Share your catch
US

Sooner Lake Fishing Report

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

Sooner Lake: OG+E's 5,400-acre power-plant lake on US 177 between Stillwater and Ponca City, with its own striped bass and walleye rules.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
80 / 81 F
Wind
S 14 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.

Sooner Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings a mixed sky, wind S around 14 mph, steady pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 81. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:05 AM-12:05 PM and 10:33 PM-12:33 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

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)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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 81 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.

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 temp80 F
High / Low81 / 53 F
WindS 14-17 mph
Pressure1017.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain43% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:42 / 18:41
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 Sooner Lake this week

The best day on Sooner 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
10:05 AM-12:05 PM and 10:33 PM-12:33 AM
Minor period
4:27 AM-5:27 AM
Sun
07:42 to 18:41
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 14 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Sooner 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.

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.

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 Sooner 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
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
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 Sooner 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 81 F, wind to 9 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 79 F, wind to 11 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 75 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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

ODWC area rules for Sooner Lake: striped bass 5 a day, 20-inch minimum; walleye, sauger and saugeye 6 combined a day, 18-inch minimum ('others must be returned to the water immediately'). Methods: rod and reel, bowfishing, noodling. No fishing from the dam, the fenced area below it or the north bank of the intake channel; intake channel, discharge channel and spillway embankment are bank fishing only. Oklahoma fishing license.

Access

Two OG+E boat ramps; the West Boat Ramp is ADA compliant (ODWC). Lake office (405) 553-2919 per ODWC.

About this water

A 5,400-acre OG+E power-plant reservoir in Noble and Pawnee counties, Oklahoma, on US 177 between Stillwater and Ponca City.

Fishing Sooner Lake: the full guide

An OG+E lake

ODWC lists OG+E as the operator of Sooner Lake, 25 miles north of Stillwater and 20 miles south of Ponca City on US 177, in Noble and Pawnee counties. Its lake page gives 5,400 surface acres, a maximum depth of 73.5 feet, 51.8 miles of shoreline and 149,000 acre-feet of volume. OG+E manages two boat ramps; ODWC notes that the West Boat Ramp is ADA compliant.

Stocking and species

ODWC stocks Florida-strain largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass and saugeye, and places brush piles in the lake as fish habitat. Its species of interest for Sooner are largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, saugeye, blue catfish and black and white crappie.

Where you can and cannot fish

ODWC's area rules prohibit fishing from the dam, the fenced area below the dam and the north bank of the intake channel. In the buoy-marked intake channel, the discharge channel and along the spillway embankment, fishing is from the bank only: no float tubes or wading. Allowed methods are rod and reel, bowfishing and noodling.

Common questions

What does ODWC stock in Sooner Lake?

Florida-strain largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass and saugeye; it also adds brush piles for habitat.

What are the special limits at Sooner Lake?

Striped bass 5 a day with a 20-inch minimum, and walleye, sauger and saugeye 6 combined with an 18-inch minimum, under ODWC's area rules.

Can I bank fish the discharge channel?

Yes, from the bank only: ODWC bars float tubes and wading in the intake channel, the discharge channel and on the spillway embankment, and bans fishing from the dam and the north bank of the intake channel.

Is fishing good at Sooner 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

Kaw Lake24 miKeystone Lake46 miSkiatook Lake49 miLake Hefner69 miOologah Lake79 miLake Thunderbird86 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.4470, -97.0120 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.