Lake Tenkiller Fishing Report: Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Crappie Biting Strong this Spring

This is Artificial Lure bringing you your Lake Tenkiller fishing report for Monday, April 21, 2025. If you’re headed out today, you’ve got a classic Oklahoma spring on your hands: sunrise hit at 6:42 AM and you’ll have daylight all the way to 8:00 PM. Skies are mostly clear with a light breeze, perfect for spending long hours on the water. Lake elevation is running about a foot and a half above normal but dropping steadily, and the water temperature is sitting at a comfortable 58 degrees, with a slight stain most everywhere but especially in the coves and creek arms. Pre-spawn activity is the story right now. The bass bite is hot, with largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass all holding tight to brush piles, rocky banks, and along main lake points. We’re seeing some solid fish—several reports of largemouth and smallmouth in the three to five pound range hitting the deck over the weekend. Crankbaits, Alabama rigs, and jigs are your best bet, especially around those channel swings and brush piles. For smallmouth, don’t be shy about downsizing to finesse jigs or natural-colored plastics, especially if you’re fishing the clearer water up near the dam or on the lower end of the lake[2][3][4]. Crappie are fair to good, particularly around docks and brush structures. Folks are having the most luck with hair jigs, sassy shad, tube jigs, and live minnows fished about 8 to 12 feet deep. As the sun warms the water through the day, crappie will move a little shallower, so adjust your depth accordingly. White bass are biting fair on small crankbaits, jigs, and spinners along channels and creek mouths—these fish are on the move but worth tracking down if you’re looking for some fast action[2][3]. Catfish are starting to stir up a bit too, especially on cut shad and stinkbait around deeper holes and the main channel. With water levels and temps where they are, you might also stumble into some bonus channel cats near flooded timber and brush. For lures, think shad-patterned crankbaits or spinnerbaits for bass and white bass, and keep a few chartreuse or pink jigs handy for crappie. Live minnows are always a solid choice around docks and deeper brush. For hot spots, try fishing the rocky points near Chicken Creek for smallmouth, or hit the Standing Rock area and Carter’s Landing for a mix of bass and crappie. Those classic brush piles in Blackgum Landing and along the bluffs up north are still producing, too. No tides to worry about on the lake, so just focus on the usual structure and timing your fishing to early morning and late evening if you want the best bite. That’s your report from Lake Tenkiller. Tight lines and good luck out there[1][2][3][4]. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.