Page 20 - Mar/Apr 2022 Outdoor Okahoma Magazine

has been moderately successful at ponds with low
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
angling pressure. Ponds with fish feeders tend to show
better growth.
The five main components of the CTHP are Fishing is fun for everyone, but it also comes with
opportunity, fishing access, boating access, education rules so that everyone can enjoy it now and in the
and outreach. future. All anglers are responsible for knowing and
Opportunity: Development of a larger network obeying the regulations in the annual Fishing and
of Close to Home Fishing locations through the Hunting Regulations.
use of existing and construction of city-owned and Several changes in regulations became effective
leased ponds, privately-owned ponds (homeowners last year or will soon be going into effect this year.
association or businesses), and existing water supply Here’s a summary of those changes.
reservoirs. Currently there are 18 partnerships with
• Combined three-fish bag limit for all Close to
municipalities statewide that include 44 sites totaling
Home Fishing program waters.
306 acres of water. There are another 10 cities that
• Combined three-trout daily bag limit statewide.
have expressed interest in joining the program.
Fishing Access: Construction of fishing docks, • No longer a catch-and-release requirement for
piers, shoreline access areas, and amenities associated paddlefish on Mondays and Fridays.
with angler access, such as sidewalks, parking lots, • Catch-and-release only for alligator gar caught
lighting, and restrooms. Access projects installed to with rod and reel.
date include five fishing piers, one boat ramp, three
• Tiger muskie restrictions removed.
handicap pads, and four aeration systems.
• Fishing equipment labeling requires the use of
Boating Access: Construction of new and
Customer ID number.
renovation of existing boat ramps, courtesy docks,
parking lots, lighting, restrooms, and access roads. • Liberalized snagging restrictions on the
Only one boat ramp and boat dock have been installed Arkansas River.
under the program because the majority of the ponds • Non-motorized boats allowed on Doc Hollis Lake.
do not allow boating due to their size.
• No minimum length limit for harvest of
Education: Increased numbers and locations for
largemouth and smallmouth bass, but only one
youth and adult fishing clinics with the assistance of
of more than 16 inches may be harvested per day.
trained volunteer instructors. Hundreds of Aquatic
• Allow for a black bass tournament exemption to
Education Resource Program (AREP) events have
size and bag limits until weigh-in, after which
been held at CTH sites since the program started.
fish must be released.
More than 300 certified volunteer instructors are
available statewide under the AREP program. • Revise Lower Mountain Fork River trout bag
Outreach: Development and distribution of limit to include only one brown trout of 30
brochures, magazine articles, news releases, radio and inches or longer, and re-establish trophy area in
television commercials, and programs regarding the the downstream reaches of the trout area.
conservation of our aquatic resources and their use in • Restore statewide daily bag limit for largemouth
recreational fishing. A limited number of brochures, and smallmouth bass to Lake Murray and to
maps, and news articles have been released since 2000. waters in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
The CTHF program has been a communication priority
• Limit the daily bag limit of fork-tailed catfish to
of the ODWC’s Communication and Education
six below Carlton Lake to the Robbers Cave State
Division for several years so more
Park boundary.
people can become aware of these
• Require anglers using containers to store live fish,
fishing opportunities that might be
unattended, in the field to label the containers
right in their neighborhoods!
with Customer ID number.
To learn more about CTHF, scan
the code:

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