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FISHING REPORT FOR JULY
22, 2009
Texoma
Before this onslaught
of 100 degree plus temperatures, the fishing was fantastic. Fishing is ,
however, still good and I anticipate improvement with the more moderate
weather being forecasted for the next ten days. The stripers are in their
typical summer pattern. The fish will generally be found on the lower end
of the lake in deep water (50-80 feet), but, sometimes will be found on the
"flats" (20-40 feet). Most of the fish are being caught down rigging. The
top water bite is good one day and poor the next with many smaller fish.
Vertical spooning is working well when the fish are in tight enough
schools. Fishing with live bait has been poor as the fish are moving to
fast to keep up with them.
www.southernoklaguides.com
Doc
Walker
Southern Oklahoma Guide Service
Lake Texoma
877-664-2208
CENTRAL
Arcadia: July 20. White bass continue to surface early and can be caught
trolling with crankbaits and spinners. Blue catfish and channel catfish fair
to good on cut shad and shad guts. Crappie fair at 20-25 ft. on minnows and
jigs on brush piles. Report submitted by Mark Murray, game warden stationed
in Oklahoma County.
Arcadia: July 20. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 86 and murky.
Channel catfish good on shad, shrimp and minnows at 8-15 ft. along the north
cove and south banks morning and evening. Crappie fair on jigs at 6-8 ft.
Report submitted by Linnie Mason, gate attendant.
Draper: July 19. Elevation normal and clear. Crappie fair to good for
crappie on minnows and jigs off fishing docks. Channel catfish good on cut
baits and stinkbaits on rip rap. Bass fair on tandem spinners, plastic worms
and shallow diving crankbaits. Report submitted by Chad Strang, game warden
stationed in Cleveland County.
Hefner: July 20. White bass fair trolling along the dam on rooster tails and
small crankbaits. Channel and blue catfish good when the water is flowing at
the inlet on shad and punch bait. Largemouth bass fair early and late on
deep diving crankbaits in the southern coves at 8-10 ft. Saugeye fair
trolling slowly with bottom running crankbaits or drifting with night
crawlers. Report submitted by Mark Murray, game warden stationed in
Oklahoma County.
Overholser: July 19. White bass good on minnows at the west side dock.
Channel catfish good on worms, chicken liver and stinkbait in the tailwaters
and in the lake. Report submitted by Ron Comer, game warden stationed in
Canadian County.
Thunderbird: July 19. Elevation normal and clear. Crappie good on small jigs
and minnows at 6-8 ft. on structure. Catfish good on stinkbait and cut baits
off points and drop and rip rap. Bass fair on tandem spinners, topwater
baits and medium-diving crankbaits in coves and structure. Saugeye good on
medium-diving crankbaits, earthworms and sassy shad off points and drop offs
at 5 -10 ft. early and late day. Report submitted by Chad Strang, game
warden stationed in Cleveland County.
Wes Watkins: July 20. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 84 and clear.
Crappie biting on small minnows at 20 ft. near structure. Channel catfish
fair on punchbait and chicken livers. Report submitted by Mike France, game
warden stationed in Pottawatomie County.
NORTHEAST
Bell Cow: July 19. Elevation below normal, water clear.. Crappie good on
minnows. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln
County.
Birch: July 20. Elevation normal, water mid 80s and clear. Largemouth bass
fair on soft plastic lures Carolina-rigged at 8-15 ft. and on chuggers and
zara spooks early and late. Striped bass hybrids good on crankbaits trolling
mid-lake humps and on live shad at 15-20 ft. Occasional surfacing hybrids
can be caught on topwaters. Channel catfish fair on chicken liver and worms
at 4-12 ft. near main creek channels. Crappie excellent on minnows and jigs
at 12-15 ft. around brush and at night with lights. Report submitted by
Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage County.
Chandler: July 19. Elevation below normal, water clear. Channel catfish good
on doughbaits and stinkbaits. Crappie good on minnows. Report submitted by
Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Copan: July 20. Elevation normal and murky. Crappie fair on minnows and
jigs at 8-10 ft. near structure. Blue catfish slow on chicken livers below
the dam. Channel catfish slow on chicken livers below the dam. Report
submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Eucha: July 21. Elevation 3/4 ft. below normal, water 84 and dingy.
Largemouth bass good on plastic baits at 14-16 ft. Crappie fair on minnows
and jigs around brush and structure. Bluegill good on crickets and worms
around grass beds. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa
Fisheries.
Grand: July 20. Elevation normal, water 89 and clear to murky. Largemouth
bass good on red and green rattletraps at 2-15 ft. around points and rocks.
