Doug Lay, Editor and Avid Fisherman

Not only has the trout fishing been improved in southeast Oklahoma, there is also a brand new area to try your luck.

Fisheries personnel with the Wildlife Department told the Wildlife Conservation Commission at their November meeting about ¾ of a mile of trout stream which has been added or improved at the Lower Mountain Fork River.

With bulldozers, backhoes and a good deal of imagination, streams biologists created a brand new ¼-mile trout stream, dubbed Lost Creek. Water was diverted into an ancient stream channel through dense woods and boulders creating a unique area for anglers to try to fool wary trout.

A separate ½-mile stretch of the Lower Mountain Fork River, known as the Evening Hole, once had a poor reputation among trout anglers. The warm, slow-moving, muddy water in the area was not favored by the rainbow and brown trout stocked by the Wildlife Department. However, streams biologists saw the potential in the area and felt if they could narrow the channel and provide more habitat, the trout, followed by trout anglers, would quickly begin using the area.

Biologists used 600 dump truck loads of gravel to narrow the river channel, causing the water to remain cooler and move through the Evening Hole faster. With the addition of large rocks, logs and islands, fisheries personnel transformed once sub-par trout habitat into a first class fishing area.

The Commission voted to establish special trout fishing regulations on the Evening Hole and Lost Creek areas. Upon gubernatorial approval, anglers must use only artificial lures with barbless hooks and may harvest only one rainbow trout and one brown trout 20-inches or longer per day. When the proposed regulations were opened to public input recently, the Department received overwhelming support of the new regulations which are geared toward providing a high quality trout fishery.

Editor’s Note: Story compliments of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Avid Lake Tenkiller smallie fisherman Darris Smith sent in this picture and report:

This is a nice smallmouth in the 3lb range. I took the picture and then released it. I didn’t want to keep it out of the water any longer to put it on the scales. I have been cathing some nice smallmouth & spotted bass in deep water using jigs.

It’s funny, I used to only fish for largemouth bass but have found myself fishing mainly for the deep bite lately. All thru this fall season I haven’t yet run a buzzbait on the bank. Yeah, I’m hooked on these smallies.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report Darris. What a nice bass and beautiful spot on the lake. No wonder you are hooked on Lake Tenkiller and smallmouth fishing!

Avid Lake Tenkiller fisherman Darris Smith sent in these pictures and report from his summer spent on his new houseboat:

This is the 14.5lb flathead I caught on a live shad from the back of my houseboat while I was trying to take a nap.

And speaking of naps, my fishin’ buddies soak up that warm sun while out smallie fishing.

Editor’s note: Thanks for the report Darris. Don’t you hate it when a big ol’ catfish wakes you up from a perfect summer’s nap on the boat? 😉

BTW – what are your fishin’ buddies names?

(Click image to enlarge)

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has begun the fall stocking schedule of Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout . The lakes and rivers included in the program are;

Lake Altus Lugert, Blue River, Lake Clayton, Lake Carl Etling, Illinois River, Mountain Fork River, Lake Pawhuska, Robbers Cave and Lake Watonga.

View the entire stocking schedule at: www.wildlifedepartment.com/trtstok.htm

Editor’s Note: The photo above is the current record for Oklahoma Brown Trout set last year by Jason Archie of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. He nearly doubled the weight of the old record with this 17-pound, 4.64-ounce catch. Read the entire story at: www.wildlifedepartment.com/brownshattered.htm. The lunkers are out there…Get Fishing!!!

Aspiring Pro Mike Giehl sends in this report from Lake Tom Steed:

Lake of the Arbuckles Fishing Guide Frank Hanna sent in this tip on how to stay warm when fishing in the fall and winter:

“Instead of wearing those old long johns, try wearing good comfortable sweat’s top and bottoms. You can wear two pair if it is really cold, 20 degrees or so, and the sweats will keep you warmer than any other underclothing. One thing I like about wearing sweats is I can still move around.”

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the tip Frank. It will be nice not having to listen to my wife complain about the holes in my sweats out on the boat!

Although we are into the Fall/Winter season and there’s lots of football to watch on the weekend, I would like to remind everyone that 12% of the record fish registered in Oklahoma ocurred in the months of October, November & December. View the Oklahoma Fishing Records at: www.wildlifedepartment.com/listing.htm

So remember, the weather only bothers the fisherman! Dress warm and get out there…the big fish are still biting!

Broken Bow Fishing Guide Bryce Archey sent in this great photo of late fall bass fishing on Lake Broken Bow. His client caught these largemouth bass plus a couple of smallmouth bass in the 3 to 4 lb range.

The smallmouth bass fishing is getting good now with quality fish being caught on a consistent basis. In fact, all fishing is really good now with Bryce and his clients catching around 25 to 30 fish on average per day.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report Bryce. Book your next fishing trip with Bryce Archey by visiting his website at www.BrokenBowLakeGuide.com or by calling him at 580-494-6447.

Aspiring Pro Mike Diehl sent in the following tips on how to winterize your boat:

Editor’s Note: Wheu! Thanks Mike. I’m sweaty and tired just thinking about it! Maybe I’ll just keep fishing through the winter and just wear heavier clothing.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the report Mike! Great advice about the life preservers too…