Tenkiller Bass, Crappie, and Cats Bite on Plastics, Cranks, and Live Bait

It’s Artificial Lure coming to you from the banks of Lake Tenkiller on this Friday, August 29th, 2025, with your daily fishing report for Tenkiller and the surrounding waters in northeast Oklahoma. Sunrise hit at 6:47 AM, and you can look for sunset around 7:58 PM tonight. Weather-wise, it’s another electric late August day—expect clear skies this morning, temps soaring to the upper 80s by midafternoon, and light breezes out of the southwest to keep it from feeling completely oven-like. No tidal influence out here, so you’re free from chasing lunar charts. According to the most recent ODWC report, Lake Tenkiller’s elevation is hovering right around 632.5 feet, just a tick above normal, and the water remains nice and stable. Surface temps are running in the mid-80s, sitting right on 86 to 87°F, with a light stain to the water that gives you some clarity but enough cover for those bass to stay up shallow without feeling spooked. The bass bite’s been steady. Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are all showing out, especially near brush structure, rocky points, channel swings, and the edges of weed beds. Most recent action's been using crankbaits, topwater lures, tube jigs, and your tried-and-true plastic worms. Early in the morning and into the evening, you can’t go wrong with a buzzbait or shallow-running crank—chartreuse or shad patterns have been hot. As the sun climbs, switch to soft plastics, like a Texas-rigged creature bait in green pumpkin or black/blue, and work the deeper brush or ledges. Crappie anglers haven’t been left out either. Reports show crappie—both black and white—hitting well on minnows and small jigs, especially around standing timber and deep brush piles, with best success staged at 10-15 feet down. Docks and the dam area are also producing if you’re patient. Catfishing’s been above average, thanks to that steady water and warm temps. Blue, channel, and flathead cats are all grabbing cut bait, live shad, sunfish, and even the occasional goldfish near the dam, main-lake channels, and rocky banks—especially below the dam if you’re looking for fast action. For channels, try chicken liver or commercial stinkbait in the late afternoon. For those chasing hybrids and white bass, live shad remains king, but hair jigs and topwater spooks have also seen early-morning success, especially below the dam or along mid-lake points when the bait’s pushed shallow. A few hot spots worth your attention today: Sizemore Cove off Sugar Mountain has been seeing a mix of spotted and largemouth action, especially on spinnerbaits and flukes; mid-lake rocky points between Cookson Bend and Standing Rock have consistently produced quality bass, especially working crankbaits parallel to the shore at first light; and for catfish, target the deeper bends off the mouth of the Illinois River or right below the dam for some real rod-benders. Gear tip: Stay versatile—have a topwater, a crank, and a shaky head ready. Water clarity changes fast, and t This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.