Largemouth Bass
Electrofishing Results, 2000

2000 Spring Electrofishing Bass Survey Results

Adair tops bass list for small lakes
Konawa best big lake for bass numbers

Konawa best big lake for bass numbers

For bass fishing prospects on lakes larger than 1,000 acres, Lake Konawa in south-central Oklahoma appears to be a promising destination, according to spring electrofishing data released by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Covering 1,300 acres near Konawa, Lake Konawa produced 188 bass per hour of electrofishing during this year's surveys. That's a slight drop from last year, when it produced 207 bass per hour.

Ranking second was Dripping Springs Lake, which produced more than 172 bass per hour during this year's electrofishing bass surveys. The Department did not sample it last year. Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma ranked third with 145 bass per hour. That's a considerable jump from 1999, when it produced 107 bass per hour.

Ranking fourth was Lake Broken Bow (107 bass per hour), followed by McGee Creek Lake (103 bass per hour), Lake Hudson (90 bass per hour), Lake Skiatook (83 bass per hour) and Lake Texoma (82 bass per hour).

If you're interested in big bass, Lake Konawa topped that category, too. For each hour of electrofishing, it produced about 84 bass per hour longer than 14 inches. That's a slight jump from last year, when 81 bass per hour were longer than 14 inches.

Grand Lake ranked second in that category with about 56 bass per hour that were longer than 14 inches. Ranking third was Lake Hudson (47 bass per hour over 14 inches), followed by McGee Creek (34 bass per hour over 14 inches), Lake Texoma (29 bass per hour over 14 inches) and Lake Fuqua (28 bass per hour over 14 inches).

"Lake Konawa has a good forage base, good production and good recruitment, all of which indicate a healthy bass fishery," said Kim Erickson, chief of fisheries for the Department. "From what we've seen over the last few years, it's been a very consistent producer during spring sampling."

This year, no lake larger than 1,000 acres produced a bass that exceeded 10 pounds. Lake Ellsworth produced the largest bass during spring electrofishing, and it weighed 8.8 pounds. Two other lakes produced bass larger than eight pounds, including Dripping Springs (8.7 pounds) and Webbers Falls (8.1 pounds).

Data from the springtime bass survey is divided between that collected from lakes larger than 1,000 acres, and lakes smaller than 1,000 acres. The data is used to determine the health and trends of individual bass fisheries. Regional fisheries management personnel capture bass using electrofishing equipment, and then they weigh and measure each fish before releasing them back into the water unharmed. The information helps biologists determine which lakes might benefit from specialized management techniques such as length and slot limits.

The Department rates a lake as high quality when it produces more than 15 bass over 14 inches per hour of electrofishing. Quality lakes yield more than 10 bass over 14 inches per hour of electrofishing, and those which produce fewer than 10 per hour are considered below average.

In terms of total numbers of bass per hour, lakes that yield more than 60 bass of any size per hour are rated as high quality. Those producing 40 bass or more per hour are considered "quality" lakes, and less than 40 per hour are considered below average.

Adair tops bass list for small lakes

Among lakes smaller than 1,000 acres, Adair Recreation Lake in Adair County produced the most bass per hour during spring electrofishing surveys conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

In terms of overall numbers, Adair Lake produced 198 bass per hour of electrofishing, a big jump from last year when it yielded 124 bass per hour. Ranking second was Mountain Lake in Garvin Co., with nearly 183 bass per hour, followed by Lake Raymond Gary in Choctaw Co. (128 bass per hour) , Taylor Lake in Grady Co. (124 bass per hour) and American Horse Lake in Blaine Co. (122 bass per hour).

Rounding out the top 10 small lakes were Chimney Rock Lake in Mayes Co. (120 bass per hour), Okemah Lake in Okfuskee Co. (101 bass per hour), Onapa Lake in McIntosh Co. (96 bass per hour), Boomer Lake in Osage Co. (90 bass per hour), and Sportsman Lake in Seminole County (90 bass per hour).

For numbers of bass larger than 14 inches per hour of electrofishing, Mountain Lake was the top producer with 137. Durant Lake was a distant second with more than 67 bass per hour over 14 inches, followed by Okemah Lake (61 bass per hour over 14 inches) Lake Raymond Gary in Choctaw Co. (36 bass per hour over 14 inches), and Lake Fairfax in Osage Co. (nearly 35 bass per hour over 14 inches)

No lake smaller than 1,000 acres produced a largemouth weighing 10 pounds or more, but three - Sportsman Lake, Lake Raymond Gary and Lake Holdenville - each produced a bass weighing more than eight pounds. Sportsman Lake produced one that weighed 8.9 pounds, Raymond Gary yielded one that weighed 8.8 pounds, and Lake Holdenville produced one that weighed 8.5 pounds.

Lake Watonga in Blaine Co., yielded a 7.5-pound bass, and Lake Vincent in Ellis Co., produced a 7.2-pounder.

Since only a few of Oklahoma's small lakes were surveyed, Kim Erickson, chief of fisheries for the Department, said that anglers shouldn't use the data as a comprehensive guide to quality fishing in Oklahoma. Many other lakes that weren't surveyed this year also have outstanding bass populations.

"Although the results of the survey can help anglers find good places to fish, they're not the only information anglers should use when making their decisions on where to go," Erickson said. "There are hundreds of small lakes across the state, and we can't survey all of them every year. Based on the numbers, these are the best lakes we surveyed this year, but they're not necessarily the best in the state."

Electrofishing surveys are conducted by regional fisheries management personnel to measure the health and trends of individual bass fisheries. Bass captured during the surveys are weighed, measured and released back into the water unharmed. The information collected helps biologists determine which lakes might benefit from specialized management techniques, such as length or slot limits.

In evaluating electrofishng data, the Department rates a lake as high quality when it produces more than 15 bass over 14 inches per hour of electrofishing. Quality lakes yield more than 10 bass over 14 inches per hour, while those producing fewer than 10 are considered below average.

For total numbers of bass per hour, lakes that yield more than 60 bass of any size per hour are rated as high quality. Those producing 40 or more bass per hour are considered "quality" lakes, and less than 40 per hour is considered below average.

2000 Spring Electrofishing Bass Survey Results