Smallmouth bass good on the rivers. White bass good on Texas slabs and
minnows at 5-20 ft. morning and night. Catfish fair to good on dip bait,
shad, chicken liver and night crawlers. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at
15-20 ft. around the docks and brush. Bluegill good on worms and crickets
around banks. Report submitted by Grand Lake Sport's Center.
Greenleaf: July 20. Elevation normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on
jigs, worms, spinnerbaits and crankbaits along moss beds, rocky points and
shorelines. Channel and blue catfish fair on fresh cut bait on bottom.
Flathead catfish fair on sunfish. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around
docks and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden
stationed in Muskogee County. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden
stationed in Muskogee County.
Hudson: July 20. Elevation normal. Largemouth bass fair to good on plastic
baits. White bass fair to good on small lures and jigs in the upper end of
the lake. Channel and blue catfish good on juglines with cut shad in the
channels. Report submitted by Steve Loveland, game warden stationed in
Rogers and Mayes counties.
Hulah: July 20. Elevation slightly below normal and murky. Crappie fair on
minnows and jigs at 8-10 ft. near structure. Blue and flathead catfish are
slow on cut shad and worms below the dam. Report submitted by Joe
Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Kaw: July 20. Blue Catfish excellent on juglines and trotlines baited with
shad and goldfish in Coon Creek Flats. White bass good below tailwaters
during times of generation on jigs and crankbaits. Bowfishing has been
excellent in the tailwaters for Carp and Gar. Report submitted by Marshall
Reigh, game warden stationed in Grant and Kay counties.
Keystone: July 21. Elevation 3 ft. above normal. Largemouth bass slow to
fair on large plastic worms and jig and chunkbait at 8-15 ft. along brush
piles and ledges. Smallmouth bass slow on crankbaits and jig and chunkbait
at 10-15 ft. around points. Spotted bass slow to fair on 6 inch plastic
worms and crankbaits at 8-15 ft. around bluffs. White bass fair to good on
minnows, rooster tails and spoons at 10-15 ft. around points and bridges.
Striped bass fair on bucktails and live shad at 3-6 ft. below the dam.
Channel catfish fair on stinkbaits and worms at 8-12 ft. around points. Blue
catfish fair to good on punchbaits and cut shad at 8-15 ft. around flats
along creek channels in big coves. Flathead catfish fair on goldfish and
sunfish at 10-15 ft. along steep rocky banks. Crappie fair on minnows and
jigs at 10-15 ft. around docks and brush piles. Report submitted by Woody's
Bait and Tackle.
Lower Illinois: July 15. Elevation normal, water 59 and clear. Largemouth
bass good on topwater lures all along the surface. Striped bass good on
plugs and live bait at 1-2 ft. below Gore Landing. Channel catfish good on
cut bait on bottom all along the river. Trout excellent fly-fishing at the
surface, on rooster tails at 1-2 ft. and on power bait on bottom from the
dam to Gore Landing. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
Oologah: July 20. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water in lower 80's and
murky. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around brush piles at 15 ft. White
bass fair trolling shad colored crankbaits around main lake points at 10-15
ft. Blue catfish fair on shad below the dam. Report submitted by Brek
Henry, game warden stationed in Rogers County.
Pawhuska Lake: Fishing report provided during trout season.
Skiatook: July 21. Elevation normal, water upper 80s and clear. Striped bass
fair on live shad at 25-35 ft. in Dad's Creek and Skiatook Point. Crappie
fair on minnows and jigs at 8-12 ft. around bridge pilings morning and
evening. Report submitted by Paul Welch, game warden stationed in Osage
County.
Sooner: July 19. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on live shad and
slabs, they are also good at the intake where water is being pumped from the
river. Catfish fair on cub bait and live bait in the channels. Report
submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in Noble County.
Spavinaw: July 21. Elevation slightly below normal, water 84 and dingy.
Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs
around the dam area. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa
Fisheries.
Tenkiller: July 20. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 89 and clear.
Largemouth bass fair early morning on topwater lures, buzzbaits and a
variety of plastic worms. Catfish fair on stinkbaits at 18-21 ft. around
points and on shad using flip-flops or juglines. Sunfish good on night
crawlers in coves or near docks. Report by Monte Brooks Cookson Village
Resort.
Webbers Falls: July 20. Elevation normal, water murky. Largemouth bass fair
on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastic worms around brush structure, riprap
and creek channels. Catfish fair on fresh cut bait and sunfish on bottom.
Sunfish fair on minnows and jigs around brush structure and bridges. Report
submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
NORTHWEST
Canton: July 20. Elevation normal. White bass and striped bass hybrids
excellent on slabs and live shad near underwater islands. Walleye fair on
slabs and night crawlers. Channel catfish good on waterdogs and shad. Report
submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine County.
