Phil Lilley

For Immediate Release April 20, 2006 A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation News Contacts: Micah Holmes or Kristen Gillman (405) 521-3856 Web site: www.wildlifedepartment.com Free fishing classes offered across the state Crappie moving to shallow water across the state Brochure offers tips for attracting purple martins Outdoor Calendar Fishing Report Free fishing classes offered across the state More than 50 free fishing clinics are scheduled this summer at many different locations around the state. The fun, hands-on courses are all open to the public and are coordinated through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "These clinics are really fun for everyone involved and one of the best things is that the courses are almost always held near a pond and kids get to go fishing as part of the clinics," said Damon Springer, aquatic resources education program coordinator for the Wildlife Department. Springer said fish identification, angler ethics, water safety, casting and knot tying are a few topics covered in the clinics which typically last about two to four hours. To view a list of free fishing clinics log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com/aquated2.htm. To find out more about fishing opportunities in Oklahoma, Oklahoma's free fishing days, or more information about fishing clinics and other events happening across the state, log on to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com. Individuals interested in becoming a certified aquatic resources education program volunteer can contact Damon Springer at (405) 521-4603. -30- Crappie moving to shallow water across the state Forget the big fancy boat and huge tackle box - all you need to catch crappie this time of year is a rod and reel and a handful of jigs. Anglers are catching crappie across the state in shallow water, according to the weekly fishing report compiled by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. From Canton, to Kaw, to Kerr, to Keystone lakes, anglers are catching crappie from the bank as the popular fish move into shallow water to spawn. Crappie fishing is one of the most popular fishing opportunities available due to their willingness to bite and their fine flavor at the dinner table. "The best place to fish for crappie this time of year is around brush in shallow water," said Paul Mauck, southcentral region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department. "Crappie can be found moving into shallow water to spawn once the water temperature reaches the upper 50s to lower 60s. Crappie spawning generally takes place in water only two to three feet deep." Catching crappie is a great opportunity to introduce a youngster to fishing. No fancy gear is required. A small jig or minnow is often very effective. For a complete list of regulations, anglers should pick up a copy of the "2006 Oklahoma Fishing Guide" before heading out on any fishing adventure and check out specific lake conditions and fishing action by logging on to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com. -30- Brochure offers tips for attracting purple martins Time is running short to make your feathered neighbors welcome. Purple martins have begun arriving in Oklahoma and are looking for homes to raise their young. With cheerful, chattering calls, graceful flight and an appetite for insects, purple martins are welcome neighbors. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation offers a free brochure on how to attract purple martins. To request a copy, call the Wildlife Diversity Program at (405) 521-4616 or write to P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. You may also print a brochure from the Department's Web site www.wildlifedepartment.com/brochure.htm. Purple martins once nested in rock crevices and hollow trees, but for the past 400 years they have been nesting in man-made structures. Native Americans and early settlers provided hollow gourds for martins to nest in. Today, purple martins in the eastern U.S. nest almost exclusively in manmade houses. To assist the modern-day purple martin landlord, houses are available commercially. These apartment style houses are made of aluminum, plastic and wood. Purple martins are among the first songbirds to return to Oklahoma. They spend the winter months in Brazil. The largest member of the swallow family, these dark, purplish birds measure up to eight inches long and have long, pointed wings, forked tails and broad beaks. Purple martins prefer to nest near broad, open fields and meadows within one-half mile of ponds, marshes, streams or other wetlands. They dine on insects and can catch up to several hundred per hour. They eat insect pests such as beetles, moths, wasps, flies and mosquitoes. -30- OUTDOOR CALENDAR APRIL 29: American Catfish Anglers Tournament Series at Longmire Lake, Paul's Valley. Meet at south ramp. For more information contact Mike Strawn at (405) 410-9486 or http://www.catfishangler.com 29: The First Oklahoma Trappers and Predator Callers Association Spring Meeting at the Okmulgee Fairgrounds. For more information contact Reginald Murray at (918) 694-8190. 29: "Leopold Education Project Workshop" at Oxley Nature Center, Tulsa. The workshop runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is open to ages 18 & older. The Leopold Education Project (LEP) is a critical learning, interdisciplinary curriculum for educators and youth leaders of grades 6-12 designed to establish a positive land ethic among its participants. The fee is $35.00 per person (includes a copy of A Sand County Almanac, a set of Task Cards, and the curriculum). Bring your lunch. For more information or to register contact the staff at (918) 669-6644. FISHING REPORT FOR APRIL 19, 2006 CENTRAL Draper: Elevation 3 ft. above normal and clear. Crappie good on minnows and jigs off fishing piers and in coves around structure. Largemouth bass good on tandem spinners and plastic worms in coves around structure. