On the Arkansas River, and within an hour’s drive of trophy bass fishing lakes to the north, east and south, Tulsa offers an angler’s paradise.
It has hosted four major national bass fishing championship events and a national bowfishing championship. Add to this Oklahoma specialties, such as noodling (hand-fishing for catfish) and snagging giant prehistoric paddlefish, and the opportunities become endless — even overwhelming.
Here is a primer to help narrow things down in the immediate area.
What can I catch?
The area’s most popular trophy fish are its largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass and blue and flathead catfish. World-record paddlefish topping 100 pounds lurk a stone’s throw from downtown in Keystone Lake.
The most-caught fish in numbers are white bass (locals call them “sand bass”), crappies, bluegill sunfish and green, longear, redear and hybrid sunfish. In the winter months, local ponds are stocked with rainbow trout. Lesser-targeted species not to be overlooked include the Kentucky spotted bass (similar to and often lumped in with largemouth bass), longnose gar, walleye, sauger, saugeye, native smallmouth buffalo and introduced common carp.
How can I learn?
A combination of government, private guides, merchants and nonprofit clubs is your gateway to great local fishing.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is the first stop. Find the agency online at wildlifedepartment.com or at their regional office, located at 300 S. Aquarium Drive in Jenks.
Wherever you go, you’ll first need a state fishing license and a regulations book. Be sure to check the location-specific rules for city-owned lakes or ponds.
Connect to the state’s Go Outdoors Oklahoma app (available for free on Google Play or the Apple App Store) for license purchases and rules. Its Close to Home program offers nearby stocked ponds, including Veterans Park Pond near the local office in Jenks.
Professional fishing guides must be registered, so the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is the place to start your search for that option as well. It maintains a current list, organized by name and the water bodies each guide targets.
Specialty shops include Tulsa Tackle and Outdoors and The Gadget Company in Tulsa; Woody’s Bait & Tackle in Sand Springs; Nabatak Outdoors in Claremore; and Green Country Fly Co. in Owasso.
Large stores like Academy Sports + Outdoors, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Scheels are in Tulsa. A Bass Pro Shops is located in nearby Broken Arrow.
Tulsa has an active fly-fishing community anchored to the Dave Whitlock Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The state’s oldest and largest bass fishing club is the Tulsa SouthSide Hookers Bass Club, and the Oklahoma Striped Bass Association is also anchored in Tulsa.
Where can I fish?
Arkansas River: It is the most accessible yet the most complex of local fisheries. For those who do their homework, the river offers access points throughout the region and holds trophy potential for all species. Because the river rises and falls with releases from Keystone Lake and the Zink Dam, safety comes first and the fishing can literally turn on and off with the flip of a switch. The best place to start understanding the river is the shoreline below the Keystone Dam, 14 miles west of downtown Tulsa, off U.S. Highway 412 at the Wekiwa Road exit.
Keystone Lake: The 26,000-acre reservoir behind Keystone Dam offers every kind of local fishing imaginable. The communities of Sand Springs and Mannford, both just a few minutes from downtown Tulsa, offer boat ramp access. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Tulsa District offers numerous parks and boat ramps around the lake’s 330 miles of shoreline. Oklahoma State Parks also offers Keystone State Park, located along the lakeshore. The private Pier 51 and Keystone Harbor marinas offer boat slip rentals and other services.
Skiatook Lake: West of the Skiatook, 20 miles north of Tulsa, this 10,000-acre Army Corps of Engineers lake is a hotspot for largemouth and smallmouth bass and striped and hybrid striped bass. Crappie, catfish and white bass are also plentiful. The Army Corps manages numerous parks and boat ramps around the lake. The CrossTimbers and Crystal Bay marinas offer private services.
Oologah Lake: Forty miles northeast of Tulsa, the 29,000-acre Oologah is known for big and plentiful crappies. But don’t overlook fishing for all the bass species, catfish and walleyes. Multiple U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds and boat ramps surround the lake. Redbud Marina, just 25 miles north of Tulsa, offers boat slip rentals and other marina services.
Not to mention: Names that any Tulsan should have on their “nearby” list include Bixhoma, Sahoma, Pretty Water, Okmulgee and Dripping Springs, Shell and Claremore lakes.
Kelly Bostian is a freelance contributor to the Tulsa Flyer.
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