, water clear. White bass fair on jigs and
spinnerbaits below the dam. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger, game
warden stationed in Harper County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: Elevation normal, water 65 and stained to muddy. Crappie good off
brush piles in coves. White bass biting along dam and in south coves. Bass
fair using spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Carolina-rigged lizards. Report
submitted by Jack Melton.
Blue River: Elevation normal, water 62 and clear. Bass 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: Largemouth bass being caught on soft plastics around structure.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs in flooded timber. Walleye being caught
after dark around islands and off rocky points. North Carson Creek boat ramp
is open. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain
County.
Eufaula: Elevation 7 ft. above normal and murky. Largemouth bass fair on
plastic baits in flooded timber. White bass good on jigs along the dam. Blue
catfish fair on shad in shallow flats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at
4-8 ft. around brush and bridge areas. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game
warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo: Elevation 7 ft. above normal, water 63. Crappie and bass fair to good
with minnows and jigs along flooded brush. Blue catfish and crappie good in
the tailwaters. 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 along weed beds and in cattails at 3-5 ft. Channel catfish
good on chicken liver and shad in the discharge canal at 15 ft. Report
submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.
McGee Creek: Elevation 4 ft. above normal, water 64 degrees and murky.
Largemouth bass fair to good on soft plastic lures and crawfish-colored
crankbaits at 4-8 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: Elevation normal, water 60 and stained. Largemouth bass excellent on
spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft plastic jerk baits. White bass fair on
jigs and minnows and trolling with crankbaits early and late. Catfish fair
on stinkbait and worms. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs in shallow water.
Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game warden stationed in Carter County.
Pine Creek: Elevation above normal and murky. Bass fair on crankbaits.
Crappie fair in flooded timber and great at the spillway on jigs and
minnows. Catfish fair at the spillway. Anglers should use caution. 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 above normal, water 68 and murky. Largemouth bass
good on plastic baits at 1-4 ft. in spawning areas. Crappie fair to good on
minnows at 1-3 ft. along the weed beds. White bass slow. Blue catfish good
on fresh cut bait and worms at 3-10 ft. along the windy shorelines. Report
submitted by Rick Olzawski, game warden stationed in Haskell County.
Sardis Lake: Elevation 2 ft. above normal and clear to murky. Largemouth
bass excellent on plastics around points and white spinnerbaits with red
flecks around timber. White bass excellent up creeks and trolling lake. Blue
catfish good to excellent on cut bait and shrimp on juglines and trotlines
and around islands and in flooded fields. Flathead catfish good to excellent
on small baitfish on trotlines and juglines. Crappie excellent around
bridges and brush piles on minnows. Walleye fair trolling islands. Report
submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.
Texoma: Elevation 5 ft. above normal, water 62 and clear south and murky
north. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good on spinnerbaits south end
of lake. Striped and white bass fair to good on live bait and sassy shad
from catfish bay south. Channel and blue catfish fair to good on live bait,
cut shad and worms from Platter Flats north. Crappie fair to good on minnows
and jigs around underwater structures and brush piles. All other fishing is
slow. Report submitted by Danny Club, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister: Elevation 24 ft. above normal and murky. Largemouth bass good on
soft plastic baits. Crappie good with minnows and jigs below dam. Channel
and blue catfish good on shad below the dam. Report submitted by Randy
Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert: Elevation 2 ft. below normal and rising slowly. Crappie poor.
Walleye fair to good. Striped bass hybrids fair to good. White bass 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 65 and clear. Gates closed.
Walleye fair on live bait along dam on points. Striped bass hybrids fair on
white and chartreuse jigs. Catfish slow. Crappie fair around fish house.
Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B & K Bait House.
Ft. Cobb: Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water stained. Striped bass
hybrids and white bass slow to fair on sassy shad. Crappie slow on jigs and
minnows around docks. Saugeye slow on night crawlers and sassy shad. Catfish
slow to fair on cut baits. Report submitted by James Edwards Jr., game
warden stationed in Caddo County.
Lawtonka: Elevation above normal with one floodgate open. Crappie good at
the dam on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden
stationed in Comanche County.
Tom Steed: Elevation normal, water 64. White bass and striped bass hybrids
fair on minnows and jigs off the old highway. Report submitted by David
Smith, game warden stationed in Kiowa County.
Waurika: Elevation normal, water 65 and murky. White bass being caught on
artificial baits and live baits. Catfish being caught on juglines and rod
and reel on live bait and punch bait. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
around Walker Creek Bridge and Wichita Ridge. 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.
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