Weather
The weeks are flying by. This past October was one of the warmest on record, with cool mornings and warm afternoons, and plenty of people are still out on the water. Some lousy, rainy weather over the weekend kept a lot of folks home during the last weekend of muzzleloader season.
Hunting
Deer activity is picking up, with a lot of chasing, which is typical for the first week of November. Bucks are cruising and bumping does around, and the first does could be bred in the next few days. In Oklahoma the craziest chasing usually runs from about the 4th–6th through the 10th–12th of November. There are lots of scrapes out, and an incredible number of big deer are being taken around the state; an Oklahoma bowhunter page on Facebook is a good place to see them. Afternoons will stay warmer than we'd like, but the next two weeks are prime for pre-rut whitetails. Take somebody with you (a kid, your wife, a friend), get a two-man stand or a pop-up blind, and bring a crossbow if you can.
Lake-wide
Same old broken record: clear water and normal, stable conditions.
Rivers
With clear water up the Spring and Neosho rivers, White Bass will be up there by mid-December, filtering up to Twin Bridges as shad move in. In about a month and a half you'll be surprised how many White Bass and Crappie are caught up there.
Paddlefish
Snagging is still going on. Anglers are using forward-facing sonar and down scan to find them, then trolling through them with depth-control divers.
White Bass
Find wind hitting a shoreline. A favorite setup is a small topwater with a 2-inch swimming minnow on a 1/16-ounce head tied behind it, thrown up to the bank. Once you catch one or two, stay put, because there are usually a lot more with them.
Catfish
Catfishing should be really good. Fish are moving deeper during the day, especially in clear water. Drift with fresh cut shad.
Crappie
Look in the darkest spots of docks, on main-lake brush, and moving to the backs of coves. If you see a lot of shad flipping in a cove, there are probably Crappie, White Bass and black Bass mixed in. Don't forget to fish shallow in your dock: during this fall transition, big Crappie often sit right under the black encapsulated foam in the afternoon.
Dealers
Trish and Tracy at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle, Grove Walmart, fishlucke.com and the Fish Lucke Amazon store.
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Hunting
A great start to muzzleloader season, with light winds, cool mornings and low humidity. Evenings cool off fast, especially in shade or timber that still has leaves, and that's getting deer moving. Processing plants report outstanding totals from muzzleloader hunters. It's pre-rut: from October 20 on anything can happen, and from about Halloween to November 10–15 it's pandemonium. On overcast days with little sunlight, bucks get up and move all day, though not out in the wide open unless they're with a doe. They'll travel the path of least resistance through forced-exposure areas, slipping between blocks of woods and in and out of ravines. Humidity and warm temps slow movement down. Next week should be great for bowhunters.
Weather
Some crummy weather moving in over the weekend, then a big cooldown and maybe more moisture next week.
Below the dam
With some inflow and outflow, folks are catching Hybrids below the dam.
Facebook group
The Grand Fishing Report Facebook group is up over 24,000 members. Post a picture of your grandkid or family member with a fish from Grand Lake; you don't need a detailed report. Mention if you caught them on a Dinner Spinner or a Jimmy Houston spinnerbait — Jeff shares daily updates there. He'd like more Bass tournament participation, so if you run or fish a Bass tournament, please share it in the group.
Crappie
Fish main-lake brush piles. Cast a swimming minnow or a Lucky Bug out over them and reel through. Try the Fish Lucke cable-guard jig head if you don't like getting hung up.
White Bass
Tie Dinner Spinners to Tie2 jigs, cast the bank and troll in the evenings and mornings around Governor's Island, Sweetwater, Goat Island, Bird Island, Shangri-La and Patricia Island. Work all those points, especially if there's any breeze blowing into them.
Catfish
Same places. Drift fish, or if you like to anchor, fish at night in shallow water with live or cut bait, 4–5 to 10 feet deep on main-lake points.
Dealers
fishlucke.com, Trish and Tracy at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle (big selection of Fish Lucke products), or the Fish Lucke Amazon store.
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Hunting
Opening weekend of Oklahoma's primitive (muzzleloader) season is this weekend, the biggest opener so far this year. Jeff has a couple of bucks he'd like to catch up with, and if not, he'll take a mature doe for summer sausage, snack sticks, backstraps, tenderloins and jerky. Mornings should be cool with warmer afternoons, which gets big deer out hitting scrapes. Fun note: someone told Jeff that in their area a deer rub is called a "hook bush."
Lake-wide
Same old broken record. It's late fall heading into early winter, water is cooling off, and fish are starting to transition deeper, though there will be a lot of activity up on the banks at certain times of day.
Backs of coves
Fish are feeding on gizzard and threadfin shad halfway back or toward the backs of coves, especially where a creek or drainage runs in. Bass, White Bass, Catfish and Crappie will all follow the shad back there.
Catfish
Depth depends on light penetration, water depth, clarity and where the shad are. Follow your GPS, keep drifts under 1 mph, and the fish will tell you what depth they're feeding at; then go back over the same spot until you maybe get a limit. Reminder on Grand Lake Blue Cat limits: 15 a day, and only one over 30 inches. From the Catfish research study Jeff did with the Oklahoma wildlife department years ago: as long as plenty of fish over 30 inches stay in the lake, recreational anglers can't over-harvest the under-30 fish. Let the big 20- and 30-pound breeders go and there will always be plenty of 3- to 8-pounders to eat. His favorite eating size is 5–6 pounds; that's about as big as his electric knife likes, and two or three 6-pounders give a lot of meat, belly meat included.
Crappie
On main-lake brush piles now, migrating toward the backs of coves as the water cools, following shad. In docks, look in deep, dark areas, but don't fish too deep: this time of year Crappie can be right up under the encapsulated foam. If they're not where you usually catch them, bring your jig or minnow up to within a foot or two of the foam. They go through this shallow transition every spring and fall; people even see them swimming around inside their wells.
Dealers
fishlucke.com and Amazon at Fish Lucke; Littlefield Sporting Goods and Grove Walmart.
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Weather and lake
Beautiful weather, stable, clear water, and people out fishing, plus a few pleasure boats. It's a late-summer, early-fall stable pattern. In clear water, fish relate to structure much more than in muddy water; the clearer and more stable it gets, the less they roam and the more targetable they are.
Dock Crappie
Jeff has been fishing off his dock by his light at night, pitching between slips to pick off a few Crappie.
Haydn's guide trips
Haydn has been catching Paddlefish up in the mouth of Elk River, in the river area, along with Crappie mixed in with White Bass, often two at a time. They're feeding aggressively when you find them.
White Bass
This time of year they move close to the bank, especially in the evenings. With a little southwest wind, go to Governor's Island in the shallow water or in front of Snake Island on the shallow fingers that stretch out, in the last couple of hours before dark. You can catch a lot of fish. Afterward, anchor up or go have dinner at a lakeside restaurant, and support the businesses staying open after the summer crowds leave.
Catfish
Good. Jeff has watched anglers catching Catfish in front of his house in about 30 feet of water from an anchored position.
Hunting
Congratulations to Grant, who killed a super buck on opening day of bow season. Lots of mature, heavy-horned, big-racked deer are being taken, and there's room for every kind of hunter, whether you hunt antlers or just meat. Oklahoma has a great whitetail herd, good public land and good private land, and the wildlife department is doing excellent work. Muzzleloader season comes the last week of October, when deer season really gets going.
Dealers
fishlucke.com, Amazon at Fish Lucke, Trish and Tracy at Littlefield Sporting Goods, or Grove Walmart for Fish Lucke products.
