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Doug Lay, Editor and Avid Fisherman

Lake Records Program Expanded to 28 Lakes

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The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Lake Record Fish Program continues to grow, with several new lake records — and lakes — added throughout this spring.

Last year, there were 13 lakes and this year it has been expanded to 28! The current lakes are:

The Lake Record Fish program recognizes anglers who catch a fish that qualifies as a record setter for the lake in which it was caught. Though the program was established as a way to serve anglers and recognize significant fish, it also serves as an indicator of trophy fish production in the state’s lakes.

Since last year, the program has doubled in size and there are now twenty-eight lakes currently enrolled in the program. An easy-to-use search feature is available through the Wildlife Department’s Web site to view all kinds of interesting 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. To access the search feature, log on to 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, or vendors. The lake record keeper may then enter the fish into an automated database via the Internet. 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.

Species eligible for spots in the lake records book include:

  • blue catfish
  • channel
  • flathead catfish
  • largemouth bass
  • smallmouth bass
  • spotted bass
  • crappie
  • paddlefish
  • striped bass
  • striped bass hybrids
  • sunfish (combined)
  • walleye/saugeye
  • white bass

Minimum weights are set for each species included to avoid a rush of potential yet easily broken records early in the program’s inception.

For more information about the new Lake Record Fish Program or for contact information for lake record keepers, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

Invasive Algae in Lower Mountain Fork River

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The recent discovery of an invasive alga in a southeast Oklahoma river serves to remind anglers of their role in helping prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species.

Biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the University of Oklahoma recently confirmed the presence of Didymosphenia geminata, also known by anglers as “Didymo” or “rock snot,” in the Lower Mountain Fork River below Broken Bow Lake. The invasive species is native to North America and thrives in low-nutrient, cold, flowing streams rich in oxygen, such as the Lower Mountain Fork River, the Lower Illinois River and the Blue River.

Didymo starts out as small tufted colonies, but can grow into dense, thick mats that cover large portions of a streambed.

“When it forms extensive mats or produces large blooms, rock snot can outcompete native algae relied on by aquatic insects,” said Curtis Tackett, aquatic nuisance biologist for the Wildlife Department. “That may not sound like a problem, except that those insects provide an important source of food for trout in the Lower Mountain Fork River.”

Tackett said that in some cases, the reduction of available food sources for trout because of competition from invasive species like Didymo can result in smaller fish. Additionally, Didymo can clog water pipes and other flow structures as well as become quite a nuisance to anglers because of how easily it can be snagged by a fish hook.

“Anglers can help prevent further spread of Didymo and other aquatic nuisance species, and it just takes a little bit of effort,” Tackett said. “But that effort can go a long way.”

According to Tackett, the following measures can be taken to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species:

  • Before leaving a river or stream, remove all clumps of algae and look for hidden fragments.
  • Soak and scrub all gear for at least one minute in a two percent bleach solution, or five percent salt solution, or simply use hot water and dishwashing soap.
  • If cleaning is not practical, then wait at least 48 hours before contact with another water body after equipment has dried.
  • Consider keeping two sets of wading boots, and alternate their use between cleaning and drying. * Avoid using felt-soled waders.
  • Avoid wading through colonies of the algae. Breaking up the material could cause future colonies and blooms to occur further downstream.

For more information about the Lower Mountain Fork River trout fishery, log on to the Wildlife Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.

Lake Keystone Catfish Festival

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Lake Keystone Catfish Festival will be at Feyodi Park in Cleveland. The fishing contest entry fee is $25, and registration must be received by June 1. The top three places will be awarded for biggest three-fish stringer; 1st place — $1,000; 2nd place — $500; and third place — $250.

In the event of a tie, prize money will be split equally for that prize. No more than three fish may be entered per registrant, and weigh-in takes place promptly at 5 p.m. Fish (Channel, Blue and Flathead Catfish only) must be alive and pass inspection.