SOUTHEAST
Blue River: July 21. Elevation normal, water 78 and clear. Bass good on
topwater lures early in the morning and late in the evening and on small
plastic grubs. Channel catfish good on stinkbaits and minnows. Flatheads
fair on live bait at night. Report submitted Matt Gamble, biologist at the
Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area.
Broken Bow: July 19. Elevation dropping, water clear. Spotted bass fair on
topwater lures where schooling and on 10 inch motor oil colored worms
Carolina and Texas rigged, early and late. Crappie good around structure,
all day. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain
County.
Eufaula: July 19. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth bass
fair on plastic baits and crankbaits around deeper points. White bass good
on topwater lures and slab spoons along the flats early and late. Crappie
fair on minnows and jigs at 8-20 ft. under bridges and around standing
timber. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh
County.
Hugo: July 20. Elevation normal, water 85. Crappie fair on minnow along
creek channels. Blue catfish good below the dam on cut shad. Report
submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan
counties.
Konawa: July 19. Elevation normal, water 96 and clear. Largemouth bass fair
on plastic worms at 10 ft. road beds. Channel catfish fair on chicken liver
and stinkbait at 10-12 ft. around points. Report submitted by Daryl Howser,
game warden stationed in Seminole County.
McGee Creek: July 20. Elevation 1/2 ft. above normal, water 87 and clear.
Largemouth bass fair to good on soft plastic lures at 3-10 ft. and on
topwater baits early and late for schooling fish. Crappie good around cedar
brush on minnows and jigs. Channel catfish fair on jug lines with live bait.
Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County.
Murray: July 20. Water 87 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good on
various baits, soft worms and soft jerk baits worked slowly early, late and
at night. White bass good on minnows and jigs trolling and the marina early
and late and around tires at night. Channel catfish good on various
stinkbaits, worms, minnows and chicken livers. Crappie slow around brush and
fish attractors. Walleye slow on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by
Jeremy Brothers, game warden stationed in Carter County.
Pine Creek: July 20. Bass great on brush hogs around brush and cover at 4
ft. and less. Crappie fair on jigs around brush. Catfish good on cut shad
near creek channels. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed
in McCurtain County.
Robert S. Kerr: July 20. Elevation normal, water 87 and murky. Crappie good
on minnows and small jigs at the brush piles at 8-12 ft. White bass good on
crankbaits while trolling in the creek channel near the mouth of Big San
Bois creek and the Arkansas River. Largemouth bass fair on soft baits and
crankbaits at 2-6 ft. near the grass beds. Catfish good on fresh shad, cut
bait, punch bait and earthworms on trotlines and juglines in the main creek
channel and while drift fishing the mudflats. Report submitted by Leland
Sockey, game warden stationed in Haskell County.
Sardis Lake: July 20. Bass good off of points and around creek channels on
spinnerbaits and plugs also good on watermelon lizards in grass early
mornings. Crappie excellent on pink grubs or green and black around cover
and off of Jack Fork Bridge, half bridge and tower using live minnows.
Flathead catfish fair on shad, sunfish or goldfish on jugs or trotlines off
points close to channels. Blue and channel catfish excellent on jugs and
trotlines on cut bait or shrimp or shad off points and close to channels.
White bass excellent trolling around islands and east side lake by tower and
excellent when found surfacing on lake. Walleye fair trolling around islands
on rattletraps. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in
Pushmataha County.
Texoma: July 20. Elevation normal, water 86 and clear. Largemouth and
smallmouth bass fair to good on topwater baits and crankbaits around the
drop offs and creek channels. Striped and white bass fair to good on
topwater baits and sassy shad from Catfish bay south. Channel and blue
catfish fair to good on worms and cut bait, from the Highway 70 bridge
north. Crappie fair around underwater brush. Sunfish good around the fish
attractors. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan
County.
Wister: July 20. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal and murky. Largemouth bass
fair on spinnerbaits, topwaters zara spook early and late. Crappie fair with
pink spinners, pink jigs and minnows. Channel and blue catfish fair on
juglines baited with cut shad and liver. Flathead catfish fair on live
sunfish and night crawlers. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden
stationed in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert: July 20. Elevation 10 ft. below normal and dropping. Walleye
and crappie fair to good. Striped bass hybrids fair. Catfish fair. Report
submitted by Sue Hokanson, Quartz Mountain State Park.
Foss: July 20. Elevation normal, water 80s and clear. Gates closed. Striped
bass hybrids fair on live bait and slabs in deep water. Walleye slow to fair
drifting or trolling with shad colored lures. Catfish good on doughbait or
stinkbait in channels. White bass good while surfacing. Report submitted by
Eric Puyear, B & K Bait House.
Waurika: July 20. Elevation normal, water murky. Channel and blue catfish
fair on worms and cut bait. Report submitted by Phillip Cottrill, 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
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