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Weather
Recorded Thursday morning, October 1, in the rain. It's opening day of Oklahoma archery deer season, so bowhunters are probably getting wet. Once it breaks, cooler air and maybe a north wind should roll in, with lower than normal humidity, light breezes, sunny skies and mild temperatures. That should mean a fantastic weekend and good deer movement.
Catfish
Lots of people drift fishing and anchor fishing for Catfish in front of Jeff's house this week, and he's seen fish caught.
Haydn
Haydn is still fishing some, but slows down this time of year. After running so many trips from January to now, this is his vacation and he gets deer on the brain.
Lake-wide
This late-summer, early-fall stable pattern (sunny skies, normal water temps, little lake-level fluctuation) makes for excellent, very predictable fishing. Unless there's a flood or strange weather, you can catch fish again where you've caught them before.
White Bass
Get out on windy points. Try the Sweetwater area, the Governor's Island area and the islands around Sailboat Bridge.
Crappie
Some anglers caught nice Crappie under Honey Creek Bridge, in the shade around the pillars, on minnows.
Drift fishing spots
Anywhere in the Three Fingers area all the way down around Shangri-La, the flats at Bernice, south of Bernice Bridge between there and Governor's Island, and Snake Island.
Bass
Tommy says tournaments are still catching plenty of fish but struggling to catch any size. Jeff shared a Fish Lucke video about a buzz bait kit (three colors of buzz baits with trailers — economical for a pond, stream or Grand Lake). Fish Lucke also has lizard kits, curl-tail worm kits, ring worm kits and spinnerbait kits at a very economical price.
Dealers
Trish and Tracy at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle for Fish Lucke World's Luckiest Tackle; fishlucke.com and Amazon at Fish Lucke.
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Weather
Nice weather at last after a long, hot, dry stretch when few people wanted to fight the hot wind.
Lake-wide
Grand Lake gets busy on weekends, but you can fish it all week, even in summer. From his deck Jeff can see from the mouth of Honey Creek almost down to Patricia Island, and he sees boats hitting known brush piles on the far bank for Crappie and anglers drifting along the edge of the river channel.
Catfish
He watched a man baited with cut bait using his trolling motor to drag across the bottom a few hundred yards off Jeff's dock, probably in 35–40 feet of water. He caught some nice ones that looked like Blue Cats.
Bass
Not much Bass info gets posted, but tournament boats run past the house around the Shangri-La corner heading west down the lake. If you're Bass fishing with live scope and want a bait down in front of a fish, not a lot of guys are using Scroungers yet — that's something you can try.
Hunting
Archery season opens October 1. People are putting out corn, minerals, attractants and trail cameras, looking for a big buck or a doe for burger and summer sausage. The cool weather has everyone ready. Fixpandable broadheads are back on Amazon (four heads, a practice head and extra O-rings in each package); some may still be available in Jay, and David at Honey Creek might still have some.
Crappie
Even anglers using forward-facing sonar can use a brush-pile Scrounger to get a bait down in front of fish. Jeff's favorite brush-pile Crappie combo is an 1/8-ounce Scrounger with a 2.5-inch Lucky Bug in desert (desert hero) color.
White Bass
Troll a Dinner Spinner or a Scrounger in the evening around Governor's Island, Patricia Island, Sweetwater and the islands around Sailboat Bridge. This is the time of year when you can catch a lot of White Bass in the evenings. Take a kid.
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Weather
In a weather pattern like this one, the fishing doesn't change much, but it's really good if you can beat the heat. Highs in the 80s are finally expected next week.
Crappie
Jeff remembers his late friend Jerry, who was well known around the lake. September was their favorite Crappie month: light winds, low humidity, sunny days and few people on the lake, perfect for sitting on brush piles. Not much has changed. Haydn is lining up more Crappie trips. The fish are a little shallower than they have been, and the farther up the lake you go, the shallower they are. Size is good: Haydn says about 80% of his fish are 10 inches or longer now. The lake went through a stretch of lots of 9- and 9.5-inch fish, and those have grown into 10s and 10.25s, which helps fill limits.
Cooking tip
Blackened Crappie. Fillet them clean, dry them off, sprinkle on blackening seasoning and cook them in butter on a griddle. Serve as fish tacos, on a salad or plain. Jeff likes them better than fried fish.
Catfish
He watched anglers drift-trolling on the east side of Shangri-La with rods spread around the boat, probably in 35–40 feet of water along the edge of the river channel where it turns and comes off the bluff. Keep it under 1 mph and drag the edge of a river channel.
Tackle
Fish Lucke Tie2 jigs (a loop on top and bottom) have become incredibly popular — the easiest way to fish two jigs, or a jig ahead of an inline spinner or crankbait, without tying a loop in your line. Available in three sizes and several colors; check Littlefield's or Grove Walmart.
White Bass
Go out about an hour before dark around Governor's Island. Troll or cast to the banks a 1/4-ounce Dinner Spinner with a swimming minnow on a 1/16-ounce Tie2 jig ahead of it, and get ready to take fish home.
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Lake-wide
The big holiday weekend is over, and looking out east of Shangri-La this morning, Jeff doesn't see a boat anywhere except a few Bass boats that seemed to come out of Wolf Creek and run around the Shangri-La point. Everybody leaves about the first of September, which is typical lake life, but this is one of the best times to be at Grand Lake.
White Bass
When the weather breaks and cools off (maybe one cool day this week before it warms back up), White Bass will move even shallower. Look on windy points and windy banks, and keep casting a 1/4-ounce Dinner Spinner up to the bank. Jeff likes that size because the heavy blade gives a lot of vibration you can feel rotating. It's good for trolling too. To cut down line twist on monofilament, tie a Tie2 jig on your main line above the Dinner Spinner and run a short piece of leader from it down to the spinner, with no loop knot needed. The Tie2 has two loops on it.
Paddlefish
Anglers are still getting some with forward-facing sonar, but there are fewer reports because it's been so hot.
Crappie
Haydn is catching Crappie in brush piles, getting right over the brush and going straight down with minnows. When he's fishing alone or pre-fishing, he casts swimming minnows and Lucky Bugs to the brush, which can be hard for novices, so clients use minnows. Dock fishermen using minnows should fish the shadiest place in the dock. If the shade line moves out to the edge in the morning or evening, fish that shade. Fish the darkest spots in your boat slips; often you don't even need brush, just shade.
Catfish
Drift from about 15 feet out into 50 feet, or from 50 up into 15, under 1 mph, with fresh cut shad. If shad are hard to find, go right before dark, when a lot of them move up to the surface.
Bottom line
Try to stay cool and take a kid fishing in the evening.
Dealers
Grove Walmart and Littlefield's Sporting Goods at the entrance of the island for Fish Lucke products.
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Weather
Labor Day weekend. Dove season opened this past week; a few people did well, but it was dry, hot and dusty walking the cornfields. There may be 7 to 10 more days of this heat wave (the "ring of fire") before relief. Even so, ponds and creeks still hold water and Grand Lake is holding its level remarkably well compared to other Midwest lakes losing water to evaporation.
Hunting
Oklahoma archery season opens October 1. Fixpandable broadheads are now on Amazon (search Fixpandable).
Safety
Big holiday weekends bring a lot of inexperienced lake-goers. Be safe, give them some courtesy and slack, and help them out if you can.
White Bass
In the evenings, troll Dinner Spinners and swimming minnows, a fun way to get kids and everyone involved. On windy points in the middle of the day, get down there with a jigging spoon or run a swimming minnow on a 1/4-ounce Tie2 jig (or a 1/4-ounce jig head) across the bottom.