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County. Thunderbird: Elevation 5 ft below normal and clear. Only four boat ramps open on the lake; Hog Creek, Fisherman's Point, South Dam, and Little Axe ramps. The rest are closed due to low water levels. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 1-4 ft. White bass good on jigs and medium divers off points. Largemouth bass good on tandem spinners, medium divers and plastic worms in coves and on structure. Report submitted by Tony Woodruff, game warden stationed in Cleveland County. NORTHEAST Bell Cow: The only fishing method allowed at Bell Cow is rod and reel fishing. Elevation 3 ft. below normal, water 69 and murky. Crappie good on minnows around fishing docks. Catfish slow. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County. Birch: Elevation 6 ft. below normal and clear. Striped bass hybrids good around the lake using shad while trolling. Crappie fair around brush piles using minnows and jigs. Catfish fair near the creek channel drift fishing with cut fish and shrimp. Report submitted by Ben Bickerstaff, game warden stationed in Osage County. Chandler: Elevation 3 ft. below normal, water 69 and murky. Largemouth bass fair to good shallow. Catfish and crappie slow. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County. Eucha: Elevation 11 ft. below normal, water 52 and murky. Crappie fair on jigs and minnows around brush and structure on lower end of the lake. Largemouth fair on spinnerbaits off rocky points. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa Fisheries. Grand: Elevation below normal and clear. White bass good on spinnerbaits and around rocky points. Channel catfish fair to good on cut shad at 15-20 ft. in river channels. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs at 10-15 ft. around brush piles. Report submitted by Jim Littlefield, game warden stationed in Delaware County. Greenleaf: Elevation 2 ft. below and clear. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits along shoreline. Catfish good on cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around fishing dock. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County. Kaw: Elevation normal, water 62 and clear. Crappie fair at 2-6 ft. on jigs and minnows. Blue catfish excellent at 2-6 ft. around Bear and Coon creek areas on cut shad and cut carp. White Bass good in tailwaters on jigs, spoons, and minnows during times of water release. Blue catfish fair in tailwaters on shad. Channel catfish are fair in Arkansas River on stinkbait. Paddlefish poor in tailwaters. Report submitted by Marshall Reigh, game warden stationed in Kay and Grant counties. Keystone: Elevation 2 1/2 ft. below normal, water 60 and clear to murky. Largemouth bass good on soft jerk baits and spinnerbaits at 2-6 ft. in creeks and coves. Smallmouth fair on jig and chunk at 5-10 ft. in mouth of coves. Spotted bass fair on crankbaits at 6-12 ft. in deep coves. White bass fair on minnows and sassy shad at 4-8 ft. in creek and river channels. Striped bass fair on jerk baits and buck tails at 4-8 ft. below dam. Channel catfish good on worms and crawdads at 5-10 ft. in coves and creek channels. Blue catfish good on shad at 5-10 ft. in mouth of coves and flats. Flathead catfish fair on crawdads and shad at 8-15 ft. in deep coves. Crappie excellent on jigs and medium minnows at 2-6 ft. in coves. Walleye and saugeye slow on minnows and jigs at 4-8 ft. in river below dam. Report submitted by Larry Sellers, Woody's Bait and Tackle. Lower Illinois River: Trout good in most areas of the stream. Striped bass good in the lower end of the Illinois River on live bait. Striped bass and walleye good at the mouth of the river. White bass good from mouth of the Illinois River all the way to Lock & Dam 16, both trolling and bank fishing. Catfish have been slow. Crappie good at the dam when the water is off and is also good near the lock channel on the Gore side in the evenings. Report submitted by Ryan Callison, Gore. Spavinaw: Elevation 4 34/ ft. below normal, water 66 and murky. Crappie fair on jigs and minnows around dam area. Largemouth fair on spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa Fisheries. Tenkiller: Elevation 9 ft. below normal, water 62 and clear. Smallmouth and spotted bass fair on bass jigs in coves and points at 3-10 ft. Crappie fair at 3-10 ft. on jigs in coves and around docks and good trolling the main channel with deep running crankbaits. White bass good trolling mid to upper end of lake and good off points on spoons or spinners. Sunfish good around docks on small jigs and worms. Report submitted by Monte Brooks, Cookson Village Resort. Webbers Falls: Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal and murky. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits along shoreline. Catfish good on cut bait on bottom. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around structure and bridges. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County. NORTHWEST Canton: Elevation slightly above normal. Crappie good on the upper end of the lake on jigs and minnows. White bass and striped bass hybrids good along the dam late afternoon and early evening on jigs and crankbaits. White bass good in river above lake on jigs and crankbaits channel catfish good in upper end of lake on live bait and stinkbait. