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mountain fork river

14,000 Extra Rainbow Trout

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Each year, the Lower Mountain Fork River (LMFR) is stocked bi-weekly with rainbow trout, but the southeast Oklahoma fishery will receive six “bonus” stockings this spring that will provide more than 14,000 additional
fish.

The first two supplemental trout stockings took place Feb. 5 and Feb. 12, and the remaining four are scheduled for Feb 26, March 12 & 26 and April 9. Each stocking includes over 2,400 fish that are nearly a foot in length.

“These trout are going to be placed in remote areas of the stream that aren’t usually stocked,” said Jay Barfield, streams management technician for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “And at 11 inches they will be a bit larger than usual and ready to put up a fun challenge. Angling should be great in these areas during the coming weeks.”

The additional rainbow trout are being provided to the Wildlife Department by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help offset the impacts caused by Broken Bow Dam on the LMFR. The trout will be obtained from the Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery in Arkansas and then released into the LMFR trout fishery between the State Park Dam and the US Route 70 bridge.

The LMFR is one of eight Oklahoma trout fisheries and one of two year-round trout fishing hotspots in the state. Other trout hotspots include; Altus Lugert/Quartz Mountain, Lake Watonga, Lake Carl Etling, Blue River, Illinois River, Robbers Cave, Dolese Youth Park Pond (OKC), Lake Pawhuska, and Clayton Lake State Park.

To view the regular, bi-weekly trout stocking schedule and specific regulations for all the state’s trout waters, including the LMFR, log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com. The Web site also includes tips on how to catch trout as well as a wealth of information about the state’s streams management program, which works to provide healthy streams and better stream fishing in Oklahoma.

Lower Illinois River Trout Stockings Resume

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Trout stockings that had been temporarily suspended in the Lower Illinois River due to warm water temperatures will resume November 19th.

According to Jim Burroughs, east central region fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, it was heavy spring rains and a period of extreme heating that combined to create the unusually warm water in Lake Tenkiller. Wildlife Department officials had hoped to resume stockings by the end of October, but water temperatures remained at critical levels for trout, temporarily preventing further stocking at that time.

“This has been a very unusual year,” Burroughs said. “Temperatures needed to be 65 degrees or lower in the tailrace during power generation before regular stockings could resume. Temperatures have now reached this threshold level.”

Anglers won’t miss out on any of the fish that did not get stocked during the suspension, however, as officials with the Department say the same number of fish will eventually be stocked through additional or larger stockings.

The Lower Illinois River is one of the only two year-round trout fisheries in the state and is managed by the Wildlife Department. The other is the Lower Mountain Fork River below Lake Broken Bow in Beaver’s Bend State Park.

Oklahoma Trout Stocking Update

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Extreme spring and summer weather conditions have prompted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to postpone regular trout stockings until water quality conditions improve. The area affected is the Lower Illinois River trout fishery located below Lake Tenkiller near Gore.

“Heavy spring rains and a period of extreme heating have combined to create unusually warm water in Tenkiller Reservoir,” said Jim Burroughs, east central region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department. These waters are released through turbines used for hydropower generation and flow directly in to the Lower Illinois River trout stream.

“Water temperatures are approaching potentially lethal limits for trout. Regular stockings, as well as those temporarily postponed will begin as soon as conditions improve that will allow survival of the stocked trout,” Burroughs said.

According to biologists with the Wildlife Department, trout that were in the water before temperatures warmed to near lethal limits have a better chance of adapting to the temperatures and may find springs and other refuges where colder temperatures may exist.

Anglers are still having good success catching largemouth bass on topwater lures, and striped bass fishing is currently excellent on shad all along the river. Anglers are also catching channel catfish, walleye and saugeye.

The Lower Illinois River is one of the only two year-round trout fisheries in the state and is managed by the Wildlife Department. The other is the Lower Mountain Fork River in Beaver’s Bend State Park, below the Lake Broken Bow dam.