All Oklahoma Wildlife Department rules and regulations must be followed. If there is flooding at Feyodi Park, the event will be held at Cleveland High School in front of the Event Center/Soccer Field. For more information, call (918) 358-2131

Oklahoma Fishing Guides to be Licensed

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Fishing guides who operate on Oklahoma waters will be required to purchase a fishing guide license from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation beginning July 31.

At its June meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved emergency rules to go into effect July 31 in accordance to Senate Bill 277, which recently was signed by the Governor.

“The new fishing guide license was requested by the fishing guide industry in Oklahoma and will help ensure our state’s fishing guides have a strong set of safety and first-aid skills as well as properly functioning equipment and insurance,” said Greg Duffy, director of the Wildlife Department.

The annual license will cost $132 for both residents and nonresidents, but Wildlife Department officials are only going to charge $66 for the remainder of 2009 since the requirement will only be in effect for half of the year. The license is required of all persons, resident or nonresident, who charge or accept consideration to take someone fishing. The only exemption is for landowners or lessees who provide such services on their own property and those who assist a licensed guide in the same boat.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, fishing guides applying for a license must provide the Wildlife Department with documentation stating they have completed boat training through the National Association of Safe Boating Administrators, which is available readily online or at locations throughout Oklahoma. They also must provide the Wildlife Department with proof of commercial general liability insurance covering services as a fishing guide with policy limits of at least $500,000 per occurrence.

Additionally, fishing guides must maintain current boat inspection by any governmental agency or entity authorized to perform such inspections, and they must be certified by the American Red Cross in CPR and basic first aid.

“Other states, including Texas, have guide license requirements, and I am confident this will benefit our anglers and guides,” said Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department. “We hope to maintain a list of licensed guides to help anglers identify guides and get ‘hooked up,’ so to speak.”

Free Fishing Weekend!

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This weekend is Oklahoma’s annual Free Fishing Weekend! That’s right, you don’t need a license to go fishing – so grab your poles and some kids and get out there!

Please Note: Certain city permits may still apply to specific fishing areas during Free Fishing Days. If you are going to Lake Texoma, be aware of and abide by all Texas fishing license and permit requirements when fishing the Texas portion of Lake Texoma this weekend. The Texas Free Fishing Day is Saturday, so you will be able to fish both Texas and Oklahoma portions of the lake for free that day only.

Read the full story here!

June Free Lures Winner

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Twice a month, www.OklahomaFishingGuides.com awards free lures & tackle to lucky fishing report subscribers.

In addition, once a quarter a lucky subscriber will also win an Original Readi-Lure tackle box from Tackle Tech AND at the end of the year, one lucky subscriber will win an IM6 Hookhider Fishing Rod.

This week’s lures and tackle winner is James G. from South Hutchinson, Kansas. James will receive an assortment of lures & tackle from Lead Babies Slabs, River Bottom Lures, SnapTail Lures, and our newest sponsor, Hawg Wild Custom Bass Baits, home of Larry the Lizard.

Want a chance to win free fishing lures & fishing tackle OR a new tackle box OR a customized IM6 Hookhider fishing rod? Sign Up Here!

Editor’s Note: Congratulations James. Good luck with all your fishing adventures this year!

Lake Texoma Fishing Report

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Lake Texoma Fishing Report - the fishing is excellent! Fishing guide Brian Prichard sends us this report from Lake Texoma:

Lake Texoma water temperature is 63° and the elevation is 9’ above normal and the water is stained. The fishing is about as good as it can get right now. Once you find the fish, they are biting like crazy. When I’m on the fish we are catching a limit in about 30 minutes as fast as I can take fish off the hook and re-bait. I’m fishing with bait on anchor in 30-40’ of water. Most have been coming off of the ledges near the river channel. It is best to avoid the muddiest water and fish the stained or clear parts of the lake. A lot of the fish that I have been catching have been smaller and I’ve been moving a lot to find the larger fish but I have managed to find some 20” fish on every trip ranging up to 12lbs. Fish are eating practically everything you throw at them right now. Lures are working as well. We are catching them on topwaters, sassys, and slabs. Some people are using minnows instead of shad and having success. (Click on pictures to view larger images.)

