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Tenkiller Ferry Lake Fishing Report

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

A deep, clear Ozark-highland reservoir on the Illinois River with three black bass species, crappie under a special limit, and year-round trout stocking below the dam.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
261 cfs
Air / High
81 / 81 F
Wind
SE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07196500, 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.

Tenkiller Ferry Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The main inflow is running 261 cfs, falling. Today brings cloud cover, wind SE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 81. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 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.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

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.

Rainbow troutExcellent

The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Brown troutExcellent

Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

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 83 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 Illinois River near Tahlequah (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07196500.

272384495261 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp81 F
High / Low81 / 54 F
WindSE 8-11 mph
Pressure1019.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain79% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:33 / 18:34
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 Tenkiller Ferry Lake this week

The best day on Tenkiller Ferry Lake this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 4 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 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
9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
Minor period
4:19 AM-5:19 AM
Sun
07:33 to 18:34
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Tenkiller Ferry 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.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

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.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

When to come: the Tenkiller Ferry 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
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 Tenkiller Ferry Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 5 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 78 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

A valid Oklahoma fishing license is needed. ODWC special regulations: from the Horseshoe Bend boat ramp downstream to the dam, crappie 15 combined per day with a 10-inch minimum, and gigs and spears prohibited. The Lower Illinois River trout area has its own rules; see the current ODWC fishing regulations.

Access

Two state parks and several Corps of Engineers campgrounds with boat ramps and swimming areas (ODWC).

About this water

A 12,900-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Illinois River in Cherokee and Sequoyah counties, Oklahoma; maximum depth 132.7 feet, 170 miles of shoreline. Inflow gauge: USGS 07196500, Illinois River near Tahlequah.

Fishing Tenkiller Ferry Lake: the full guide

Deep, clear and rocky

ODWC describes Tenkiller as a deep, clear lake in the Ozark highlands with a shoreline dominated by rocky bluffs. It covers 12,900 acres with 170 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 132.7 feet, in Cherokee and Sequoyah counties about 10 miles south of Tahlequah. The Corps of Engineers and Oklahoma State Parks run the campgrounds and ramps.

What swims here

ODWC lists largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass; black and white crappie; white bass; blue, flathead and channel catfish; walleye; and bluegill, green and redear sunfish. From the Horseshoe Bend boat ramp down to the dam, a special crappie limit applies and gigs and spears are banned (details under Regulations). Spearfishing with scuba is allowed elsewhere, with a flathead catfish restriction from June 15 to July 15.

Trout below the dam

Below Tenkiller Ferry Dam, the Lower Illinois River is a designated trout stream. ODWC says it is stocked with rainbows about every two weeks year-round, with brown trout added when available, but warns that summer water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen can threaten stockings.

Common questions

Is there trout fishing near Tenkiller?

Yes. ODWC stocks rainbows in the Lower Illinois River below the dam about every two weeks year-round, though summer heat and low oxygen can interrupt stockings.

Does Tenkiller have its own crappie rule?

From the Horseshoe Bend boat ramp to the dam: 15 crappie combined per day, 10-inch minimum.

Which bass species live in the lake?

ODWC lists largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.

Is fishing good at Tenkiller Ferry 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

Fort Gibson Lake21 miRobert S Kerr Reservoir22 miIllinois River25 miLake Hudson47 miLake Eufaula49 miGrand Lake o the Cherokees67 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 07196500 β€” Illinois River near Tahlequah (inflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 35.6000, -95.0500 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 5, 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 5, 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.