Haydn's report
Fishing is about like last week. Haydn is still catching plenty of fish: some Crappie on brush piles and some in shaded areas of docks.
Paddlefish
Same pattern. Anglers concentrating on them are getting them in the upper end of the lake; the Horse Creek and Honey Creek arms seem best.
Bass
Not much reported, but Doug posts nice Bass pictures every week from the weekly local jackpot tournament he runs at Serenity Point.
Bottom line
Expect one of the biggest Labor Day weekends in a long time, with a lot of people watching OSU and OU games at the lake. Fall is just around the corner.
Dealers
fishlucke.com or Fish Lucke on Amazon.
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History
The fishing report has been on local radio around Grand Lake for decades. Jeff would love to go back and hear the old reports from Lee, Martin and Jerry from the 1990s.
Crappie
The bite is improving. Dock fishing has been a little tough this summer, but Haydn says a lot of the 9-inch Crappie are now over 10 inches.
Catfish
There are lots of good transitions from the flats back over to Shangri-La, with ups and downs and a river channel to cross. Watch your GPS and depth: Blue Cats will tell you day to day what depth they're feeding at, and if you have a GPS track you can go back over the same trail at the depth where the active fish were. It's surprising how far off track you drift. Start in about 15 feet and drift into 40–50 feet, or with the wind the other way, start at 40–50 and drift up into 10–15 feet. Somewhere in that range you should find active fish.
Paddlefish
Not as many people snagging because it's been so hot.
Bass
Tournament numbers are down, but Doug still runs a weekly local jackpot Bass tournament (Tuesday or Thursday night) out of Serenity Point, his marina straight west of Shangri-La, where people have bought gas and swum off the dock for years. Look it up on Facebook.
White Bass
Biting really well. In the evenings, even if you're not an avid angler, troll around Shangri-La, Sweetwater, Goat Island and the islands around Sailboat Bridge. Tie a 1/16-ounce Tie2 jig with a swimming minnow above a 1/4-ounce Dinner Spinner; it stops most of the spinner's line twist, and you'll often catch two White Bass at a time. Start in about 10 feet and work into 4 or 5 feet, hitting the island points and the shallow water at Governor's Island.
Dealers
Trish and Tracy at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle (lots of Fish Lucke products), Grove Walmart, Amazon at Fish Lucke, or fishlucke.com.
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Weather
A scorcher. Not many people out. With little wind it's not safe to be out in that sun and heat, and it's really hard to cool off. If you go, go early in the morning.
White Bass
Early mornings, throw Dinner Spinners at banks with any morning breeze until about 10 or 11, before it gets really hot.
Catfish
Drift fish early in the morning, or fish at night. Many anglers anchor at night in about 3 to 10 feet on big shallow gravel or mud flats around Patricia Island and Sailboat Bridge. The points at the mouth of Elk River are really good for anchored Blue Cats in the evening, and First Creek is a good area too. Get on shallow gravel bars: Catfish move up there to hunt, running over the tops of the bars and flats looking for food, rather than living there. Blue Cats hunt in groups, so when you catch one you might catch two or three if you have several rods out.
Lucky Cat (Fish Lucke)
New dip jigs for dip-bait fishermen, plus sinker slides and glow sticks coming out under the Lucky Cat brand (World's Luckiest Tackle). Two new hooks: the Meat Hook (improved circle-hook style — reel down or let the fish bury the rod) and the Dagger J (big bend between shank and tip, then a slight bend back — not quite a straight J; great with live bait and less likely to double-hook bait on a hard strike than the Meat Hook). Coming in four sizes (2, 4, 6, 8) in black nickel / black chrome.
Crappie
It's the late-summer August pattern. Look for wind and water movement. Crappie are in the shadiest places around docks and at the very tops of trees. The biggest, most active fish are right at the top of the cover. You may not catch a limit off one brush pile; run a swimming minnow across it, pick up three or four heavy Crappie and move on. It can be hit and miss, but ferocious when you get into them. Keep moving and look for water movement.
Dealers
Trish at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle has a big assortment, including nice Toby Keith kits/combos (micro spin and push-button), Scroungers and more. Grove Walmart also carries Fish Lucke. Or fishlucke.com and Amazon at Fish Lucke.
Safety
Jeff saw a GRDA boat towing in someone with a stalled engine. Thanks to them for being out there.
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Weather
Hot and humid. A nice rain shower moved through the Shangri-La area last night, probably widespread from the state line down toward Jay. It helped the grass, but it'll make the weekend more humid and hotter.
Crappie
Getting better. Fish the dark areas, and they might not be as deep as you think. Fish a minnow and bobber in a dark spot in a big marina dock or enclosed dock out of the sun, or drop a Lucky Bug on a Tie2 jig and reel it up really slowly. Traditional structure (brush piles, humps, islands, stumps) holds Crappie, but they aren't as aggressive as at certain other times of year. That's normal for August and September; as the water cools, all species get much more aggressive.
Bass
Good results from the weekly local tournament at Serenity Point; check Doug's Facebook page or the Grand Fishing Report group if you'd like to fish a local weekly night event. Jeff hasn't heard much else, since Bass anglers don't share much. Jimmy Houston Legend Spinnerbaits with Colorado and willow blades are selling like crazy on Amazon right now — a versatile choice. Jimmy is most famous for his Redman Spinnerbait (single Colorado blade); the Colorado-and-willow Legend Spinnerbait is especially versatile.
Bighead carp
Anglers are snagging big bighead carp, from 35 to 100 pounds, using forward-facing sonar. Like Paddlefish they're filter feeders that eat zooplankton, not other fish. At some point a flush of them came into the lake, but no small ones are being seen. They're invasive and we don't want a big population, so more power to anyone taking them out.
Catfish
Great right now. Drift around Sailboat Bridge, Shangri-La, Goat Island, and between Horse Creek and Governor's Island. Work the contours: start in 40–50 feet and drift up into 10–15 feet, under 1 mph, with fresh cut shad. Once you find the depth they're hitting, run your GPS line again. August and September Blue Cats can be great. Keep your rod in a holder or hang on: 10- to 20-pound Blue Cats don't nibble, they grab it and go, and can pull a rod out of the boat or off your dock even when you're anchored. When drifting, the strikes are even more violent.
Dealers
Littlefield's Bait & Tackle, Grove Walmart, fishlucke.com or Fish Lucke on Amazon.
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Weather
The dog days of summer: light winds and hot, humid weather, with a few pop-up showers around the lake this Wednesday evening. Safety reminder: every thunderstorm has to start somewhere, and one can grow right on top of you. Watch whether clouds are darkening and moving at you. The storm that catches people off guard is usually the one that formed overhead, not the one coming from far away.
Crappie
Being caught on main-lake brush piles. Haydn is doing really well. Clients are catching White Bass and Crappie; he uses artificial swimming minnows and Lucky Bugs, but most Crappie this time of year come on live minnows.
White Bass
Coming off underwater islands and windy points when there's a breeze, especially early morning or late evening when they move shallower. Swimming minnows and Dinner Spinners are great choices. Later in the day they move out to underwater islands in 12 to 25 feet, with lots of good spots around the islands at Sailboat Bridge.
Bridges
One of the best ways to find active fish and beat the sun is fishing the bridges: Black River, Bernice Bridge, Honey Creek Bridge and Sailboat Bridge. When the water's clear, Crappie and White Bass use the shade and the dark-water transition line under them as structure.
