Lake Tenkiller Fishing Report: Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Biting Strong Before Fall

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Tenkiller fishing report for Friday, September 12, 2025. Lake conditions are holding steady with a pool elevation of about 632.78 feet—still running a hair above normal but nothing that should throw off your plans. Water release from the dam has been consistent at 590 cubic feet per second, and the lake looks primed for a good day on the water, thanks to stable levels reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Sunrise came at 6:58 AM and the forecast calls for clear skies with highs touching the mid-80s by afternoon. Winds should stay light from the south, making it a great morning for both bank and boat anglers. Sunset will be at 7:33 PM, so there's plenty of daylight for an after-work cast. With no tides to consider on the freshwater impoundment like Tenkiller, the bite windows will follow sunlight and water temps. Fish have been active early and again in the evenings now that the weather’s cooled off a bit from the summer peak. Recent catches have included plenty of **largemouth bass** and **spotted bass** along the rocky shorelines and submerged brush piles, along with a strong showing of **crappie** suspended off deeper drop-offs. **Channel and blue catfish** are still on the prowl around flats and the mouths of inflowing creeks, taking cut bait and stink bait readily. Reports from folks fishing near Pine Cove Marina and the dam spillway say the bass are coming in healthy, with several in the 3- to 5-pound range landed just this week. Top producers for bass have been black and blue jigs pitched into timber, and watermelon red or green pumpkin creature baits. Early morning topwater action has been solid with walking baits and poppers over main lake points or around boat docks. If you’re after crappie, tie on a small chartreuse or pink jig—the locals swear by Bobby Garland Baby Shad or similar soft plastics, fished just above brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water. Catfish anglers have been scoring with chicken liver and cut shad, drifted or set out on slips in the mid-depth flats. Some decent flatheads have also shown up for jug liners and limb liners baited with live sunfish after dark. For panfish, you can’t go wrong with a worm under a bobber near shallow coves or beneath boat slips—sunfish are plentiful and ready to bite. A couple of hot spots worth your time right now: - The channel near Snake Creek Marina, especially around the standing timber at creek mouths, is holding bass and crappie this week. - Strayhorn Landing’s boat dock and the nearby riprap bank have produced nice mixed bags, particularly early before boat traffic ramps up. Stock up on bait at Dave’s Bait & Tackle in Gore or the Jimmy Houston Outdoors Store in Park Hill if you’re coming in from out of town. Local shops are saying the bite is as good as it’s been since early summer, so now's the time to put a few slabs on ice for a fish fry. Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Tenkiller report. If you hooked into a lunker or got a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.