Since we are catching our limits so fast we get to play for the rest of the time out on the water. Depending on what my customers want, I’ll either lure fish, trophy fish, or try to catch some catfish to add to the box. We were lure fishing after a quick limit on Tuesday throwing topwaters when we caught this 7lb black bass. It was the biggest black bass I’ve caught on Texoma in 10 years. He blew up on a big pencil popper near the bank.

My weekends are filling up a month in advance. There are a few slots left on the weekends in May but not many. The weekdays are relatively open so if you can get off during the week, not is the time to come fishing, the fish are going crazy!

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report and pictures Brian. Those are some nice size stripers and the largemouth bass is NICE! If you would like to go fishing with Brian, call him at 903-815-1609 or 903-462-2881 or visit his website at www.stripersinc.com.

Lake Tenkiller Fishing Report

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Lake Tenkiller Oklahoma fishing report bass
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go fishing on Lake Tenkiller with fishing guide Rocky Thomas, Jr. It was my birthday on Saturday, so a couple of my cousins from Kansas City drove down so we could have a fun weekend. Although it was windy on Saturday, and VERY windy on Sunday, Rocky got us on fish all day long!

On Saturday morning, my cousin Colby caught a nice bass on a Bitin’ Titan Spinnerbait from the dock of Burnt Cabin Marina and Resort where were staying. When Rocky took us over to his first favorite cove, I immediately caught a 4.5lb largemouth bass on my very first cast and the day only got better from there! (Click on pictures to view large images.)

By lunch I caught 2 more largemouth bass between 4lb and 5lb and on my last cast before lunch, I hooked up with a 5lb smallmouth bass. It was awesome! And once again, I nailed all these fish on my favorite setup; a Hookhider road with a wacky rigged Maniac 4″ Cinnamon Crawfish Salt Stick. Needless to say, after lunch, everybody else rigged up with the same wacky rig and we all continued to nail fish all day long. I even caught a 5lb black drum on the rig!

On Sunday, the wind was brutal, and the wacky rig was less effective. The wind created too much slack in the line to feel the subtle hits, so we all switched over to War Eagle Spinnerbaits and the trusty Bitin’ Titan Spinnerbaits. We caught just about every kind of fish the lake has; largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, kentucky bass, white bass, and bluegill. Just an absolutely awesome birthday fishing trip.

Saturday night, Colby’s dad Pete, whipped up an awesome birthday fish fry; fresh kentucky bass, BBQ beans, cole slaw, pan-fried potatoes and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Thank you Pete and Colby for driving down from KC to fish with me on my birthday! And a huge thank you to Lake Tenkiler fishing guide Rocky Thomas for getting us on fish all day long, 2 days in a row, even with the major wind on Sunday. As I’ve always said, the weather only bothers the fisherman, but the fish are still hungry.

If you would like to go fishing with Rocky on Lake Tenkiller or other lakes he fishes in the area, such as Grand Lake, Lake Greenleaf, Lake Hudson, Lake Robert S. Kerr, Lake Spavinaw, Lake Eucha, Lake Oologah, or the Illinois River, he can be reached at 918-837-0490 or visit his website at www.ThomasGuideService.com.

May Free Lures Winner

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Twice a month, www.OklahomaFishingGuides.com awards free lures & tackle to lucky fishing report subscribers.

In addition, once a quarter a lucky subscriber will also win an Original Readi-Lure tackle box from Tackle Tech AND at the end of the year, one lucky subscriber will win an IM6 Hookhider Fishing Rod.

This week’s lures and tackle winner is Danny R. from Jenks, Oklahoma. Danny will receive an assortment of lures & tackle from Lead Babies Slabs, River Bottom Lures, SnapTail Lures, and our newest sponsor, Hawg Wild Custom Bass Baits, home of Larry the Lizard.

Want a chance to win free fishing lures & fishing tackle OR a new tackle box OR a customized IM6 Hookhider fishing rod? Sign Up Here!

Editor’s Note: Congratulations Danny. Good luck with all your fishing adventures this year!