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Shad
stocked at Lake Texoma
Personnel from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation have made
efforts to stabilize Lake Texoma threadfin shad populations that
substantially declined due to a winter die-off.
“We
were able to stock more than 39,000 adult threadfin into Lake Texoma this
week,” said Matt Mauck, south-central fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation. “We expect these shad to begin spawning
soon and really jumpstart the threadfin population.”
The
shad were stocked in numerous areas in the lake and according Mauck, they
are a critical part of the food system in the lake.
"The
threadfin is an important prey species for stripers and other sportfish in
Lake Texoma," said Mauck. "This winter it just got too cold for the shad to
survive and the population took a hard hit. They will come back on their own
over time, but we felt additional stockings would speed up the recovery
process."
The
die-off occurred when water temperatures in the lake dropped to 40 degrees
or below for several weeks this past winter and dramatically impacted
threadfin populations, Mauck added. Fishing guides and anglers have had
difficult time collecting bait for trips and have had to rely on collecting
gizzard shad or purchasing shiners if they did not wish to fish artificial
lures.
Lake
Texoma is nationally recognized as a premier striped bass fishing
destination. Additionally, numerous other species thrive in the lake
including trophy populations of smallmouth bass and blue catfish. This
resource offers countless hours of recreational opportunities but is also
important economically with many businesses and fishing guides relying on
the continued success of the fishery. While sport fish generally get most
of the attention, they are all reliant upon available forage within the
lake.
“While
there are many different forage species within the lake, shad are a staple
food item for many of the most sought after fish, especially stripers,”
Mauck said. “In fact, striped bass eat almost exclusively threadfin and
gizzard shad, avoiding other food items in many cases.”
While
gizzard shad are a readily available staple in the lake, threadfin remain
smaller than the gizzard shad and therefore can offer more forage variety to
smaller predator species as well as stripers.
Similar cases of mass die-offs have been reported three other times in Lake
Texoma history, the latest being in the winter of 2001. In all cases, the
threadfin shad made a successful comeback between the remnant population
that survived the winter and supplemental stockings from the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department (TPWD).
FISHING REPORT FOR MAY 5, 2010
CENTRAL
Overholser: May 2. Water 66-67 and murky. White bass and striped bass fair
to good on minnows, jigs and ghost minnows all over the lake. Catfish slow
to fair on chicken liver, gizzards and cut shad. Crappie fair to good.
Report submitted by Joey Rushing, game warden stationed in Oklahoma and
Canadian counties.
Thunderbird: May 2. Elevation normal, water 57 and murky. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs at 1-4 ft. around structure. Saugeye good on med-diving
crankbaits, sassy shad, earthworms and jigs at 4-8 ft. off points; fishermen
are catching saugeye on minnows while fishing for crappie. Largemouth bass
good on tandem spinnerbaits and plastic worms at 3-7 ft. in coves on weed
beds and other structure. Channel catfish fair to good on minnows and sponge
bait around rock outcroppings. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game
warden stationed in Cleveland County.
Wes
Watkins: May 2. Elevation normal, water 68 and clear. Largemouth bass fair
to good on spinnerbaits. White bass and crappie fair. Report submitted by
Mike France, game warden stationed in Pottawatomie County.
NORTHEAST
Bell
Cow: May 2. Elevation normal, water 66 and murky. Bass good on spinnerbaits
and plastic baits. Channel catfish good on cut bait. Crappie excellent on
minnows and jigs around the docks. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game
warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Birch:
May 3. Elevation normal, water 65 and stained. Largemouth bass good on
plastic baits and spinnerbaits. Channel catfish good on chicken liver and
cut bait. Crappie good on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by David Clay,
game warden stationed in Osage County.
Carl
Blackwell: May 3. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 68 and murky. Crappie
good on minnows and jigs at 8-9 ft. Saugeye good trolling crankbaits and
grubs. Striped bass hybrids good trolling crankbaits. Catfish good on all
baits. Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game warden stationed in Payne
County.
