Fishing Report For Grand Lake, OK

Current Report: Good To Very Good

SUMMER. Water temperatures are in the 70's, so summer patterns are in full swing. Bass are feeding shallow early and late in the day, where they are being caught on topwater, crankbaits and swimbaits. Largemouth bass here feed on gizzard shad, threadfin shad, small sunfish and crawfish. During the hotter parts of the day, they are being caught on points, channel edges, and ledges 15 to 35 feet deep. The best reports seem to be from anglers fishing around Lindly Point, Wolf Creek, Drowning Creek, and structure out in front of the town of Bernice, are all popular areas with good populations of bass.

FALL. When Fall arrives, bass here will follow schools of baitfish into coves and shallow bays where spoons, swimbaits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits have been successful in prior years. As deeper water cools, bait and bass both move out to ledges, channel edges, points and humps where flutter spoons are often the ideal bait.

WINTER. Winter will isolate them around slightly deeper structure, flats, points and creek channels. They can be found from 20 to 45 feet deep. Here they hold, feeding less frequently, awaiting warmer water to return in Spring. Drop shots, Ned rigs and flutter spoons are good choices, and slower presentations can entice more strikes.

SPRING. Once water temperatures rise into the low 60's, largemouth will move from deep wintering holes, to shallower water just outside spawning areas. Jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and vibrating jigs typically get bites away from the shoreline. At this time they are preparing for the spawn. Once water warms into the mid to high 60's, they will move into 1 to 4 feet of water, and create nests, then lay their eggs. Texas-rigged lizards and wacky worms are good choices around the nests. Immediately afterwards, females move to deeper water and males remain to guard the eggs, and then the fry. After a couple weeks, the males also move to slightly deeper water. Crankbaits, vibrating jigs, plastic worms and swimbaits are catching bass during this period.

Current Report: Very Good

Both black crappie and white crappie reside here with white crappie preferring murkier water, and black crappie are found in clearer water, often deeper.

SUMMER. Water temperatures are currently in the 70's, and crappie fishing has been very good. Now that the spawn is over, and the hot Summer sun is warming the shallows, crappie have retreated to depths of 15 to 25 feet. This is a good time to focus around bridge pilings, docks and standing timber. Anglers are also locating schools of crappie above rocky structures and around creek channel edges.

FALL. Baitfish, which will be moving into shallow flats, coves and bays, will draw crappie into these areas, where they will feed heavily in preparation for the cold Winter. Small spoons, along with minnows, hair jigs, and crappie jigs, are good options during this feeding marathon.

WINTER. Once the shallows start cooling rapidly, crappie will migrate to deeper holding areas, mostly off shore. At this time they are typically caught using a very slow presentation, in 20 to 35 feet of water. If they are suspending in open water, they often relate to some cover, or structure change, directly below them.

SPRING. In early Spring, crappie begin staging in 8 to 10 feet of water, just outside shallow spawning bays and flats. Spring is the ideal time to be on the water, as crappie have moved shallow to spawn. At that time, they are typically caught in 2 to 4 feet of water. Docks, brush, wood and vegetation are where most anglers are catching good numbers using small crappie jigs, tube baits or live minnows. After the spawn, crappie move outside the spawning area and typically hold deeper on the closest cover. Once they move off the beds, anglers report good success using fish finders and forward facing sonar to locate schools of crappie, which tend to stack vertically around cover. Light tackle with 4 lb to 8 lb line is a popular choice.

Current Report: Good

SUMMER. Early Summer is post-spawn season for big blue catfish. They follow big schools of baitfish, and feed heartily. Live shad is the preferred bait, especially at night, while cut bait is catching nice blues during the day. Stay around channel edges and fish areas that have concentrations of bait. Once Summer weather has warmed lake water above the 70's, blue catfish move closer to the main lake, to deeper feeding areas, still preferring to remain in current when available. Blues, including some of the bigger ones, are now being caught while slow trolling, or drifting ledges, adjacent to river channels, or within the channel along the edges. The lake record here is over 40 pounds, and big blues, 15 to 25 pounds, are regularly caught. Anglers fishing from the bank in areas where the river channel swings close to the shoreline, are catching some blues. The best reports are coming from anglers with boats. Cut bait, or live bait taken from this lake are the top bait choice. Use slip sinkers, 3-way rigs, or Carolina rigs with enough weight to keep the bait bumping bottom as you drift or slow troll. Late Summer, if the water temperature rises above the high 70's, they become less active, and fishing can really slow down.

FALL. Fall begins the aggressive feeding in preparation for winter. Blues at this time are being caught in bays, in and around creek channels, and flats, often toward the river end again.

WINTER. In Winter, focus on deep holes and river channel edges, 40 to 60 feet deep, where blue catfish wait through the cold water season. They are less aggressive now, but slow drifting, or dead sticking baits, can still trigger bites.

SPRING. When water temperatures rise into the mid 40's, blue cats start their Spring migration up river, or into creek channels, in 10 to 20 feet of water. They hold here, and feed aggressively, around shallow spawning areas until water warms into the mid 60's, at which time they will spawn. After spawning they feed very aggressively.