Tenkiller Fishing Report: Bass Busting Shad, Crappie Hot Under Docks, Cats Chewing in Tailwaters

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Tenkiller fishing report for Wednesday, September 24, 2025. Lake conditions today are 0.72 feet above normal pool elevation, sitting at 632.72 feet with a steady reservoir release of 590 cubic feet per second. Water temps early this morning are holding in the low 70s, and with clear skies and a high forecast to reach the upper 80s, we’re primed for some solid bites. Sunrise was at 7:09 AM and sunset will be at 7:16 PM, giving anglers a good window for early and late action. Tidal influence isn’t a factor this far inland, but water movement from dam releases is a plus for fishing around the lower end of the lake. Right now, the flood pool is just 1.73% full, so expect decent clarity mid-lake and on up into the river arms. Recent catches have skewed heavy toward black bass and crappie. Local guides out of Cookson and Strayhorn tell me largemouth are moving shallow at dawn and dusk, with a few solid smallmouths coming off rocky points. Crappie bite is fair but steady under docks and brush piles, best between 8–15 feet. For best results today, tie on: - Moving baits: Medium-diving crankbaits and lipless rattle traps in shad or firetiger patterns for bass—the shad are busting schools up into coves right now. - Plastics: Green pumpkin and watermelon trick worms on either shaky heads or Texas rigs. Bass are nosing those slow presentations off submerged timber. - Live bait: Minnows continue to score barrel crappie under the bridges, especially just after sunrise. Don’t overlook catfish. Folks soaking cut shad or chicken liver near the dam channel have hauled in blues up to 15 pounds this past week. If you’re slab hunting, bring jigs in chartreuse or electric chicken: brush pile and dock bites have perked up with water release at steady levels. Hot spots this morning include: - Chicken Creek: Bass are pushing bait to the surface at sunrise off the flats. Try casting topwaters or flukes for bonus blowups. - Burnt Cabin Point: Good mixed bag, and crappie are grouping up on submerged brush just off the main channel drop. - Dam Tailwaters: Catfish action is strong with steady outflow—anchor up and let your baits settle on bottom. Locals are seeing sandbass schooling in the main lake basin around noon; trolling small spoons or rooster tails can put numbers in the boat quick. All in all, bite windows look best just after sunrise and again in the late afternoon as the water cools. Don’t be surprised to see hungry bass charging shad balls along gravel banks; those firetiger squarebills are hard to beat in these conditions. Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Tenkiller fishing report. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a cast or condition update. 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.