Chandler: May 2. Elevation normal, water 67 and clear to murky. Bass good on
spinnerbaits. Catfish good on cut bait and chicken liver. Crappie good on
minnows and jigs around the dam and docks. Report submitted by Gary Emmons,
game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Copan:
May 2. Elevation above normal, water clear. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
in shallow areas as crappie are finishing spawning. Many anglers are
reporting large stringers of fish in Cotton Creek. Channel catfish being
caught below the dam on worms and chicken livers. Report submitted by Joe
Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Eucha:
May 4. Elevation slightly above normal, water 67 and clear. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs at 10-12 ft. around brush and structure. Largemouth bass
fair on jerk baits and crankbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of
Tulsa.
Ft
Gibson: May 4. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water clear. Crappie good on
minnows and chartreuse and black jigs in shallow water. Largemouth bass good
on spinnerbaits and crankbaits at 5-15 ft. Catfish being caught on shrimp
and cut bait around the rocks and below the dam. Report submitted by Rick
Stafford in Wagoner.
Grand:
May 3. Elevation normal, water 68-70 and clear. Largemouth bass good on
crankbaits, tubes and 6-inch worms in green, brown and blue at 2-10 ft.
along fallen trees, brush and rock piles. White bass excellent on white and
sparkle tail Texas slabs, small crankbaits and grubs in white or chartreuse
at 6-10 ft. in Elk and Spring rivers. Catfish good on night crawlers,
brooders, shrimp, goldfish and shad at 3-30 ft. all over the lake. Crappie
good on minnows, tube skirts, jigs and Bobby Garlands in chartreuse, red,
silver and orange in deeper water. Sunfish good on crickets and worms along
the shorelines. Carp fair to good. Paddlefish fair in Neosho River near
Miami. Report submitted by Grand Lake Sport’s Center.
Greenleaf: May 3. Elevation normal, water 67 and clear. Largemouth bass good
on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jig and worm in creek channels and rocky
points and shorelines. Catfish good on fresh cut bait on bottom near the
spillway and up creek channels. Crappie good on purple jigs at 3-6 ft.
around fishing dock and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson,
game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
Hudson: May 3. Elevation normal, water 63 and murky. Largemouth bass good on
topwater lures and spinnerbaits early and late. White bass good on small
jigs and lures in the upper end. Crappie good on blue and white jigs at 8-10
ft. around brush pile areas in coves and shallows. Paddlefish fair to good
in the upper end. Report submitted by Steve Loveland, game warden stationed
in Rogers and Mayes counties.
Hulah:
May 2. Elevation normal, water clear. Crappie good on minnows and jigs in
shallow areas. Catfish fair below the dam on worms and cut shad. Report
submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Kaw:
May 3. Elevation normal, water mid to upper 60s and stained. Blue and
channel catfish fair on juglines and rod and reel with cut bait and worms at
4-10 ft. Crappie excellent on minnows and jigs at 1-5 ft. over structure.
White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on jigs up Arkansas Arm. Try
Beaver, Otter, and Wolf creeks for crappie as well as main-lake coves with
rocky shorelines. The majority of the white bass run is over in the lake and
tributaries, but fishing below the dam is picking up for striped bass
hybrids and white bass. Paddlefish slow below the dam with few fish
available. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Kay
County.
Lower
Illinois: May 3. Elevation normal, water 50 and clear. Largemouth bass slow
on stinkbaits at 3 ft. all along the river. White bass fair on jigs at 1-3
ft. all along the river. Channel catfish excellent on cut bait on bottom all
along the river. Crappie fair on jigs at 1-3 ft. all along the river. Trout
good on flies on the surface, rooster tails at 1-2 ft. and on power bait on
bottom above Gore Landing. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
Oologah: May 2. Elevation normal, water lower 60s and murky. White bass fair
in Verdigris River and Big Creek above the lake on jigs. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs at 5-10 ft. around standing timber in creeks around the
lake. Channel and blue catfish fair on shad at 10-15 ft. on flats. White
bass and crappie fair on jigs below the dam. Blue catfish fair on shad below
the dam. Report submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in Rogers
County.
