December Delight on Tenkiller: A Crisp Ozark Fishing Report

Hey y'all, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to fishin' guide right here in the heart of Oklahoma's Ozarks around Lake Tenkiller. It's Friday mornin', December 19th, 2025, and we're lookin' at a crisp winter day on the water—temps hoverin' in the low 40s with partly cloudy skies, light north winds at 5-10 mph, perfect for bundlin' up and gettin' after 'em. No tides here on this beauty of a reservoir, but water levels are steady at about 632 feet, clear as glass in the shallows. Sunrise was at 7:22 AM, sunset 'round 5:17 PM, givin' us a solid 10 hours of daylight to chase bites. Fish are active despite the chill—smallmouth bass are the stars right now, with reports of folks pullin' limits in the 2-4 pound range from recent tourneys, like that state championship a couple years back where it was all smallies hammerin' the lake. Kentucky bass and largemouth are mixin' in, plus crappie schooled up deep and stripers roamin' the points. Caught numbers are up: strings of 10-20 smallies per boat last week, some walleye pushin' 5 pounds on night bites. Best lures? Go with small swimbaits or hair jigs in brown or green pumpkin—mimic those shad they're keyin' on. Drop-shot rigs with 1/4 oz weight and a finesse worm for suspended fish. Live bait? Minnows or crawlers on a jighead down 20-30 feet; nightcrawlers work wonders for crappie under docks. Hit these hot spots: Cookson Bend for smallmouth on rocky points—troll slow at 1.2 mph. And the dam area near Tenkiller State Park, where stripers and hybrids crash bait balls—watch your graph! Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports to keep your lines tight. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.