More spots
Submerged islands all the way down the lake to and past Goat Island, gravel bars, historic fish-holding spots and Governor's Island. On a nice Friday or Saturday evening, take a grandkid or a novice out for a couple of hours as the sun sets and troll a Dinner Spinner and a swimming minnow. People tend to group up in the good areas and enjoy each other's company.
Paddlefish
Paddlefishing has been great.
Bighead carp
A lot of big bighead carp are being snagged in the Honey Creek arm above Honey Creek Bridge using forward-facing sonar, and the wildlife department is paying attention. They're invasive and compete with Paddlefish for zooplankton. If you catch one, report it to the Oklahoma wildlife department with where you caught it and how big it was.
Dealers
Littlefield's Bait & Tackle for Fish Lucke products, Grove Walmart, or Amazon / fishlucke.com if you're not around Grove or Grand Lake.
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Facebook group
The report is now posted on the radio station's Facebook page and shared to the Grand Fishing Report Facebook group, which has over 20,000 members. Many guides contribute, so if you miss the report or are outside the listening area, you can find it there.
Crappie
Haydn brought his mom and dad some nice Crappie. He says many fish that were 9.5 inches this winter are now 10 to 10.25 inches, and he's seeing many more Crappie than last summer, fall, winter and spring. It looks like a good recruitment hatch a couple of years ago is producing another group of keepers: the 10- to 11.5-inch standard Crappie Grand Lake has always had, instead of lots of shorts with a few big ones mixed in. He's using Lucky Bugs and swimming minnows, and clients use minnows under slip bobbers. He uses forward-facing sonar to find brush rather than chase individual fish; once he knows the brush depth, he casts the Lucky Bug or swimming minnow to it or sets slip bobbers. Everybody loves watching a bobber go under.
White Bass
Haydn is running many White Bass trips and catching lots of fish on underwater islands from Patricia Island all the way out to Goat Island, on islands and ridges where people have caught fish since the lake was built. Use a 1/4-ounce head with a swimming minnow, or a Tie2 jig with a 1/16-ounce Lucky Bug above a 2.5-inch swimming minnow. Cast, let it sink to the bottom and reel in really slowly. He's also used blade baits and slabs, and fish are starting to surface in the evenings.
Lake level
The water has cleared up really well. Inflow has slowed way down with no heavy rain on the way, so the lake should stay clear and fish the same through July and August unless there's a hard inflow.
Dealers
Support the Toby Keith family — pick up Fish Lucke tackle at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle or Grove Walmart.
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Jeff's guest is his son Haydn of Williams Guide Service. People are already posting deer pictures; the first half of the year everyone's crazy about fishing, the last half about hunting.
White Bass
Haydn says it's been a really good year, and he doesn't remember ever catching as many big ones. They're still on a lot of humps around the islands from Sailboat Bridge to the Drowning Creek area, really all through the lake. Other guides report great White Bass fishing up Elk River. Haydn stays around Shangri-La, where he launches his trips, plus the Horse Creek and Goat Island areas.
Technique
He's been throwing spoons for the last month or so. On days they won't hit the spoon, he ties a double rig using a Fish Lucke Tie2 jig: a 1/16-ounce jig or something much smaller than the spoon right above it. Even on busting or schooling fish, try a swimming minnow on that rig; the extra weight sinks it faster to get down to them. Jeff adds that the Tie2 ahead of a Dinner Spinner (or an inline spinner) keeps line twist out. Tie it to your main line by the top loop and a dropper off the bottom.
Crappie
Haydn went looking for some to eat after a White Bass trip around Shangri-La. He caught about a limit off one brush pile, but the next day there wasn't a fish on it. There are definitely Crappie in the lake. When the lake drops a bit more and clears up, it could be a different story, and it'll be main-lake structure, as always this time of year.
Contact
Haydn's guide website is fishgrand.com.
Dealers
Area dealers that handle Fish Lucke products, especially Littlefield's.
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Lake-wide
The busiest weekend at Grand Lake is over. Monkey Island and Shangri-La, from Littlefield's Corner to the Shangri-La point, had more people than Jeff has ever seen, maybe because of the weather or the country's 250th anniversary. Places were standing room only around the Shangri-La fireworks, though a thunderstorm rolled in on some other fireworks shows.
Below the dam
Drifting for cats below the turbines, between the cable and the bridge, is a lot of fun. Shad are easy to find down there. Drift down with the current, run back up and repeat. Use little weight so your shad ticks along the bottom or down through the water column. The water coming out of the turbines is cooler than on the upper lake. Injured baitfish and debris come through after generation, and opportunistic fish feed on them, so match the hatch and the current. There will be tons of White Bass, and Crappie in the slack water. Don't snag Paddlefish above the bridge, between the bridge and the cable. If you accidentally hook one that's fine, but special restrictions apply.
White Bass
Haydn is catching tons of White Bass, mainly in the middle of the lake from Honey Creek down past Goat Island.
Water clarity
Water is clearing nicely at Shangri-La. Without much more inflow, clear water from the Elk and Spring rivers should start pulling better-colored water under the Shangri-La bridge, and with steady generation the backs of Honey Creek, Duck Creek and Horse Creek will clear fast. Crappie on brush piles will get really good once the lake clears.
Crappie
Fish the shade this time of year. In a dock, get to the darkest spot; from a boat, cast to the darkest spot in the dock. Jeff loves swimming minnows on a 1/16- or 1/8-ounce head, pitched or shot into dark spots with a flexible little rod like the Toby Keith microscope — a great rod for shooting docks. Littlefield's Bait & Tackle has those, plus the push-button combos.
Bottom line
It's July in Oklahoma and hot. Troll a Dinner Spinner in the evenings, maybe around Governor's Island.
Dealers
Littlefield's Bait & Tackle, Grove Walmart, and Fish Lucke World's Luckiest Tackle.
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First responders
Thanks to GRDA and the Monkey Island Fire Department. The fire chief told Jeff they have the only boat on the water that can respond to accidents on the entire lake, so they get busy. If you see them, thank them.
Lake level
A hot, steamy Fourth of July weekend. The water is falling, and with little rain in the forecast, expect considerable drawdown by the end of next week toward the normal level of about 745 for this time of year.
White Bass
Haydn is catching a ton of fish on the same pattern. When they're generating, fish points and underwater islands, anywhere current moves over high spots: Goat Island, Sweetwater, the Shangri-La point and the points around Patricia Island. You can catch two at a time on swimming minnows. For trolling, Fish Lucke has the Dinner Spinner — heavy blade, fins and a marabou tail. Tie a Tie2 jig with a swimming minnow above the Dinner Spinner; it acts as a buffer and keeps most of the line twist in the leader below it. Don't be surprised to catch two at a time.
Crappie
Better in parts of the lake with clear water. Look in dark spots in docks and marinas with little light penetration. Pitch Lucky Bugs and let them fall really slowly, or use a 2-inch swimming minnow on a 1/16-ounce head. Lots of Crappie are in dock shade this time of year.
Paddlefish
Guides are catching Paddlefish up in the upper end of the lake.
Bridges
Fishing at Honey Creek Bridge should get pretty good, and Bernice Bridge should be really good for Crappie and White Bass through the holiday weekend.
Dealers
Jump down to Littlefield Sporting Goods on Monkey Island and pick up a Toby Keith Fish Lucke red-white-and-blue combo — perfect for the Fourth of July / 250th celebration.