Skiatook: May 4. Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water 60s and clear.
Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits along rocky shorelines and mouths of
creeks. Striped bass hybrids fair on live shad at 5-15 ft. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs at 10-15 ft. over brush piles. Report submitted by Paul
Welch, game warden stationed in Osage County.
Sooner: May 3. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on live shad and
slabs and on ghost minnows in the channels. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs
along Hwy 15. Report submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in
Noble County.
Spavinaw: May 4. Elevation slightly above normal, water 66 and clear.
Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around the dam area. Largemouth bass fair
on spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Tenkiller: May 3. Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal and steady, water 65-70 and
clear. Largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass fair in shallow water on
spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater lures. Crappie slow on minnows or jigs
with some action in shallow water or around docks and on minnows at 35-40
ft. under lights. White bass fair trolling deep running crankbaits in
daytime and on minnows at 35-40 ft. at night under lights. Report by Monte
Brooks Cookson Village Resort.
Webbers Falls: May 3. Elevation normal, water 67 and murky. Largemouth bass
good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits along riprap and creek channels. Catfish
good on fresh cut bait drifting the mud flats. Crappie good on minnows and
purple jigs around brush structure and bridges. Report submitted by Lark
Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
NORTHWEST
Canton: May 2. Elevation normal, water 67 and clear. Walleye good on jigs,
night crawlers and crankbaits in upper end of lake. Striped bass hybrids
good on night crawlers and crawdad tails along Thunder Road. Largemouth bass
good on plastic baits in upper end of lake. Crappie good on minnows and jigs
in flooded vegetation. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden
stationed in Blaine County.
Ft.
Supply: May 3. Elevation normal, water clear. White bass fair on jigs and
spinnerbaits all over the lake. Crappie fair on minnows at the jetties.
Walleye fair on minnows, jigs and spinnerbaits trolling and at the edge of
the dam. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger, game warden stationed in
Woodward County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: May 2. Elevation normal, water 67 and clear. White bass good on
spoons and jigs with wiggle tails at 10-15 ft. in mouths of coves and off
the points. Crappie good on small jigs in shallow areas and on minnows and
jigs off the docks in early a.m. Bass being caught on crankbaits,
spinnerbaits and small worms off points. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Blue
River: May 4. Elevation normal, water 60 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: May 5. Water mid 60s and clear. Bass good on brush hogs, spinnerbaits
and shallows. Catfish good on juglines and trotlines with cut bait and
sunfish. Crappie good on jigs at 5-10 ft. around structure in the upper end
and baited holes. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in
McCurtain County.
Eufaula: May 3. Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on
crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastic baits at 2-6 ft. in rocky and brushy
areas. White bass good below the dam when running water. Blue catfish fair
on shad at 4-8 ft. in the flats. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 1-6 ft.
in rocky and brushy areas near shorelines. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush,
game warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo:
May 2. Elevation normal, water 63. Crappie fair on minnows at 6-10 ft.
Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits and soft plastics along creek channels
and on crankbaits along drop offs. Catfish fair on goldfish and sunfish in
the main lake. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in
Choctaw County.
Konawa: May 3. Elevation normal, water 71 and clear. Largemouth bass good on
plastic worms at 2-5 ft. along weed beds and cattails. Channel catfish good
on chicken liver at 15 ft. in the discharge canal. Report by Daryl Howser,
game warden stationed in Seminole County.
McGee
Creek: May 2. Elevation 4 inches above normal, water 69 and clear. Crappie
fair on minnows and jigs at 3-6 ft. along button brush. Largemouth bass good
on green soft plastic lures and yellow and black spinnerbaits at 1-5 ft.
Channel catfish fair on juglines and trotlines with live bait. Report
submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County.