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine County. Ft. Supply: Elevation below normal and water 70. Crappie good on jigs and spinners along riprap. Report submitted by Mark Reichenberger, game warden stationed in Harper County. Great Salt Plains: Few channel catfish are being caught around the spillway on shad or stinkbait. Report submitted by R.C. Nickols, Great Plains State Park. SOUTHEAST Arbuckle: Elevation 3 1/2 ft. below normal, water 64 and clear. Crappie good off docks. White bass up all three creeks. Bass fair on jigs, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Report submitted by Jack Melton. Blue River: Elevation normal, water 2 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on minnows and flies. Catfish fair on liver and worms. Report submitted by Charles Baker, technician at Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area. Broken Bow: Elevation 10-12 ft. below normal, water 50 and clear. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits in the mouths of creeks. White bass good on white and yellow grubs and rooster tails along Panther Creek. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around structure and in the upper-end of Holly Creek. Walleye good on rouges late evening and early morning in the upper end of Holley Creek. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County. Eufaula: Elevation 5 ft. below normal and clear. Largemouth bass good on plastic baits at 1-8 ft. along the banks. White bass fair on jigs at 6-10 ft. around rocky areas. Blue catfish fair on shad at 4-10 ft. on the flats. Crappie good on jigs at 1-8 ft. along the banks. Report submitted Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County. Hugo: Elevation 69 ft. below normal, water 60 and murky. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits and soft plastic lures. Crappie good on minnows. Channel catfish fair on cut bait. Channel catfish fair on cut bait. Report submitted by Wendell Smalling, game warden stationed in Choctaw County. McGee Creek: Elevation 2 ft. below normal, water 64 and clear. Largemouth bass good on soft plastic lures at 2-6 ft. Channel catfish fair on juglines and live bait. Crappie fair on minnows around cedar brush off the main creek channels. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County. Pine Creek: Elevation above normal, water clear. Crappie fair around the banks at 3-6 ft. Bass good on soft plastics at 6-8 ft. Catfish fair on cut bait around brush. White bass fair on shad-imitating plastics. Report Submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County. Robert S. Kerr: Elevation normal, water 69 and stained. Largemouth bass good at 2-4 ft. using plastic baits and spinnerbaits fishing the weed, rock and woody shoreline banks. Crappie good at 2-3 ft. using minnow fishing the spawning areas around the lake. White bass good at 5-10 ft. fishing below Webbers Fall and Kerr dams and the mouth of the Illinois river. Blue catfish good at 3-6 ft. using fresh cut shad fishing the windy shorelines. Report submitted by Rick Olzawski, game warden stationed in Haskell County. Sardis Lake: Elevation normal. White bass good in Jack Fork Creek. Crappie good on minnows around bridges and tower. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County. Texoma: Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 60 and clear to the south and murky to the north. Largemouth bass fair to good on plastic baits at 5-10 ft. around points. White bass and striped bass good on sassy shad and slabs at 15-25 ft. in Burns Run area. Catfish fair to good on cut bait at 5-10 ft. in Washita River arm. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs at 5-10 ft. in Widow Moore Creek. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County. Wister: Elevation normal, water 64 and murky. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits at 2-6 ft. Crappie good on minnows near the bank at 2-4 ft. White bass good up the creeks or river arm on road runners or beetle spin type lures. Channel and blue catfish good on cut bait or chicken livers. Flatheads are starting to be caught on trotlines mostly on live bait. Report submitted by D.G. Belcher, game warden stationed in Latimer County. SOUTHWEST Altus-Lugert: Elevation 14 ft. below normal and murky. North shore boat ramp is high and dry. Crappie good on minnows. Striped bass hybrids good off swim beach. White bass good. Walleye good on minnows. Report compiled by Quartz Mountain Grocery. Ellsworth: Crappie and white bass good shallow around structure ion jigs and minnows. Catfish fair on jugs and rod and reel in channels and off rocky points. Report submitted by Mike Carroll, game warden stationed in Comanche County. Foss: Elevation 2 ft. below normal, water 70 and clear. Walleye and Saugeye good in deep water. White bass good along dam. Bass fair. Catfish good on live bait. Report submitted by Eric Puyear, B & K Bait House. Ft. Cobb: Elevation normal. White bass slow to fair in creeks. Crappie slow to fair on minnows and jigs around structure. Striped bass hybrids slow to fair off windy points. Catfish slow to fair on cut baits. Report submitted by James L. Edwards, Jr., game warden station in Caddo County. Tom Steed: Elevation 5 ft. below normal and murky. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 3-8 ft. White bass good on minnows. Report submitted by David Smith, game warden stationed in Kiowa County. Waurika: Elevation below normal, water 65 and murky. White bass and striped bass hybrids good on jigs. Crappie good on jigs. Catfish good on cut bait. Report submitted by Phillip Cottrill, game warden stationed in Jefferson County. To unsubscribe, please reply with UnSubscribe in the subject only. Copy/paste the UnSubscribe word into the subject line >>> UnSubscribe You also can subscribe/unsubscribe yourself by clicking this link http://wildlifedepartment.com/NewsSubscrip...bscription.aspx Please do not reply to this email except to unsubscribe. If you have a question or a comment, send an email to kgillman@odwc.state.ok.us

