Statewide Regulations 

These methods are legal for taking both game and nongame fish through­out the year, state­wide, unless restricted under “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS".

Definitions:

ROD AND REEL: A person may use up to seven (7) rods while fishing unless restricted further under “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.”

TROTLINE/THROWLINE: Trotlines/throwlines are restricted to no more than three (3) lines and 100 hooks per per­son.  A legal trotline/throwline has:

•  no glass or metallic floating device on the line;

•  no metallic posts in water for attachment;

•  lines made of non­metallic material only;

• hooks at least 24 inches apart;

• owner’s name and address attached to each line;

• been attended at least once every 24 hours;

• not been set within three (3) ft. of surface of water at any point beyond six (6) ft. from either point of attachment, except at Great Salt Plains and Ft. Sup­ply reservoirs where water is less than three (3) ft. deep.

JUGLINE: Juglines are restricted to no more than five (5) hooks per line and 20 juglines per person. A legal jugline is a vertical line sus­pend­ed from a nonmetallic or nonglass floating device, drifting free or anchored and has:

• owner’s name and address attached;

• been attended at least once every 24 hours.

LIMBLINE: Limblines are restricted to no more than two (2) hooks per line and 20 limblines per person. A legal limbline is a line at­tached to a limb, branch or other natural object and has:

• • the owner’s name and address attached;

• • been attended at least once every 24 hours.

YO-YO: Yo-yo’s are restricted to no more than 20 per per­son and shall:

• have the owner’s name and address at­tached;

• not be left unattended for more than six (6) hours;

• not be strung or suspended from any horizontal line across any channel or navigable waterway;

• have no more than 10 yo-yo’s attached from any one line or support;

• not have metallic material in lines used for at­tach­ment;

• have lines no greater than 50 feet in length and must be placed or suspended without restricting or impeding boat traffic. Lines must be visible to boats at all times, day or night.

THESE METHODS ARE LEGAL FOR TAKING NONGAME FISH ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS  unless restricted under “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.”

BOW AND ARROW: Bowfishing may be used to take nongame fish only, through­out the year in all waters unless restricted under “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.” Legal bowfishing is restricted to:

• any bow except a crossbow;

• arrows having no more than three (3) points with no more than two (2) barbs on each point.

GIG, GRABHOOK, SPEAR AND SPEARGUN: Gigs and spears are legal for taking nongame fish and white bass only. Grabhooks (handheld hook or handheld pole or rope with a single hook attached used in the initial taking of a fish) are prohibited in all state waters, except SCUBA divers in Delaware and Mayes counties (excluding tailwaters which are closed) may use grabhooks to take nongame fish only from June 15 through July 31. Spearguns used by SCUBA divers are legal for taking nongame fish, blue and channel catfish. Gigs, spears and spearguns shall:

•  not contain more than three (3) points with no more than two (2) barbs on each point;

• be lawful in all rivers and streams from Dec. 1 through Mar. 31, and year-round in all reservoirs, unless restricted under "SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.”

• Gigs shall be lawful year-round in rivers and streams in Delaware and Mayes Counties, unless restricted under “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.”

SNAGGING: Snagging, the dragging of one single hook or one treble hook attached to a fishing line through the water to impale fish, shall be lawful in all waters year-round for nongame fish only unless restricted under “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.”

NOODLING: Noodling is the taking of nongame fish only by use of hands only. Possession of hooks, gaffs, spears, poles or ropes with hooks attached while in the act of noodling shall be proof of violation of the “hands only” noodling law. Noodling shall be lawful year-round in all waters unless restricted un­der “SPECIAL AREA REGULATIONS.”

NETTING (Noncommercial): Only nets defined as gill nets, tram­mel nets, hoop nets, or haul seines may be used to take nongame fish only, except prohibited  April through May. No fish taken by these methods may be transported from the state or be sold. All nets must be attended at least once every 24 hours. Each license holder is limited to 300 feet of net or a total of 4 hoop nets in the water at any time. Each unattended net must have owner’s name and address attached.

Legal hoop nets shall be:        

• no longer than 10 feet in length;     

• no smaller than 3-inch square mesh;

• constructed of non­me­tal­lic mesh only;

• constructed with no more than seven (7) hoops, three (3) feet in diameter or smaller.

Legal mesh size for gill or trammel nets or seines used in noncommercial netting shall be:

• no smaller than 4-inch square.

The following lakes and reservoirs are closed year-round to all non­com­mer­cial netting for any fish:

•  all Wildlife Department Fishing Areas (click here);

• all Corps of Engineers, State Parks, GRDA, OG&E and Bureau of Reclamation lakes;

• Lakes Atoka, Carl Albert, Carl Blackwell, Ellsworth, Eucha, Lawtonka, Lone Chimney, Spavinaw, Taft, Hefner, Overholser (including tailwaters and downstream to NW 10th St. bridge), Draper, all waters with­in the Wichita Mountains NWR, all lakes and ponds within the Ouachita National Forest and all Oklahoma City “Close to Home” fishing waters (click here).

The following rivers and creeks are closed year-round to all noncommercial netting for any fish:

• Baron Fork Creek

• Black Fork Creek

• Blue River

• Caney River

• Deep Fork River upstream from Lake Eufaula to Arcadia Lake dam

• Glover River upstream from Hwy. 3 & 7

• Illinois River

• Kiamichi River above and below Hugo Lake to the Red River

• Lee Creek

• Little River tributary of Lake Thunderbird above Franklin Road in Cleve­land County

• Little River upstream from Hwy. 98 bridge

• Lukfata Creek

• McGee Creek

• Mountain Fork River upstream from Hwy 70 bridge

• Pennington Creek

• Poteau and Fourche Maline rivers in Le Flore County

• Red River from Choctaw/Bryan county line upstream to I-35 bridge

• Sans Bois tributary of R.S. Kerr Lake

• Washita River up­stream to Hwy. 77 bridge south of Davis

• all cutoffs, oxbows, side channels and tributar­ies of the above named rivers and streams

• all of the old oxbows and cutoffs of the Arkansas River in LeFlore and Sequoyah counties

• Canadian River from Lake Eufaula dam downstream to the confluence with Robert S. Kerr

• Arkansas River

• Cimarron River and its tributaries

• Neosho River from Kansas border downstream to the confluence with Webbers Falls

• Salt Creek in Osage County

• Salt Fork River

• Spring River

• Verdigris River

SEINES, CAST NETS, TRAWLS AND DIP NETS (Noncommercial): Sein­ing, cast net­ting, trawl­ing and dip net­ting bait for personal use is lawful in all waters year-round except Lakes Taft, Lone Chimney, Overholser (including tailwaters and downstream to NW 10th St. bridge), Hefner, Draper, Close to Home Fishing Waters (click here), the Wichita Mountains NWR, and in Department of Wildlife Fishing Areas (click here), however cast nets may be used to take bait for personal use at Lake Carl Etling.

Any person may seine, trap or transport minnows for their own use as bait, provided the seine does not exceed 20 feet in length and 1/4-inch mesh. Cast nets, trawls and handheld dip nets are lawful for taking nongame fish only as bait for personal use. No person may take and/or export out-of-state via land-based transportation more than one hundred fifty (150) nongame fish, in­clud­ing shad, for potential use as bait. Cast nets shall have a mesh size no great­er than 3/8-inch square. Trawl nets pulled by motor driven boats may not exceed three (3) feet in diameter and 3/8-inch square mesh. A resident or nonresident fishing license is required of each person using these methods, unless exempt.

Last modified: January 9, 2007