Lakes and Rivers

If you have ever had trouble tying effective knots or wished there were animated demonstrations to help learn specific knots, then fret no more. Check out www.animatedknots.com and never lose a monster hawg to a bad knot again!

Editor’s Note: Lake Texoma Guide GW Chisholm suggested this site. Thanks GW!

This just in…Lake Texoma game wardens like to fish too! Did the game warden actually forget to turn off his lights between stops OR is he trying to pull over a topwater striper?!?

Editor’s note: Maybe he forgot his electroshock equipment and had to use a rod for the fish survey…

Fisherman Mike D reports excellent bass and crappie fishing at Lake Tom Steed. The other day Mike caught three bass weighing 6.0, 4.0, and 2.25 lbs (pictured) and he also caught a nice 2.0 lbs crappie. He caught the bass on buzz bait and the crappie on a yellow head white body jig.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report Mike! Mike is an aspiring to become a professional bass fisherman and is looking for sponsors…

Lake Skiatook fishing Guide David Clark reports that he and his clients caught about 40 fish on a recent outting – 25 were real nice Hybrids. All were caught on downlines except for a few that they caught while downrigging. Most fish were in 30 ft and the water temp was 88. Overall it was a very good day.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report David! Check out David’s site at www.FishOnOK.com

For the eighth year in a row Lake Konawa ranked number one in the number of bass caught per hour in reservoirs over 1,000 acres according to the 2006 spring electrofishing data recently released by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Covering 1,300 acres in Seminole County, Konawa produced 132 bass per hour of electrofishing during this year’s surveys.

“It’s really no surprise Konawa is number one again – it is simply a great bass lake. Not only does Konawa have good numbers of bass, the population is also well balanced – it ranked first in the number of larger bass (over 14 inches) among lakes over 1,000 acres in the survey,” said Kim Erickson, fisheries chief for the Wildlife Department.

Coming in second was Lake Ft. Gibson, which produced 114 bass per hour during this year’s electrofishing bass surveys. Lake Sooner, north of Stillwater, ranked third with 101 bass per hour. Ranking fourth was Lake McGee Creek (86 bass per hour), with Lake Tenkiller (69 bass per hour) rounding out the top five.

In lakes under 1,000 acres, Lake Okmulgee came in first place with an impressive 149 bass per hour. Coon Creek Lake, near Wilburton, came in a very close second with 148 bass per hour. American Horse Lake, a Wildlife Department lake near Geary, took third place with 133 bass per hour. Located south of Lawton near the Wichita Mountains, Lake Elmer Thomas claimed fourth place with 119 bass per hour. Carlton Lake, located in Robbers Cave State Park in southeast Oklahoma took fifth place with 107 bass per hour.

Editor’s Note: Read the entire 2006 spring electrofishing story at: www.wildlifedepartment.com/storyofweek2.htm

Avid fisherman Terry Evans reports the fishing at Lake Hudson has been excellent. He went fishing on Saturday the 8th around 7pm and caught 4 bass around 3lbs each in a 30 minute span using an electric blue worm around brush piles in a cove on the north end of the lake in the shade.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report Terry! Got any pictures you want to share with us?

Our friend Darris, who sends us notes on smallmouth bass fishing at Lake Tenkiller, has just purchased a boat there and promises even more smallie reports! He’s at Pine Cove Marina and says the owners are extremely nice and accommodating. He also says stop by and say “Hi” the next time you are at Lake Tenkiller.

Editor’s Note: Way to go Darris! Buying a boat is a big decision and yours looks like a lot of fun! Can the staff of OKFG hang out and fish with you sometime?

Guide David Clark reports the fishing has been really good lately at Lake Skiatook. He sent us this picture and says the biggest fish was was 6lbs and several others in the 4lbs to 5lbs range.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the fishing report and picture Dave! David offers guided fishing trips on Lake Skiatook, Lake Sooner, Lake Birch and Lake Waurika.

Anglers fishing on Lake Texoma are reporting excellent striped bass fishing over the last several weeks with large numbers of big fish being caught. However, warm water conditions can be stressful for stripers when they are caught in deep water.

Lake Texoma, located on the Red River along the Oklahoma and Texas border, has earned a reputation as being one of the top striper lakes in the nation. Known for their outstanding fighting abilities, striped bass are long-lived and fast growing. Stripers are voracious predators with a diet consisting mainly of threadfin and gizzard shad.

“This time of year schools of stripers will often move to deeper water to find cooler temperatures,” said Paul Mauck, south central region fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “There can be problems when you pull a big fish up quickly from 30 feet or deeper and then try release it. Their air bladders cannot compensate for the quick changes in pressure and the fish can die.”

Anglers are allowed to keep two stripers 20 inches long or longer and Mauck is urging anglers to exercise caution once they catch a limit of fish over 20 inches.

“Everybody, including myself, loves catching stripers. But it is important that we as anglers are aware of this issue and take responsibility for our actions. When the fishing is good, it can be hard to move to another spot or try a different technique, but it is simply the right thing to do if the methods we are using are hard on the fish that we all love,” Mauck said.

Larry Manering, law enforcement chief for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, pointed out that the issue goes beyond just good fishing ethics. “No good angler wants to waste this great resource, but this is more than just an ethical issue, it is also a legal issue. In the state of Oklahoma it is against the law for an angler to release a dead or dying fish,” Manering said.

Mauck offered several tips for releasing healthy striped bass during the summer months, including:

1. Fish as shallow as possible: If fish are in 60 feet of water try catching them at 30 feet rather than at a depth of 60 feet as this helps reduce the changes in air pressure as they come to the surface.
2. When bait fishing, use circle hooks, hooks specially designed to lodge in the corner of the fish’s mouth. One that has been successful is the Mustad “Croker Hook” in the 1/0 to 2/0 size range.
3. Release fish along side of the boat to reduce handling stress. Be sure to wet hands and towels before grabbing the fish. Boga grips are good tools for holding fish while removing hooks.
4. Cut line and gently release deep hooked fish.
5. When you have caught a limit of big fish (2 fish 20 inches or longer in length), move and find a school of smaller “box fish” rather than staying and releasing fish that may die as a result of being caught.
6. As a last resort, “fizz” floating striped bass by using a #18 -1 1/2″ or 2″ hypodermic needle. This procedure involves releasing air from the fish’s air bladder – go to:
   www.wildlifedepartment.com/fizzingstripedbass.htm for complete details.

Editor’s Note: Texoma Striper handling tips courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Photo courtesy of Trails Guide Service, Lake Texoma.