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White Bass
Still really good. Troll, or cast spoons or swimming minnows. They're in their summer pattern, feeding heavily on small shad fry, and you'll see more of them hitting the surface. You might tangle with a Hybrid in the 3- to 10-pound range, and your reel will start talking. Look in the Sweetwater area, on the humps and down around Goat Island. Honey Creek Bridge should get good once the water clears there.
Dinner Spinners / Tie2
It's time for Dinner Spinners. A Tie2 jig ahead of the Dinner Spinner keeps the twist between the spinner and the jig head instead of all the way up your line. It's not 100% bulletproof but makes a big difference, especially with a swivel at the head of the spinner. 1/8- and 1/4-ounce Dinner Spinners reeled across the top when White Bass are surfacing are about as good as it gets. Pair one with a chartreuse-and-white 1/16-ounce Lucky Bug or swimming minnow on the Tie2 head and you'll often catch two at a time. Haydn has used blade baits and slabs on his trips, but he's catching more on Tie2 jigs and swimming minnows than anything else. Ask Trish and Tracy at Littlefield's Bait & Tackle to show you how that Dinner Spinner + Tie2 system sets up.
Catfish
Catfish are wrapping up their spawn. The Fourth of July is when drifting for Blue Cats really starts, as fish come off the spawn. Use cut shad and drift from 30–40 feet up into 10–15 feet, letting the fish tell you where they are. Keep the boat under 0.6 mph on your GPS, especially for big Catfish, which don't like fast drifts.
Bass
A big tournament out of Wolf Creek drew a lot of Bass anglers, and the winner reportedly caught many fish flipping brush.
Lake level
The lake will get muddier than it's been all year because of how much water they're pulling through, and more rain today and tomorrow will push the Neosho, Spring and Elk rivers higher. The watershed is full and everything is running off.
Dealers
Littlefield's for Dinner Spinners and Tie2 jigs; Amazon at Fish Lucke or fishlucke.com if you can't make it down there.
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First responders
Thank GRDA, the first responders around the lake and our veterans.
White Bass
Fishing has been really good. Use 1/4-ounce swimming minnows, or swimming minnows on 1/8- and 1/4-ounce Tie2 jigs, reeled over the tops of islands; you'll catch two at a time. Windy points are good, and when they're running a lot of water around corners like the Shangri-La point, it can be really good. Clearer water is showing up back in the creek arms, and fish will move back there looking for it. Haydn and his guide Luke are catching a lot of White Bass in the main lake, launching from Shangri-La and running anywhere from Sailboat Bridge to Duck Creek. Their pictures are on the Grand Fishing Report Facebook group.
Lake level
They're maintaining generation while pulling water down from the floodgate side. A few more days of rain are coming, and it won't take much to bring the lake back up: the watersheds are full, and the Neosho, Spring and Elk rivers are all running well. The Arkansas River watershed can handle it, since area lakes are up a bit but none are in major flood stage, so the Corps of Engineers should be able to manage the flows.
Below the dam
Great fishing for Hybrids, Catfish, Crappie and White Bass now that they've been running water long enough. Make sure your boat is in really good shape and you know how to handle current. The water is very swift, and if your motor won't start you'll be a couple hundred yards downriver fast. No trolling motor can push back upriver to the ramp at full generation. When they slow the floodgate side down, people catch fish stranded in holes like Little Blue, as they have for decades. There's also great bank fishing below the dam. For Catfish, drift shad across the river down to the bridge, run back up to the cable and repeat. For bait, walk the west side below the dam with a cast net; you can fill a five-gallon bucket with shad.
Dealers
Littlefield's Tackle for a big supply of Fish Lucke products; Grove Walmart also carries them. Tie2 jigs, Jimmy Houston Redman spinnerbaits and the Scrounger are at fishlucke.com or the Fish Lucke Amazon store.
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White Bass
Imagine a river running through the middle of the lake. Fish treat the lake like a river: contour lines and old river and creek channels are travel corridors for all species, and when current is moving, fish relate to key structure because of it. White Bass fishing is really good on underwater islands and humps with current running over them. Use swimming minnows on 1/4-ounce heads, Tie2 jigs (a loop on top and bottom lets you easily tie one jig under another) and minnow-style baits.
Lake level
Outflow seems to be overtaking inflow, so they should scale generation back. Northeast Oklahoma didn't need the rain badly, but much of the state got drought relief. Expect creek arms to get murky, then clear up fast.
Wildlife
Jeff watched a hen turkey with a lot of poults this week, something he hasn't seen in a long time. If they make it past the hailstorms, Northeast Oklahoma could see a bumper crop of turkeys.
Paddlefish
No reports.
Bass
A whopper was caught in a big Bass tournament. Anglers Jeff talked to, including some who stopped by his dock, caught many of their fish on jigs and worms.
Dealers
Fish Lucke Amazon store; thanks also to area dealers carrying Fish Lucke World's Luckiest Tackle.
# Grand Lake Outdoor Report: Next 50 (batch2)
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White Bass
Fishing is on fire for Sand Bass / White Bass. Hot spots include Honey Creek, the islands around Sailboat Bridge, the Bernice area by the bridge, Goat Island, Sweetwater and Vann. Patricia Island and the mouth of Honey Creek at Fifth and Boston should be good too. With wind and current, fish are often shallower; early and late they sit shallow, and mid-day they move out, suspending or sitting on tops of underwater islands. A solid report from Horse Creek past the unfinished bridge: early morning White Bass were tearing up the point between Fly Creek and Horse Creek. Get out early.
Haydn's pattern
Haydn has been using swimming minnows on Tie2 jig heads for a fast reaction bite deep. A quarter-ounce Tie2 on top down to a quarter-ounce regular Fish Lucke head (half an ounce of weight) with 2½-inch swimming minnows, reeled across the bottom. Blade baits and those swimming-minnow setups are working best; he hasn't leaned on Dinner Spinners yet this week.
Bass
Anglers cranking the banks with square-bill crankbaits (including Fish Lucke squarebaits) are catching nice Bass. At The Landings last night, Bass anglers coming in talked about catching fish on those squarebaits while a big school of White Bass surfaced right in the slips and around the gas pumps.
Paddlefish
Some anglers are still catching Paddlefish, targeting them with live scope / forward-facing sonar.
Crappie
Looks like a bumper crop of 9- to 9½-inch Crappie. On brush piles you may catch five to ten 9-inch fish before a keeper. Population feels a little down this year (typical boom-bust), but by late summer those fish should push 10 inches, and by next spring 10½ toward 11. Spawn looked good: water didn't fluctuate crazy after a late cold front, and a lot of Crappie likely stayed on the banks after people gave up on the bank bite.
Dealers
Littlefield Sporting Goods for Toby Keith / Fish Lucke combos, Dinner Spinners, Tie2 jig heads, swimming minnows and Scroungers; Amazon at Fish Lucke; fishlucke.com.
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Lake / clarity
Easing out of muddy water — the lake cleared up surprisingly fast. From Shangri-La north, conditions are in pretty good shape.
White Bass
Really good. Haydn and Luke have sometimes been running two trips a day, two boats a day. Better on days with generation. Clients on Tie2 jig heads — 1/8 oz on top and 1/4 oz on bottom, or 1/16 oz on top and 1/4 oz on bottom — with swimming minnows. Haydn likes thunderstorm color paired with chartreuse/white (lemon pie). Blade baits too. Late May and the first two or three weeks of June are some of the best fishing on the lake when water is clear, right after the river run and before the big shad spawn / surface schools later.
Generation / inflows
Generation slowed; full 24/7 generation off for a while, with maybe intermittent. More rain expected, including up in Kansas. Watershed is full, so Grand, Spring and Elk rivers plus Duck, Lost, Sycamore and Drowning creeks can raise the lake quickly.
