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Robert S Kerr Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

An Arkansas River navigation pool: Kerr holds crappie, catfish and current in eastern Oklahoma.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Gauge
391.50 ft
Air / High
101 / 101 F
Wind
SE 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07250550, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Robert S Kerr Reservoir serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassSlow

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 104 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Arkansas River at Trimble Lock and Dam.

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.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp101 F
High / Low101 / 73 F
WindSE 9-10 mph
Pressure1010.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:53 / 19:42
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 101/73 F, wind 10 mph, rain 4%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Robert S Kerr Reservoir 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
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Robert S Kerr Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 102 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 102 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license. Crappie, catfish and bass limits per current ODWC regulations.

Access

Corps ramps and parks around the reservoir; tailwater access at the locks and dams.

About this water

A 42,000-acre Arkansas River navigation pool, Sequoyah, Haskell and Le Flore counties, Oklahoma.

Fishing Robert S Kerr Reservoir: the full guide

A river pool

Robert S. Kerr Reservoir covers about 42,000 acres on the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, a navigation pool of the McClellan-Kerr system rather than a conventional lake. Barge traffic uses the channel, current moves through, and the fishing follows the river: crappie, blue and flathead catfish, largemouth bass, white bass and, seasonally, striped bass.

Crappie and catfish

Crappie stack the brush, timber and the countless dikes and revetments, with spring and fall the peaks. Blue and flathead catfish grow large in the fertile river water, taking cut and live bait along the channel edges and in the deeper holes. The tailwaters at the locks and dams concentrate fish and produce consistently.

Bass and current

Largemouth relate to the backwaters, dikes and any wood, with current position governing where they hold: when water moves, fish stack on the upstream sides of structure. White bass school in the open river and run the tributaries in spring. Water levels and clarity change quickly with upstream rain.

Sequoyah County logistics

Corps ramps and parks serve the reservoir, with Sallisaw and Webbers Falls the nearby towns. Barge traffic demands respect: stay clear of the sailing line and quarter their wakes. Interstate 40 runs alongside. The reservoir sees less recreational pressure than Oklahoma’s clear-water lakes, which suits the anglers who fish it.

Common questions

Is it a lake or a river?

A navigation pool: it fishes like the river it is, with current, dikes and barge traffic all part of the equation.

Where do crappie hold?

The brush, timber and the dikes and revetments along the channel, with spring and fall the best windows.

Is barge traffic a problem?

Only if ignored: stay clear of the sailing line and use the current they stir as feeding edges.

Is fishing good at Robert S Kerr Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Tenkiller Ferry Lake22 miIllinois River39 miFort Gibson Lake43 miMulberry River52 miLake Eufaula56 miLake Hudson64 mi
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