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Kaw Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Kaw Lake: a Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Arkansas River east of Ponca City, with blue catfish, white bass, crappie and stocked walleye.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
79 / 79 F
Wind
S 13 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Kaw Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind S around 13 mph, steady pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 79. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:04 AM-12:04 PM and 10:32 PM-12:32 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

WalleyeExcellent

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

Hybrid striped bassGood

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

CrappieGood

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassGood

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 80 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Oklahoma requires a fishing licence from age 18, from $31.00 for residents. What a Oklahoma licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing hybrid striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with ODWC before you keep anything. The season dates for Oklahoma, read off the agency, are on the Oklahoma seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp79 F
High / Low79 / 53 F
WindS 13-18 mph
Pressure1017.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:42 / 18:40
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Kaw Lake this week

The best day on Kaw Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 5 out of 5, against 4 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
10:04 AM-12:04 PM and 10:32 PM-12:32 AM
Minor period
4:27 AM-5:27 AM
Sun
07:42 to 18:40
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 13 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Kaw Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

When to come: the Kaw Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Striped bass
White bass
Walleye
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Kaw Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Oklahoma requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Oklahoma fishing license. ODWC statewide limits apply: blue and channel catfish 15 a day combined, only 1 blue catfish over 30 in.; flathead 5 a day; crappie 37 a day; white bass no limit; striped bass 5; hybrid striped bass 20, only 5 over 20 in.; walleye 6 a day, 14-in. minimum. See ODWC paddlefish rules before fishing below the dam.

Access

The Corps manages the campgrounds and boat ramps; its recreation page names Sandy Park (largest swim beach, east end of the dam), McFadden Cove, Pioneer Park, Osage Cove and Sarge Creek. Campsites are reserved through recreation.gov.

About this water

23,610 surface acres and 74.5 ft maximum depth (ODWC); the Corps cites some 17,000 acres of open water. Arkansas River, Kay and Osage counties, Oklahoma.

Fishing Kaw Lake: the full guide

The lake

ODWC places Kaw Lake 11 miles east of Ponca City on State Highway 11, in Kay and Osage counties, and lists 23,610 surface acres, 149 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 74.5 feet. The Corps of Engineers, which operates the lake and its campgrounds and ramps, describes some 17,000 acres of open water for boating and warns that the lake can get extremely rough quickly.

What lives here

ODWC's species of interest are white bass, black and white crappie, blue, flathead and channel catfish, striped bass, hybrid striped bass and paddlefish. ODWC says walleye are stocked and brush piles are placed in the lake for habitat. The Corps says the blue catfish fishing in Kaw Lake is some of the best in the nation, and that paddlefish grow to huge size below Kaw Dam.

Notice

The Corps' Kaw Lake page says Kaw Dam Road is closed from E. 20 Road to east of the project office for repairs, with no reopening date.

Common questions

How big is Kaw Lake?

ODWC lists 23,610 surface acres and 149 miles of shoreline; the Corps' recreation page refers to some 17,000 acres of open water.

What is the blue catfish limit at Kaw Lake?

Oklahoma's statewide limit: 15 blue and channel catfish a day combined, with only 1 blue catfish over 30 inches (ODWC).

Is fishing good at Kaw Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Sooner Lake24 miSkiatook Lake51 miKeystone Lake55 miEl Dorado Lake74 miOologah Lake74 miVerdigris River77 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.7800, -96.8956 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.