Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Tenkiller Fishing Report: Fall Feedbag Frenzy on Oklahoma's Freshwater Reservoir
Published 7 months ago
Description
Artificial Lure reporting for Lake Tenkiller, Oklahoma, on this fine September 26th, 2025. Here’s your quick rundown on fishing in and around Tenkiller today, straight from the lakefront and local docks.
First, set your alarm: sunrise hit at 7:09 a.m., and you’ll see sunset at 7:15 p.m., giving you a solid twelve hours of daylight for casting lines. There’s no tidal influence here (Lake Tenkiller is a freshwater reservoir), but water movement is steady. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake elevation is 633.72 feet—about 1.7 feet above normal, meaning plenty of shoreline structure in play and a bit of fresh floodpool to work with. Discharge fluctuated this week, with releases peaking near 4,200 CFS and tailing back to normal as of Thursday around 600 CFS—expect slightly stained water, especially near creek mouths and the dam.
Today’s weather keeps us honest: a cool, crisp morning in the mid-60s rising into the low 80s by mid-afternoon, mostly sunny—classic autumn transition, with light wind out of the northeast. That’s shad-movement weather and triggers a fall feedbag for most of Tenkiller’s game fish.
Let’s talk fish activity. The past few days, several local anglers pulled in limits of spotted bass and largemouth around the main lake points and deeper bluff walls. White bass are schooling hard mid-lake, especially on windblown flats near Goose Neck Bend and over Snake Creek. Several folks even bagged a few chunky smallmouth tossing swimbaits off drop-offs by the dam. Catfish action remains steady—night bites are best—using punch bait and cut shad in 15-25 feet of water along the river channel.
If you’re chasing numbers today, focus on:
- Main lake points near Cookson Bend
- Gravel transition areas by Strayhorn Landing
- Snake Creek’s outer bends and flats—good for both bass and schooling sandies
Top lures right now: a squarebill crankbait in a shad or ghost pattern is gold—the Lewis Lures SB-57 and Rat-L-Trap styles have been racking up fish. For plastics, throw a paddle-tail swimbait or a fluke in pearl or watercolor, especially around submerged brush. Finesse folks, don’t sleep on a shaky head with a green pumpkin worm either. When bass school up, beat the surface with a white or chartreuse inline spinner, or go classic with a topwater walking bait at dawn and dusk.
Crappie are beginning to nose back up to mid-depth brush piles; try minnows or small tube jigs in 10-18 feet. Catfish are inhaling chicken livers and cut bait—stick to deeper holes as daytime heats up.
As for hotspots, don’t miss Snake Creek Marina for multi-species action or the humps just west of the dam if you’re looking to boat a mixed bag. Strayhorn Landing ramps up as the sun climbs and the shad start skipping—keep your eyes peeled for surface blows and birds diving.
New construction and plenty of lakeside activity around Snake Creek Wilderness mean increased dock fishing options, but also a bit of boat traffic by midday—get in early for the bigger bites.
Remember, it’s the tail end of the September bite and the fish know winter’s coming—a great time to be here, so take advantage while you can.
Thanks for tuning in to your Tenkiller fishing report with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe for more on-the-water updates and tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
First, set your alarm: sunrise hit at 7:09 a.m., and you’ll see sunset at 7:15 p.m., giving you a solid twelve hours of daylight for casting lines. There’s no tidal influence here (Lake Tenkiller is a freshwater reservoir), but water movement is steady. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake elevation is 633.72 feet—about 1.7 feet above normal, meaning plenty of shoreline structure in play and a bit of fresh floodpool to work with. Discharge fluctuated this week, with releases peaking near 4,200 CFS and tailing back to normal as of Thursday around 600 CFS—expect slightly stained water, especially near creek mouths and the dam.
Today’s weather keeps us honest: a cool, crisp morning in the mid-60s rising into the low 80s by mid-afternoon, mostly sunny—classic autumn transition, with light wind out of the northeast. That’s shad-movement weather and triggers a fall feedbag for most of Tenkiller’s game fish.
Let’s talk fish activity. The past few days, several local anglers pulled in limits of spotted bass and largemouth around the main lake points and deeper bluff walls. White bass are schooling hard mid-lake, especially on windblown flats near Goose Neck Bend and over Snake Creek. Several folks even bagged a few chunky smallmouth tossing swimbaits off drop-offs by the dam. Catfish action remains steady—night bites are best—using punch bait and cut shad in 15-25 feet of water along the river channel.
If you’re chasing numbers today, focus on:
- Main lake points near Cookson Bend
- Gravel transition areas by Strayhorn Landing
- Snake Creek’s outer bends and flats—good for both bass and schooling sandies
Top lures right now: a squarebill crankbait in a shad or ghost pattern is gold—the Lewis Lures SB-57 and Rat-L-Trap styles have been racking up fish. For plastics, throw a paddle-tail swimbait or a fluke in pearl or watercolor, especially around submerged brush. Finesse folks, don’t sleep on a shaky head with a green pumpkin worm either. When bass school up, beat the surface with a white or chartreuse inline spinner, or go classic with a topwater walking bait at dawn and dusk.
Crappie are beginning to nose back up to mid-depth brush piles; try minnows or small tube jigs in 10-18 feet. Catfish are inhaling chicken livers and cut bait—stick to deeper holes as daytime heats up.
As for hotspots, don’t miss Snake Creek Marina for multi-species action or the humps just west of the dam if you’re looking to boat a mixed bag. Strayhorn Landing ramps up as the sun climbs and the shad start skipping—keep your eyes peeled for surface blows and birds diving.
New construction and plenty of lakeside activity around Snake Creek Wilderness mean increased dock fishing options, but also a bit of boat traffic by midday—get in early for the bigger bites.
Remember, it’s the tail end of the September bite and the fish know winter’s coming—a great time to be here, so take advantage while you can.
Thanks for tuning in to your Tenkiller fishing report with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe for more on-the-water updates and tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.