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Fishing at Tenkiller Stays Great: Bass Meet Results

Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 15:00 CST

By Sam Powell, Tulsa World, Okla.

Jan. 26--There's a good news / bad news side to every story, and there's some bright news on the outdoors scene this week, despite the ongoing drought, extreme fire danger and low lake levels. Wednesday, Lake Tenkiller was almost 12 feet below normal. But the water remains beautifully clear, and the smallmouth bass are biting. We published a photo on last Sunday's outdoor page of a local angler and the six-pound-plus smallmouth he caught. Other anglers are doing well. Tulsan Bill Sage boated a smallmouth there last weekend, which weighed 7.27 pounds on digital scales. That's close to the state record, caught last spring on the Hudson Pump-Back Lake. Sage caught the big brownie on a "football jig" and a plastic Zoom twin-tail trailer in 15-foot water. The football jig is a fairly new introduction and so named because it looks like a football. Tulsa-based Terminator Fishing Lures includes this one in its selection. Pro fisherman Brent Chapman explains, in the new Terminator catalog, why he fishes a football jig often these days: "It's particularly effective when bass are near the bottom, hunting crawdads." Anglers interested in trying Tenkiller smallmouth fishing can participate in a jackpot meet 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each Saturday at Burnt Cabin Marina, with a $30 entry fee. Excellent winter bass fishing also continues at nearby Lake Skiatook. A Saturday jackpot is held each week. Walt Wright of Skiatook won last week's event with a 5.27 pound smallmouth. First place in the one-fish limit meet paid $247. (Other top finishers below). Waterfowl Hunting: A long, unseasonably warm, drought-plagued duck hunting season in Oklahoma closes at sunset Sunday in Zone 2. And overall, the hunting has been as poor as winter bass fishing has been outstanding. Most veteran Oklahoma duck hunters will remember this as the poorest season in more than 30 years. Some hunters had access to spots which attracted good numbers of birds on migration days. Few ducks stayed around due to low lake levels and lack of forage or habitat. Goose hunting continues for several more weeks. There are many Canadas, but they are widely scattered. Salt Plains Refuge in the northwest has only 3,400 geese. The Wildlife Department issued another statewide waterfowl report Wednesday, but it showed not a single spot with really good bird numbers. There are still fair numbers of ducks and snow geese at Sequoyah Refuge on Kerr Lake. Eagle Watch: An eagle-watch outing is Saturday at Sequoyah Refuge on Kerr Lake. To join the vehicle caravan, meet at 9 a.m. at Refuge headquarters, south of Vian. ------------ Lake Skiatook: Willie Hardman and Eric Loftin (Tulsa) finished second in the TAG jackpot with a 5.00 pound smallmouth and won $148 in the 23-boat meet. 3, Terry and Thomas Canady (Skiatook), 4.57 pound smallmouth, $274 in a double-up pot; 4, Bo Griffin and Barbara Hoffman (Collinsville), 3.69 pound smallmouth, $94. Waterfowl Reports Fort Cobb Lake and Hackberry Flat WMA in the southwest are two decent hunting spots in the state, with both areas showing fair numbers of ducks and geese this week. ------------ Sam Powell 581-8357 sam.powell@tulsaworld.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, Tulsa World, Okla.

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Source: Tulsa World

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