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Oologah Lake Fishing Report

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

A Corps of Engineers lake on the Verdigris River northeast of Tulsa, where ODWC stocks hybrid striped bass and walleye and Will Rogers' birthplace looks over the water.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
66 cfs
Air / High
79 / 79 F
Wind
S 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07171000, 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Oologah Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The main inflow is running 66 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 11 mph, steady pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 79. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:59 AM-11:59 AM and 10:27 PM-12:27 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

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.

WalleyeGood

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.

CrappieFair

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

White bassFair

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

Hybrid striped bassFair

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

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 largemouth 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 from Verdigris River near Lenapah, OK (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07171000.

16540263966 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp79 F
High / Low79 / 52 F
WindS 11-13 mph
Pressure1019.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain20% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:37 / 18:35
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 Oologah Lake this week

The best day on Oologah Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 5 out of 5, against 3 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€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:59 AM-11:59 AM and 10:27 PM-12:27 AM
Minor period
4:21 AM-5:21 AM
Sun
07:37 to 18:35
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 12 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Oologah 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
Hybrid striped 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 Oologah Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 9 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. Oologah has no lake-specific rules in ODWC's 2026 special regulations, so statewide limits apply (updated September 17, 2026): channel and blue catfish 15 combined, only 1 blue catfish over 30 inches; largemouth and smallmouth bass 6 combined, only 1 over 16 inches; crappie 37; hybrid striped bass 20, only 5 over 20 inches; walleye and saugeye 6, 14-inch minimum.

Access

The Corps lists fourteen boat ramps and eleven parks, including Blue Creek, Hawthorn Bluff, Spencer Creek and Redbud Bay, with swimming beaches at Hawthorn Bluff and Spencer Creek and a full-service marina at Redbud Bay. ODWC notes an accessible fishing dock at the Redbud Bay marina. Verdigris River Park is closed until further notice for stilling-basin repairs.

About this water

A 29,460-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir (ODWC) on the Verdigris River near Oologah, Rogers and Nowata counties, Oklahoma; completed in 1974.

Fishing Oologah Lake: the full guide

The lake and the dam

Oologah Lake fills the Verdigris River valley in Rogers and Nowata counties. The Corps of Engineers dam sits at river mile 90.2, about 2 miles southeast of the town of Oologah and 27 miles northeast of Tulsa; it is an earthfill embankment about 4,000 feet long and 137 feet high, with State Highway 88 along the crest. Work began in 1950 and the project was finished in 1974. ODWC lists 29,460 surface acres, 216.9 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 72.2 feet. The Corps manages it for flood control, water supply, navigation, recreation and fish and wildlife.

Fish and habitat

ODWC's species of interest here are largemouth bass, white crappie, paddlefish, walleye, white bass, hybrid striped bass and channel, blue and flathead catfish, and the department says hybrid striped bass and walleye are stocked regularly. The Corps adds that the lake and its tailwater are stocked with sand bass, catfish, hybrids, crappie and walleye, and that standing timber, brush piles and millet planted on exposed mud flats are used to improve fish habitat.

Will Rogers country

The Corps notes that Will Rogers was born in 1879 on land now under Oologah Lake, and that his birthplace home was moved in 1960 to a hill overlooking the lake, where it is open to visitors. The Will Rogers Country Centennial Trail follows the east shore for 18 miles from the spillway to Blue Creek Park, and the Skull Hollow Nature Trail is at Hawthorn Bluff; both can close during deer firearm seasons.

Common questions

What fish does ODWC stock in Oologah Lake?

ODWC says hybrid striped bass and walleye are stocked regularly. The Corps also lists sand bass, catfish and crappie among the fish stocked in the lake and its tailwater.

How many blue catfish can I keep at Oologah?

Oologah follows Oklahoma's statewide rule: 15 channel and blue catfish combined per day, of which only one blue catfish may be over 30 inches.

Where can I launch a boat?

The Corps counts fourteen ramps around the lake. Blue Creek, Hawthorn Bluff and Spencer Creek have gate offices, and Redbud Bay has the marina.

Is fishing good at Oologah Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Hudson31 miSkiatook Lake32 miGrand Lake o the Cherokees41 miVerdigris River45 miKeystone Lake46 miFort Gibson Lake51 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 07171000 β€” Verdigris River near Lenapah, OK (inflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.5511, -95.5943 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 6, 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 6, 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.