Wayne- I'm not sure I'll get over there this evening... are you going and if so can you take notes? If I understand it- MDC wants to spend their (our) money and gate/cable/rope off/sign age these trails/roads and then ENFORCE trespass??? I thought they were SHORT on GAME enforcement and now they want to add this?!?! Sorry- I think they should let the Corp deal with their land and stay out of it. I see the need, possibly, but there are other needs in their field of expertice they need to work on.

7 feet.

Gezzz- if Bill reads this he'll have a complex next time I take his pic. I'm certainly not going to post a pic of ME any time soon!! Greying - yes Fatter - yes Guilty!! Bill- for sure- don't take the hat off!! They'll really rave!

Should be fishing tomorrow evening but I'll force myself to go... might have to stop at Powersite on the way home though.

I've always had a hard time getting reports for Bull Shoals... not sure why. But as for fishing the first week in May- yes we are weeks, if not a month ahead on spawning for all fish because of the high temps. And yes our lakes are extremely low. BUT you never know what can happen in a short time if we get a rain pattern that fills the lakes quickly. SO- hard to say how the fishing will be. Keep watching the forum and ask again alittle closer to the week. When you're on BS- at the resorts and docks, talk up the forum and hopefully we'll get more info on the area you like to fish here.

Bill and I slipped out about 1 pm to check you the dry fly bite up top. Should have been there earlier... so the saying goes. No action per say along the bank but we ran it anyhow- tying on a red humpy #10 and me a #12 grey whisker- then a #8 orange stimulator. Bill caught 3 nice rainbows (pics) and me nothing. We headed down to check out the crappie- nothing. But here's what we found water temp wise- Above Fall Creek - 47 My place - 57 65 bridge - 66 Roark Creek, main lake - 71 In Roark - 72

Hey- for those who can see the cam- right now I'm seeing a bunch of what looks to be larva so a small bug swimming upwards in front of the camera- tons of them. May be a water bug- hard to tell. But the fish aren't paying any attention to them- even the chubs- yet. First time I've seen any kind of action like this.

