Lake Tenkiller Fishing Report: Bass, Crappie, Cats & More Biting on Jigs, Swimbaits & Live Bait

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Lake Tenkiller fishing report for Sunday, November 16, 2025. The morning’s crisp at 8:30 with temps starting in the low 50s and expected to top out around 61 late in the afternoon, skies partly cloudy, winds light from the northwest. Sunrise is at 6:58 AM and sunset rolls in about 5:14 PM—plenty of daylight to get on your favorite stretch. Lake level’s holding steady this week, sitting just below normal pool and water clarity is good in most arms. Recent cold fronts have dropped water temps into the mid 50s, and fish are responding accordingly, transitioning to their deeper winter patterns but still feeding heavily as the bait pushes into coves and creek mouths. Bass activity is solid. Most boats are reporting 5 to 10 keepers per trip, with the best bites coming from 8 to 15 feet on main lake points and secondary ledges. The jig bite is best right now—black/blue and green pumpkin football jigs paired with chunk trailers are working around rocky banks and brush piles. Local favorites also report success with big spinnerbaits in wind-blown pockets and finesse worms rigged on shaky heads under docks. Surface action is limited, though midday flurries of schooling white bass can pop off if you’re watching for the bait. Crappie are stacking up around brush piles and submerged timber in 12 to 18 feet, especially in the lower end and the Snake Creek arm—most limits have come on minnows and small bright jigs, chartreuse and white being top colors. Some slabs are up to 14 inches, with double-digit numbers not uncommon for patient anglers who find good structure. Catfish are active on the flats and drop-offs; cut shad and chicken liver set out overnight have brought in blues and channels, with several fish over 10 pounds weighed at the Strayhorn and Burnt Cabin ramps this week. Drifters are also picking up channel cats along the old river channel with prepared baits. Stripers and hybrids are making a push near the dam and lower lake—best action early and late. Folks tossing swimbaits and bucktail jigs report explosive topwater bites just after sunrise, as schools push bait up shallow for short bursts. Midday, trolling deep-divers just outside the bait schools can turn up the bigger linesides. Hot spots to try: Head to Chicken Creek for consistent crappie, Snake Creek for a mix of bass and crappie, and the mouth of Blackgum Hollow for solid striper action especially at first light. The main lake points along Burnt Cabin and Caney Creek have given up quality largemouth all week. Best lures and bait today: - Black/blue and green pumpkin football jigs for bass - Bright chartreuse or white 1/16 oz. jigs tipped with minnows for crappie - Cut shad or liver for catfish - 4-6” swimbaits, white or shad colors, for stripers Fish are feeding up—focus on deeper structure early, then work your way shallow as the day warms. According to several regulars, downsizing your presentation and working it slowly is the This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.