Late Summer Riches at Lake Tenkiller

It’s Artificial Lure here with your Lake Tenkiller fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025. The lake’s sitting 0.78 feet above normal, pool elevation at 632.78 feet, and current releases from Tenkiller Dam are about 590 cubic feet per second, which gives us stable water conditions according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Water clarity is good, and surface temps, while not specifically reported today, should be in the mid-70s this time of year, making conditions about perfect for a September morning. Sunrise hit at 7:03 a.m. with sunset due at 7:28 p.m., giving us plenty of daylight hunting those big ones. The weather’s a beaut: mostly sunny, high near 83 degrees, and a calm south breeze at around 5 mph, so it’s a day tailor-made to get your line wet. We had patchy fog before 8 but that’s burning off fast, leaving us a glassy lake surface. Fish are waking up—shad are schooling more in the shallows and around mid-lake humps. Recent reports from local anglers say **largemouth bass** are hitting well early and late, especially in coves with woody cover or rocky points. The **topwater bite** is solid at first light—try a buzzbait, walking-style bait, or popper on the main lake points or on the flats back in the coves. As the sun gets up, switch over to soft plastics or crankbaits fished around standing timber or submerged brush. Green pumpkin creature baits and chrome squarebills have been winners. **Smallmouth bass** are active near deeper bluffs and around the lower end’s rockier stretches, especially by the dam and near Strayhorn Landing. A shaky head worm or jigging spoon has picked up some bigger bronzebacks. Don’t overlook suspending jerkbaits if you spot fish stacked on the graph. **Crappie** action’s on the upswing as we head into fall—try vertical jigging around brush piles in 12-20 feet, or drop a small minnow if the bite’s light. Cooler water’s starting to bunch up the slabs, especially in the clearer water near the dam. **Catfish**—both channels and blue cats—are good right now, especially at night. Fish cut shad, shrimp, or punch bait on wind-blown banks or along the river channel swings. According to folks at the local marina, several blues in the 15-20 pound range were caught this week near Standing Rock and Snake Creek using fresh cut bait. White bass and hybrids are pushing the shad, especially during the afternoons. Keep an eye out for surface busting—small spoons and roadrunners will get their attention. Several stripes have been caught trolling deep-running crankbaits just north of the dam. Hot spots to try: - **Elk Creek:** Consistent bass catches and good crappie numbers. - **Chicken Creek:** Excellent for early-morning bass and crappie. - **Strayhorn Landing:** Top spot for smallmouth and larger catfish. Best baits this week are topwater early, soft plastics and jigs mid-day, and always keep a slab spoon or roadrunner handy for schooling fish. For bait, nothing beats a fresh-caught shad or live minnow for This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.