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Public Fishing Areas: Special Regulations

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In addition to general fishing regulations, statewide species regulations and Department fishing area rules, this section addresses special regulations that apply to public fishing waters.  If a species or body of water is not listed, refer to statewide regulations.

  = Conservation Passport Area

Schooler 

Choctaw
Daily/Size Limits:

Channel and/or blue catfish: six combined per day.

Methods:

Allowed methods: up to two rods and reels per person, bowfishing.

Skiatook

Osage
Daily/Size Limits:

Striped bass and striped bass hybrids (does not include white bass): five per day, of which only two may be 20 inches or longer.

Sooner Lake

Noble, Pawnee
Daily/Size Limits:

Striped bass: 5 per day, minimum length of 20 inches; walleye, sauger, saugeye: six combined per day/18-inch minimum; others must be returned to the water immediately.

Methods:

Allowed methods: rod and reel, bowfishing, and noodling. Fishing is prohibited from dam, fenced area below dam, and north bank of intake channel. Fishing in the buoy-marked intake channel, discharge channel and spillway embankment is bank fishing only (no float tubes or wading).

Stanley Draper

Cleveland, Oklahoma
Methods:

Allowed methods: up to three rods and reels per person, with no more than three hooks per line (treble hooks are considered one hook). Bowfishing during daylight hours only.

Taft

Muskogee
Methods:

Allowed methods: up to two rods and reels per person.

Tailwaters

Additional Restrictions:

First 1,000 feet below any federal or Grand River Dam Authority dam at Wister, the tailwater designation extends downstream to the second set of powerlines at the confluence of the old and new river channels. 

Fishing limited to only two rods and reels per person. Unlawful to keep a foul-hooked fish (any fish hooked other than inside the mouth) unless taken in a tailwater open to snagging (non-game fish only). 

Bowfishing prohibited except at Eufaula, Fort Gibson, Heyburn, Hudson, Keystone and Wister. Bowfishing is open on Thunderbird past the first 75 feet from the dam. 

Gigs, spears and spearguns prohibited, except at Hudson

Snagging prohibited, except at Fort Gibson tailwaters.

Each angler must keep their fish separate, marked with their name and customer ID number or lifetime license number when fishing in tailwaters. 

Wister tailwater is closed to noodling. 

Dam/Spillway regulations are different for the Lower Mountain Fork River.

Bureau of Reclamation Tailwaters Fishing closed year-round at Arbuckle, Fort Cobb and Foss

Fishing closed for the first 75 feet from dam at Altus-Lugert, McGee Creek, Thunderbird and Tom Steed

Bowfishing, noodling, trotlines, throwlines, limblines, juglines and yo-yos are prohibited on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River from the spillway of Great Salt Plains Lake downstream to State Highway 38 Bridge.

Tenkiller

Cherokee, Sequoyah
Daily/Size Limits:

(Downstream from Horseshoe Bend boat ramp to dam)

All crappie: 15 combined per day/10-inch minimum.

Methods:

(Downstream from Horseshoe Bend boat ramp to dam)

Prohibited methods: gigs and spears downstream of Horseshoe Bend boat ramp. Speargunning is legal when used with scuba, except taking flathead catfish from June 15 through July 15 is prohibited.

Texoma

Bryan, Johnston, Love, Marshall
Daily/Size Limits:

Note: Fishing regulations may differ between Oklahoma and Texas portions of Lake Texoma. Check the Texas Fishing Guide for details.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass: five combined per day/14-inch minimum for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Striped bass and/or striped bass hybrids: 10 combined per day, of which only two may be 20 inches or longer. White bass: 25 per day/no size limit. All crappie: 37 combined per day/10-inch minimum. Flathead catfish: five per day/20-inch minimum. The attempt to take or harvest alligator gar is prohibited May 1-31. Alligator gar harvest must be reported within 24 hours via E-Check at wildlifedepartment.com.

Texas Side: During May, no person shall take alligator gar from, or possess alligator gar while on, the Red River (including Lake Texoma) and all tributaries that drain directly or indirectly to the Red River on the Texas/Oklahoma border in Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Lamar, Red River, and Bowie counties.

Barren Fork Creek 

Adair
Daily/Size Limits:

Channel and/or blue catfish: six combined per day.

Methods:

Allowed methods: up to two rods and reels per person.

Thunderbird

Cleveland
Daily/Size Limits:

Walleye, sauger and saugeye: six combined per day/18-inch minimum.

Methods:

Prohibited methods: bowfishing, gigging, spearing, spearguns, snagging, and noodling within the Little River upstream of Franklin Road in Cleveland County.