Looks like they ran enough water to get cold water down to at least our area but it didn't do anything for the moss along the banks. Still the lake looks cleaner. Talked to Bill Babler just now- he's fishing above Fall Creek with clients. He said it was slow early but has picked up and is good fishing a zebra midge under a float- spinning rig. They are catching alot of rainbows. He said Buster Loving has a trip up there also and are doing well throwing a 1/16th oz sculpin jig in the channel and catching better rainbows. Bill also said there's alot of surface activity very close to the bluff bank indicating he think a dry fly like a stimulator or humpy would be excellent right now. He caught alot of very nice rainbows fishing the bluff bank last week- that action is still there even with the colder water.

http://ozarkanglers.com/fff.php You'll find a list here.

Tom and I put in about 6:30 last evening and headed to a couple of my spots from last year. By this time in 05 I'd been out over a dozen times and caught lots of crappie but this year is just alittle busier for us. The first place, a small cut on the left at the first bend, yielded 3-4 crappie - nothing like I expected. The second was up-creek on the right- another cut in the bluff bank - nothing. This was weird- I expected something there but no. Went alittle up the same bank to the transision and caught one or two short fish. I usually don't go on to the pea gravel, shallower bank but we did and that's where they were. We ended the evening with 10 keepers, nothing we had to measure, and one white bass sow with eggs. Two of the crappie were female with eggs. Caught them all off the bank 10-12 feet in 4-6 feet of water. At least where we were they haven't finished but from the numbers, most have spawned. We caught them all on smoke swimming minnows.

Cooper - Copper - my mistake. May have been a brassie.

24 inches is about average (for me) but it depends on the application. I don't think you could do much wrong here. As far as knots, I use a triple surgen's. Actually this is a double surgen's- loop one more time for a triple. Wet the knot before tightening. This is a good knot when tying a larger tippet to a smaller tippet.

Still no generation. Water temps continue to rise and warm water species of fish continue to show up where they usually aren't. Although hardly anyone is targeting bass, crappie, white bass or blue gill, they are being caught "accidentally" on minnows and other baits. I boated down below Taneycomo Acres last evening and witnessed blue gill nailing midges on the surface along with the rainbows there- the blue gill were noticeably more aggressive. I fished for crappie in some brush piles there on the bluff bank but only caught blue gill. Did switch and caught some rainbows on a zebra midlake before dark. Still lots of midge action early and late all over the lake. The times I've been down at Roark I've seen tons of midging trout there as well as in our area all the way to the dam. Sorry- had to run- finishing the report... Called just now (5 pm) and they are running 2 units at 4 feet. Not sure how long they will run it but anything will help. Check back- I will add to this report tomorrow after we see how far the cold water comes downlake. This will affect fishing. Don't have time to change the whole report- have to be in Springfield in 45 minutes for a Y meeting---- but they did run enough water to cool our water down considerably here at the resort. Will know what it did to the fishing later this morning- check back.

I try to keep the camera showing part of the bottom to give some comparison but it's hard to keep it in one place. The water is very cloudy and dark the last couple of days for some reason. If we get some new water (generation) the water should become gin clear. Most of the trout are 12-13 inches but there are several 2-3 pounders down there. We have had some as large as 6-9 pounds. Some bass and suckers.

What I've heard is it's slow... whites are waiting on rain? Current? They sure aren't waiting on warm water. I don't think anyone has figured them out yet.

Did he let you see it? I've never heard of it- it could be a midge tied by someone named Cooper locally or something.

You're too busy fishing... they are there.

If they're here this late in the season, I'd imagine they're here all summer.

Thanks- post often! Welcome.

Where is the black- tell me a little bit about it.

Not sure of the condition but you might try Bull Creek off either 160 or F highway- wade up or down from these places. Not many people fish this creek- only locals. Taneycomo is in the same shape- not good at all.

You must be more specific... what lure and application are you fishing? Spinner baits? Jigs? Plastics-carolina rig? Top water? Stick baits? Other?

Yes we've had Osprey on the lake for 2-3 years now. Just less trout for us humans!

Albert... Albert... Albert Cards need some pitching!!! Their best pitcher is a hitter! My first game will be the 26th... can't wait.