Pine
Creek: May 2. Elevation normal, water clear. Bass good on jigs and
crankbaits near rocky points. Crappie fair on minnows. Catfish great on
worms and are moving into shallow water. Saugeye good on spinnerbaits along
pockets. White bass good on crankbaits near the river channel. Report
submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Robert
S. Kerr: May 3. Elevation normal, water 73 and murky. Largemouth bass good
on soft baits and spinnerbaits. Catfish good on juglines and trotlines with
fresh shad and cut bait. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 2-4 ft. along
shorelines. Report submitted by Leland Sockey, game warden stationed in
Haskell County.
Sardis: May 3. Elevation normal, water 69 and murky. Largemouth bass good on
spinnerbaits, swim baits, plastic baits and plastic worms. Channel and blue
catfish good on cut bait and minnows. Flathead catfish good on live sunfish.
Crappie good on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden
stationed in Pushmataha County.
Texoma: May 2. Elevation 2 ft. above normal, water 66 and mostly clear.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good on plastic combination baits and
spinnerbaits at 5-15 ft. around the drop offs. Striped and white bass fair
to good on live bait, sassy shad and slabs at 10-20 ft. in the river
channels. Channel and blue catfish fair to good on cut shad, stinkbaits and
worms at 5-15 ft. from Platter Flats north to the Washita River. Crappie
fair to good on minnows and jigs at 5-15 ft. in the creek channels. Sunfish
good on worms at 5-10 ft. around the fish attractors. Paddlefish fair to
good below the dam. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed
in Bryan County.
Wister: May 2. Elevation normal, water 67 and murky. Largemouth bass good on
spinnerbaits, worms and jigs. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 2-5 ft.
around structure. 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:
May 4. Elevation 9 1/2 ft. below normal and rising steadily. Walleye good to
very good near Hicks Mtn. Crappie good on minnows. White bass have been good
on minnows off points near the dam. Report submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz
Mountain State Park.
Ellsworth: May 2. Elevation above normal, water murky. Crappie fair to good
on minnows and jigs around brush and structure. Catfish fair on cut bait off
rocky points. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in
Comanche County.
Foss:
May 4. Elevation 1/8 ft. above normal with one gate open 1/2 ft., water mid
70s and clear. Walleye fair on live bait and shad colored lures in front of
dam on rocks. Striped bass hybrids fair in river above lake. Catfish fair in
channels. Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B & K Bait House.
Ft.
Cobb: May 2. Elevation normal, water 67 and clear. Striped bass hybrids good
on night crawlers and crawdad tails along the dam. Largemouth bass good on
soft plastics near shallow cover. Crappie good on minnows and jigs near
brush and flooded vegetation. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden
stationed in Blaine County.
Lawtonka: May 2. Elevation above normal, water clear. Crappie fair on
minnows at the dam. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed
in Comanche County.
Tom
Steed: May 4. Elevation 3 ft. below normal, water 65 and murky. Crappie good
on minnows and jigs at 2-8 ft. at Otter and Glen creeks. Walleye good on
minnows on bottom off the points. White bass good on jigs at 4-8 ft. at the
old highway. Striped bass hybrids good on crawdad tails on bottom around
windy points. Report submitted by David Smith, game warden stationed in
Kiowa County.
Waurika: May 3. Elevation normal and gates closed, water murky. White bass
fair on jigs and cut shad around windy points and shorelines and along the
dam early and late. Blue catfish good on cut shad and stinkbaits along windy
shorelines and points. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at Corum Bridge and
Walker Creek Bridge, along the rocks at Chisholm, brush piles and structure
in the lake and in shallow areas. Report submitted by Vince Mesis, game
warden stationed in Cotton County.
Oklahoma Spoonbill Fishing
Dustin Newer
April 2010
These were
caught near the Twin Bridges State park fishing with Dempsey’s Guide
Service…My fishing partner is a well known OkieFish contributor but I
will let her send in the pics of the 60 lber she caught.
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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