Lake Tenkiller Fishing Report: Early Fall Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Bite Heats Up

Artificial Lure here with your September 28, 2025, Lake Tenkiller fishing report. Sunrise was at 7:08 this morning, and we’re looking at some crisp, classic early-fall weather—expect light winds, highs in the upper 70s, and mostly clear skies. The lake is sitting at 1.8 feet above normal, with a pool elevation of 633.8 feet as of pre-dawn today. The Corps of Engineers has flows holding steady with a morning release of just over 4,200 cubic feet per second. Water clarity remains good, perfect for sight fishing and hunting those cruising late-summer bass. The bite today has been hot early, especially on the topwater. If you’re out at first light, walkers, poppers, and buzzbaits have been hooking up plenty of largemouth and spotted bass around main lake points and the mouths of coves. As the sun climbs, slow down and switch to soft plastics—Texas-rigged worms and creature baits are pulling fish out of brush and laydowns. According to the Lake Tenkiller Oklahoma Daily Fishing Report, the best action is early or late, with bass stacking up on shallow flats and sometimes schooling up on shad. Crappie have started to stack on brush piles in 15-20 feet, holding tight to cover. Local anglers are reporting some thick slabs coming in on both minnows and small jigs in white, chartreuse, and monkey milk colors. The dam and Cookson Bend brush piles have been producing reliably for limits. Catfish are cruising the flats and creek mouths, especially where the current from recent releases is stirring up bait. Cut shad, shrimp, and punch bait are all working, but a few old-timers at Sizemore Landing swear by fresh sunfish for bigger blues. Evening and nighttime are your prime windows—set your lines along bends in the river channel or the mouth of Snake Creek. Hybrid stripers and white bass have been busting schools of shad at mid-lake, especially around the bridges and deeper points north of Cookson. Casting spoons, swimbaits, or topwater plugs into the boils is your ticket—fast-moving bait is key. As for the best locations right now: - The bluff walls north side by Strayhorn Landing - The mouth of Standing Rock Hollow Both have been yielding mixed bags of bass and big cats. The Snake Creek area remains a solid bet for channel cats and the occasional flathead. If you’re searching for bait, minnows and shad imitations are top picks, both live and artificial. For lures, prioritize: - Topwater plugs at dawn and dusk for bass - Small jigs or minnows for crappie over brush - Cut or prepared baits for catfish on the flats The evening bite should be another good one tonight, with sunset at 7:08 PM sharp. Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Tenkiller fishing update. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the inside scoop from the water. 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.