Catfish
Bigger blues and channels should be spawning in the rocks now; smaller cats less so this week, then more rock activity after. Target traditional rocky areas and riprap piers (Honey Creek and other chunk-rock points) with bobbers/floats, shrimp, worms or shad.
Dealers / news
Littlefield Sporting Goods loaded with Fish Lucke rods/reels, Tie2 jig heads, Scroungers, swimming minnows, Lucky Bugs and weedless jig heads. Grove Walmart and other Walmarts stocking Fish Lucke. Amazon store. Looking to add Scroungers, Tie2 jig heads and other products to Bass Pro later for 2027.
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White Bass
With generation going, look at points, underwater islands and places current moves through the lake — that stacks White Bass in predictable spots. Back of Honey Creek is in play as patterns settle.
Crappie
Moving into a post-spawn pattern — docks and brush piles, gathering into tighter, bigger groups as they filter back off the spawn. Spawn looked good: some water fluctuation, but once they hit the banks they got through without a huge drawdown or rise.
Safety / Memorial Day
Memorial Day weekend is coming; things get crazy. Reminder: it isn't always the thunderstorm you see coming from a distance — it's the one that grows right over Grand Lake. Even if phone radar is clear, if big cumulus clouds build and darken underneath, get to the bank. Every year around Memorial Day or the Fourth there's a mad rush when storms hit people in a bad spot.
Dining
A couple of good meals at The Landings restaurant — tell them you heard Jeff on the Grand Lake Outdoor Report.
White Bass tip
Get out and troll with kids, folks or friends for White Bass over the holiday weekend.
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White Bass
Jeff fished with Lance — nothing around the Sailboat Bridge islands or Shangri-La, then found White Bass at Honey Creek Bridge with doubles. Swimming minnows, casual pace. Clear water is starting to push out from the back of Honey Creek under the bridge (east to west); if there's no more torrential rain, Honey Creek and Elk River arms should clear up. Haydn has been on the other end — Horse Creek, Sweetwater — with blade baits, swimming minnows and Dinner Spinners for White Bass.
Crappie
Haydn catching most Crappie on minnows. Lots of fish available.
Lake
Fairly stable but murky; water temps around 70°F — late spring / early summer, one of Jeff's favorite windows through the Fourth of July. Fish are aggressive coming off spawn.
Catfish
Feeding up before spawn; big blues start heading to rocks/nests around Memorial Day (maybe a little ahead). Saw anglers on Honey Creek Bridge riprap with bobbers and worms catching a few cats.
Technique
Swimming minnows wanted fast. Tie2 jig heads (loop on top and bottom so you can run two jigs without a loop knot) — Jeff likes 1/16 oz on top and 1/8 or 1/4 oz on bottom. Tip: put a 1/16 oz Tie2 above a Dinner Spinner, rooster tail or other inline spinner / jig-and-spoon to cut line twist.
Dealers
Trish at Littlefield Sporting Goods ordered Toby Keith push-button combos (4'6" micro spin, great for docks), Tie2 jig heads and cable-guard jig heads — delivery Friday. Littlefield's on Monkey Island, Fish Lucke Amazon store, fishlucke.com.
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Weather
A cold front rolled in, but it shouldn't hurt the fishing — you just might not be in shorts and a tank top for a few days. Wind has the lake rough every day.
White Bass
Jeff fished Honey Creek Bridge (fewer fish than expected; water in good shape), then Governor's Island and Danger Point with little to show, then found some at Sweetwater. White Bass were scattered in muddy water — not schooled on the bottom. Quarter-ounce Dinner Spinner in a sunburst-type chartreuse/orange/pearl white, plus Knockout swimming minnows (clear chartreuse with silver flake). Lance on Tie2: 1/16 oz on top, 1/8 oz on bottom. Had to reel high and fast; fish showed on live scope but wouldn't stick. Wind blowing into the rock pile at the old light tower at Sweetwater held fish until another boat spot-locked on top of them — courtesy reminder: ease in on a trolling motor.
Guides
Haydn (Williams Guide Service / fishgrand.com) has been killing Catfish and Paddlefish, plus limits of Crappie and White Bass — out five-plus days a week, sometimes two trips, now running two boats with Luke helping.
Crappie
Starting to see spawned-out fish off the bank; deeper shaded docks ahead.
Tip
In muddy water fish aren't stacked like in clear water — move. Mark McGuire: if you're begging them to bite, you're in the wrong spot.
Dealers
Fish Lucke Amazon store for Dinner Spinners and Tie2 jig heads; fishlucke.com; ask area dealers.
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Lake
Muddy on the upper end down to about the mouth of Drowning and Duck Creek. Farther south, water is stabilizing and clearing a bit, but generators keep pulling the mud line through. Honey, Duck, Drowning and Horse creeks should clear pretty fast — not a catastrophic flood into the backs of the creeks.
Catfish
Good reports; Jeff's been fishing too. Shallow water around Three Fingers, mouth of Elk River and the islands — lots of blues, not many over 10 pounds lately; when current ran around Wilson's Point and in front of Three Fingers it was fantastic. Big blues start spawning about May 20–25 in the rocks. Under rolling gar: dip bait, worms, homemade dough or gar eggs along bluffs — Port Duncan, bluffs between Governor's Island and Shangri-La, Three Fingers. Bobber 3–4 feet deep; stay back for an easy cast; you may hang a gar.
New product
Pushing Grip — American-made grip with a patented nose cone to push into a cat's mouth for landing/cleaning; on the fishlucke.com homepage.
White Bass / Crappie
Looking for post-spawn White Bass and Crappie to get really good in the next week or so in typical early-summer spots. Excited to throw Scrounger, swimming minnows and that killer quarter-ounce Dinner Spinner. Tip: 1/8 oz Tie2 ahead of a 1/4 or 1/8 oz Dinner Spinner to cut line twist; new Dinner Spinners coming in with swivels.
Bass
Post-spawn bank bite should be good. Best fishing stretch from now through about the Fourth of July.
Dealers
fishlucke.com (Pushing Grip on homepage), Amazon, area dealers.
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Lake
High, muddy water — mud line around Shangri-La and a good mud line at the mouth of Honey Creek; backs of Honey Creek starting to clear.
Tournaments
Bassmaster / Bass tournaments on the lake; hard to get those anglers to post in the Grand Fishing Report group, but Jeff shares what he can.
Catfish
Haydn with Williams Guide Service putting the smack down — fresh cut bait from the mouth of Elk River up to the old Geechee Flats / Ten Highway corner. With inflow and GRDA releasing at the dam there's strong current; several limits for clients this week, anchored 3–10 feet, scent pulling down the flats. Blues under about 10 pounds (5–6 ideal) are Jeff's favorite eating size.
Crappie
All over the place — clear south, muddy upper end, water warm enough to spawn. Spawning in new spots and not spawning in usual ones.
White Bass
Coming back down from the river; next week look for main-lake points and structure. By about May 15 White Bass fishing can get crazy with current on corners, points, humps and underwater islands — Patricia Island, Shangri-La, Danger Point, Fifth and Boston, Goat Island, Sweetwater.
Jeff's plan
Clear water at Honey Creek with Tie2 1/16 and 1/8 oz, Lucky Bug on top, swimming minnow on bottom, casting bridge piers.
Paddlefish
Winding down in the lake; still in the river up to Miami with this inflow. When the river drops, snagging should be really good.
Dealers
fishlucke.com, Fish Lucke Amazon, area dealers / Walmart.
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Thanks
99.3 The Bridge, GRDA, area dealers, Fish Lucke / Toby Keith family.
Crappie
Upper lake muddier. Banks holding bigger pods in spots then long dry stretches — fewer bank beaters than usual by mid-April; more Live Scope around docks and nearshore brush. East Shangri-La banks empty of bank-walkers (odd vs last five years). Jeff: 1/16 oz Scrounger + 2½" Lucky Bug (split shot ahead in wind) matched slip-bobber + Lucky Bug; Scrounger as search, then slow with bobber. Fast search: 1/16 oz cable-guard + 2½" swimming minnow.
Cats / whites / Paddlefish
Shallow blues on fresh cut bait. Haydn whites in cove backs/points. Inflow coming (rain Iola–Chanute–Carl Junction–Webb City–Joplin area) — lake been stable aside from one ~1½-foot drawdown; expect some rise and muddier upper end. Paddlefish Twin Bridges up the Neosho — flow dependent. Fish Lucke Amazon / fishlucke.com.
# Grand Lake Outdoor Report: batch3 (2023–2024 back-catalog from Sent mail)
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Thanks
99.3 The Bridge, GRDA, Fish Lucke / Toby Keith family. Bass Pro meetings done; Camping World next; more into Walmart; Academy growing; ask independents for Toby’s Fish Lucke tackle.
Pattern
Bank Crappie afternoons/evenings — bobbers with minnows or jigs, cast-and-reel. Water starting a slow fall — another inflow would stabilize the spawn push. Early April; lower-lake spawn often stretches into May when GRDA must bring the lake to 744. Prefer a steady last three weeks of April.
Bass / search
Quarter-ounce Scrounger + 3½" Live Motion minnow Whiskey Minnow (pearl belly, light brown back) deeper south end. Jeff this week: 1/16 oz Scrounger + 2½" Lucky Bug slow off the bank (longer in the zone than a swimming minnow). Tie2 and cable-guard only going forward — no more plain heads; great for soft bait above a crank or Dinner Spinner.
Other
Paddlefish snagged at Miami / Neosho; whites spawning and dropping out of rivers soon; blues ≤10 feet on fresh cut bait. Lucky Cat coming.
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Radio
Excited about the partnership with new ownership at 99.3 The Bridge; report may circulate on their digital media and grandfishingreport.com.
Weather / spawn
Decent weekend ahead with a couple of warm days leading in. Upper lake from Three Fingers up into Spring River and Miami could see some spawning Crappie evenings on a smaller scale.
White Bass / rivers
Tons of reports in the Grand Fishing Report Facebook group — lots of White Bass up the rivers, mainly Spring River (more accessible, better ramps, usually clearer). Crappie push up there too — riffle edges, current seams and eddies.
Bass
Good reports; tight-lipped on baits. Pictures of STX jerkbaits (American-made Fish Lucke, Rick Clunn design) with nice Bass in backs of coves.
Haydn
Some Crappie on Lucky Bugs from Patricia Island north; mostly Paddlefish trips — lots of demand.
Jeff's plan
Champion back out; big schools of Crappie on the south end if it's not too rough, or Elk River coves for spawning Crappie. Favorite bank-spawn rig has switched to Scrounger — 1/8 or 1/16 oz with a 2" or 2½" Lucky Bug — slow, something fish haven't seen. Swimming minnow still better for searching (farther cast, faster). Watch Fish Lucke YouTube / Facebook for last year's videos.
Dealers
Walmart, Amazon, area dealers, fishlucke.com.
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Radio
Outdoor Report back after a gap — new 99.3 The Bridge owner Howie keeping and expanding it. History with Howie: Lee Jefferies, Ivan Martin, Guides Association, grandfishingreport.com Facebook. Thanks GRDA, dealers, VIP Day Spa (Patricia, Monkey Island), Owen (window cleaning / power shades), Williams Guide Service.
Water
Cold rain then 70s/30s/80s swings; enough inflow to mud upper lake — mud line at mouth of Honey Creek (stays unless hard west wind pushes it in). Kansas/Missouri mud via Neosho/Spring — still fishable.
Rivers
Swimming minnows, Lucky Bugs, Scrounger + Lucky Bug, crankbaits, Tie2 and cable-guard heads popular for whites and Crappie.
Main lake
Haydn Paddlefish above Sailboat; Crappie trips Sailboat–Shangri-La roaming coves pre-spawn on Live Scope — Desert Hero Lucky Bug on ⅛ oz white/pink (often 2"; Jeff prefers 2½" on ⅛, sometimes bites the tip shorter). Blues still shallow ≤10 feet on flats/island points — Mark Maguire: if you’re begging them, move. Bass boats out; little posted. Below-dam bite building with generation.
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Season
Heading into peak angling March through about early August — tournaments, Welcome Back Weekend, Crappie spawn, then White Bass back from the rivers. Mid-May through June post-spawn is one of Jeff's favorite times if water isn't high and muddy.
Ponds tip
Local ponds warm faster than the lake — Crappie and Bass may already be spawning or close (often 2–3+ weeks ahead of the lake). Try a 2½" Knockout swimming minnow on 1/8 oz Fish Lucke head (pink-and-white favorite for spawning Crappie; 1/16 oz if very shallow). Don't forget the Scrounger: 1/8 oz with 2½" Lucky Bug is Jeff's most fun bank-spawn Crappie bait — plastic bill keeps it from sinking fast into rocks. Scrounger is Fish Lucke's top seller (mainly Bass sizes); for Bass, Live Motion minnows on 1/4 oz (3½") up to 1/2 oz (5").
Lake level
Grand Lake around 744 with full generation at the dam. Continued inflows should bring White Bass below the dam — a favorite bank/boat spot.
Rivers / Miami
Haven't been to Spring and Neosho at Twin Bridges; generation should pull clearer water back into them. Reports of boats around Miami — Tar Creek and Elm Creek — catching fish (Crappie or White Bass unclear). Above Miami gets muddy/currenty; jet boat helps. Spring River more forgiving but gravelly shoals above Ten Sea Highway. Peak White Bass in both rivers from now to mid-April. Tie2: 1/8 oz bottom, 1/16 oz top, Lucky Bug / swimming minnow mix. Main-lake schooling Crappie: same Tie2 combo, maybe Desert Hero Lucky Bug on bottom and thunderstorm on top.
Tournaments / community
Bass tournaments ongoing — share in the Grand Fishing Report Facebook group. Thanks GRDA and KGVE in Grove for decades of the report.
Dealers
Scrounger, Lucky Bug, Jimmy Houston Redman spinnerbait, Toby Keith Bass kit — fishlucke.com, Grove Walmart, Fish Lucke Amazon, area dealers.
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Weather
Great weekend ahead; lake temps higher than historical. Warm stretch into the 60s–70s, maybe pushing 80, then the usual risk of a nasty cold snap right when fish want the bank — can stagger the spawn over weeks/months, which may help the population.
Crappie
Plenty of small fish; bigger ones harder than the last few years. 2019 flood-year class still producing those 13–15 inch fish.
Rivers / Twin Bridges
Warm weather will pack Twin Bridges. Clear water and low inflow means White Bass and Crappie stacking in deeper holes and moving day to day. Spring River past Ten Sea Highway into shallower riffles; look shallow if they're not in the holes. Jeff's pick: 2½" swimming minnow on 1/4 oz, or Tie2 1/16 top / 1/8 bottom — chartreuse-and-white Lucky Bug on top with chartreuse-and-black swimming minnow on bottom, or Blue Moon over thunderstorm. Chartreuse/white, blue/chartreuse, pumpkin/chartreuse, clear chartreuse with glitter are hard to go wrong with.
Paddlefish
Best from Shangri-La north; with this warm weather, mouth of Elk River up to Twin Bridges.
Catfish
Look shallow 2–10 feet. Testing Lucky Cat products; new Pushing Grip coming — USA-made original fish-grip design with a push point for lockjaw cats, red/white/blue (red body, blue cord, white ball), flared handle. Ask dealers; tell them Toby Keith sent you.
Dealers
Fish Lucke Amazon, fishlucke.com, area dealers for the Pushing Grip.
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Location
Live from Spring River testing new Fish Lucke Tie2 jig heads and rods. About six to eight boats around; water temp 48–49°F — warmer than expected; fishing should pick up in a couple weeks. Not far below Ten Sea Bridge; clear water.
White Bass
Scattered, not stacked. Haydn: 2" thunderstorm swimming minnow on 1/8 oz Tie2, drop another 1/8 oz with Lucky Bug. Jeff same — Lucky Bug ahead of swimming minnow. Thunderstorm looks like shad in clear water; if the river muddies after rain, go brighter (chartreuse). Keep moving on the trolling motor; schools that want it hit the first cast.
Gear
First outing with the Toby Keith push-button spin-cast — casts well with 6 lb braid; combos come pre-spooled with strong mono. White braid samples in the works.
Paddlefish (Haydn)
Last week Sailboat Bridge to Patricia Island, 50–60 feet, trolling; good trips. Cats for fun afterward — blues in 4 feet on a warm afternoon; also still drifting 50–60 feet. Warm-ups move them shallow fast.
Lucky Cat
Still testing samples; full assortment coming.
Dealers
Area dealers, Walmart, Fish Lucke Amazon, fishlucke.com — ask for Tie2 jig heads.
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Personal
Windshield broke on the F-250 (rocks on the roads); recording from the dealer. Nasty cold front; some reports of thermal-shock shad — severity unclear. Pulling the Champion home; western Oklahoma this weekend, hoping to fish early next week.
Plan — Twin Bridges / Neosho
Clear water — pitch swimming minnows and Lucky Bugs, two at a time. Tie2 (loops top and bottom, no loop knots) and cable-guard jig heads (single strand — less hang-up than a full brush guard without as many missed fish if you fish slow). Look flats a few miles above Twin Bridges for shallow Sand Bass, or channel edges. Crappie should be showing more at Twin Bridges now (earlier winter clearer for whites than Crappie).
Haydn / Paddlefish
Lots of happy clients; fish in mid-channel with Dipsy Divers and controlled drift. New enclosure on the front of the boat for cold days — pops still nervous but he's licensed and insured. Colder/clearer packs fish in big schools.
South end Crappie
Dam toward Goat Island, old Jerry Croft spots — cast into suspended schools. Fickle south end: 2" swimming minnow + 2" Lucky Bug, or 2½" swimming minnow + 2" Lucky Bug. Upper lake murkier/more aggressive: 2½" + 2½". Casting/retrieving: cable guard on bottom, Tie2 above. Favorite colors: chartreuse-and-white, chartreuse-and-brown pumpkin; Jerry liked black-and-chartreuse.
Catfish
May be slow with thermal-shock shad giving free food.
Dealers
Fish Lucke Amazon, fishlucke.com, area dealers, Grove Walmart. Toby Keith launched the company with Jeff in 2023.
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Weather
Cold nasty wind week; more cold this weekend, possible warm-up mid–late next week. Twin Bridges freeze status unknown. East of Shangri-La — some gulls on shad but thermal shock milder than feared; another 2–3 cold-wind days could worsen it. Few pleasure boats; Haydn filling nights with thermal coyote/hog hunts.
Twin Bridges (if open)
Fire — cast swimming minnows into brush for Crappie; whites/Hybrids in Neosho or Spring. Chartreuse/white 2½" on ¼ oz (Jeff likes pink/white ¼ oz head); Live Scope pitch: ⅛ oz pink/white + Lucky Bug Desert Hero or Moonshine. No docks upriver — fish lock on brush; current hides them in wood, slack parks them around/on/above it.
Jigheads
Cable-guard (1/16–¼ oz) clears ~80% of snags yet drops for the hookset. New Tie2 — main-line eye + bottom dropper loop (daisy-chainable); keeps line strength vs loop knots. Typical: braid to top, 12–16" mono dropper; 1/16 over ⅛, or ⅛ over ¼ for deep south-end schools in 25–30 feet. Also works as a small jig ahead of a Dinner Spinner or crankbait. Ask dealers; fishlucke.com; Grove Walmart + Amazon + building Walmart.com.
Elsewhere
Paddlefish Shangri-La to Three Fingers / mouth of Elk on controlled Dipsy pulls. Cats — some shallow reports, some deep. Shangri-La–dam: dark marina/private docks with 1/16 oz + 2" Lucky Bug.
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Thanks
GRDA (clean water, breakdowns/emergencies) and area dealers.
Weather
Nasty weekend cold — last week already cooled water; near/below-zero nights + wind + possible snow/sleet/ice could freeze Twin Bridges and trigger lake-wide thermal shad shock. Hard north wind dumps heat fast. Expect floating/dying shad next week; great bite during the kill, then tougher cats and Crappie once fish are full. Thick ice under continued sub-30 days / near-zero nights would shut upper-end fishing a while; slight warm-up late next week (40s highs) but nights still freezing reinforce ice. Mild fall/winter bill coming due late January.
Hunting wrap
Strong deer season — nice bucks, solid antlerless participation protecting native browse (crops ~30% of diet). Target ~1:2–1:3 buck:doe. Quail pockets still cycle hard; rabbits/squirrels/furbearers underused; waterfowl may concentrate on open water if big water freezes (Owen said duck season roughly through end of January — check dates).
Tackle
Fish Lucke Amazon — Tie2 heads, Dinner Spinners, soft plastics, Jimmy Houston Redman, Scroungers, Live Motion minnows, Toby Keith combos including 4'6" micro-spin dock rod.
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Thanks
KGVE, GRDA, Fish Lucke, Williams Guide Service, Grand Glass Cleaning, VIP Skincare on Grand Lake. Long Outdoor Report lineage (Lee Jefferies, Ivan Martin, Tony Cotney…).
Catfish
Mostly deep, but warm-up pushed some blues shallow — cut bait in ≤10 feet worked (Haydn’s trip too). Still drift deep or anchor ledges. Keep boat 0.4–0.6 mph. Leave the hook point exposed — circle hooks need a clear tip; crowded bait/gap misses hard-mouthed big blues.
Crappie
Twin Bridges brush in Spring/Neosho + bridge piers — swimming minnows and Lucky Bugs. Tie2 heads 1/16–¼ oz multi-color. Spring River: 2½" on ⅛ oz Lucky Bug; casting/dragging brush go ¼ oz + 2½" swimming minnow; cable-guard weedless heads for snags. Main lake: dark docks deep midday, shallower evenings — clear water 1/16 oz + 2" Thunderstorm; muddy upper ⅛ oz + 2½" Desert Hero or Moonshine. Hold still / slow reel / slight twitch — don’t overwork the jig.
Outlook
Hard cold front weekend could start a thermal shad shock early next week (water still warm). Paddlefish mid-lake up to Sailboat. Kentucky Bass on small jigs offshore deep ledges/drop-offs.
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