Why do our Lakes turn on and off???

As a guide for the last 12 years I still do not know the answer to this question. For the last 3 years I have picked up 5 more lakes to guide other than Eufaula and the technology has allowed me to go to any body of water and find fish very quickly. Now Im interested in the theories some of you have answering this question. I think the number 1 theory I have is the "Strength in numbers". If I went through the list of our most popular lakes right now hers what I know:
Lake Eufaula: Fair
Lake Ft Gibson: Bad
Lake Tenkiller: Fair
Lake Oologah: Excellent (On fire)
Lake Kaw: Excellent (On fire)
Lake Wister: Good
Lake Hugo: Good
Lake Kerr: Fair

Now this is based on reports that I have read and heard about from reliable fisherman. Correct me if Im wrong about a lake right now. Please chim in on answering this question.Love to hear the theories EB

I don't know. Last winter Carl Blackwell was on major fire. This winter nope.

I think the numbers play a big issue and water level this yr on Eufaula I have fished this lake for 40 yrs always been able to find and catch fish from fall to early summer the rest of the yr I'm at a loss after visiting with you a few weeks ago I'm convinced that I need to upgrade electronics to extend my season but don't know much about them and when I do would like to get the most bang for my buck on cheap if that's possible, that being said I think the repot on Eufaula will improve in the next couple wks with warmer weather more folks be getting on the water.

I think the numbers has much to do with it, lets say we have a bad spawn 1 year and then maybe a bad spawn the next, then we have a huge gap in the size of fish we catch and keep. Most of us keep fish around the 10 inches and bigger. If a lake misses 2 years we notice. As for other species of fish like catfish we dont notice as much because the life spans are diffrent. A good example of this is Lake Oologah they are catching lots of fish around 10 inches there right now. Odie and I agree that they had a fantastic spawn 2-3 years ago. I know other factors to consider like water level plays a huge roll. Most really good crappie lakes have good tributaries in them. Like Lake Wister (what a fishery). As for Eufaula I break it up into 5 sections because it is so big, its like 5 20,000 acre lakes. EB

Will be watching this, so I can learn something.

I certainly think the numbers do play a part. I don't have a clue so hoping to hear some logical ideas that will help me.

I can give one bit of input. On Xkiller last winter we were fishing 37 degree water for a lot of the winter and the fish were really schooled up. This year the coldest I have seen it is 44 degrees and the fishing hasn't been as good as it was last year. I know those colder temps relate to Kaw and Oologah also.

We definatly consider you an "expert" on Tenkiller for sure Redge. Do you think that's why Tenkiller wasnt as good this february?

I think spawn numbers has alot to do with it. Plus the ''hotspots'' dont repopulate as well from the lack of numbers. Think about what our hotspots were 5 or 6 years ago compared to now. Remember how the triangle did last year. For some reason the areas dont repopulate so it has got to be from numbers.
Andy

Its just my theory, but having fished Kaw lake since it was impounded in 1976, I have a feel for why its on fire now, and has been for the last 3 years.
Its water levels during spawning season.
Since Kaw is the first dam on the Arkansas River, it takes the brunt of the runoff from The snow melt in Colorado, rain in Kansas and Northern Ok., buffering the water fluctuations for the down stream lakes.
I can't remember a single spring that the lake levels didn't go up during the spawn 10-20 feet at times, only to be drawn down a foot a day depending on how many gates are open.
Since the drought started 5 years ago, water levels have remained stable during the spawn. Not only crappie but bass which need real stable water levels to spawn have benefitted. Bass tourneys back 10 years ago were won with two or three fish weighing a max of 3 lbs. Now they are catching limits of 5 fish with 20# stringer weights at times.
For years, we never caught small crappie. Just about everything was a slab. Now with the stable water levels, 4-6" crappie are being caught in big numbers.

So, using those anecdotal observations, that is why I think Kaw is loaded with crappie, and just getting better.

SHAD POPULATION

I have limited exposure but I will give my feedback from my experience. I only fish on Eufaula at our dock in Arrowhead Estates and I only fish with minnows. Last winter I fished from Dec - March on the same pound of minnows and caught very few crappie. This year I finally changed out the 3yr old c-trees back in January and I have seen a large improvement in the number of crappie that I've caught. I've also had to buy more minnows this year -- well worth it based on the number of fish I've caught.

EB I am not sure, hopefully Mark will chime in with his 30 years experience and give us a hint. Mark and Charlie have fished Killer forever, I am still a newbie. I am seeing the same amount of shad year to year. I mean 20' to 30' thickness of shad in the lake, seems about the same as last year. The water temp is the only thing I have been able to put my finger on, as far as a real difference, between this year and last.

The only thing i can see different with all the lakes listed, is, you guys have not invited me down to help with your Blue population! :) I try to keep them beat back on these other two lakes single handily! I had to work through Artic temps last week to keep up!

Ledge anytime your ready to come load your boat, at killer, with those slimey fish let me know!!

A Pennsylvania Biologist wrote, "White Crappie populations can fluctuate. During a good year, when spawning and food conditions are right, many White Crappies survive. This brood dominates the population for several years until the spawn of another good year can survive and become the next dominant year-class. Then the pattern repeats. This explains why anglers catch large crappies for several years and then almost none or only small fish."

Welp......Let me start off by saying 9 years ago I was surprisingly blessed with a baby girl (after 2 boys), so I'm thinkin maybe I can analyze a woman from birth so I may can better understand a woman and why they are the way they are, so after 9 years of analysis I've come to the realization that I'm only twiced confused. So I have taken 25 years of marriage to the water, as through my experience I have learned that as a fisherman I'm always fired up and ready but my hole may not be as willing to give it up (usually due to the fact of me not doing something right) but you can almost guarantee somewhere out there one is willing to pay off, so it all basically boils down to at what extent are you willing togo to turn one on...... maybe that'll shed some light on the subject........JMHO.......

Dreamcatcher- never drink to excess before you post- it doesn't turn out well........

Water temp seems to be a little above normal fish not schooled spread out catching good numbers nail slab draggers

Nail slab staggers referring to eufaula fish

As far as Killer it's my heart felt feeling the lack of catching is certainly due to water temps and population. Yes Charlie and I have been fishing this beautiful lake for over 30years. During the glory days back in the 70's and 80's if didn't matter what, where, how, or when you caught your limit of really quality fish. It didn't matter what your bait was it worked. After numberous spring spawns with really high water levels had certainly put a damper on populations on this lake. Another is water pollution for this lake. Back in the day it was very stable and clean now you can see the black fertilizer floating on the water most of the time after even a slight amount of rain. One more thing I can't stress enough is structure. Our lakes are getting old and so are we and it has dwindled away some. I know a lot of standing timber I use to fish with limbs is now just a stump without limbs due to a very low water level several years ago. We and I am as guilty as everyone need to replenish the natural wood in our lakes by building piles on every trip.
When you talk about Eufaua well it's silting in. Places I fished just a few years ago and caught numbers of fish you can't even get to today. Drought also plays a big roll along with water levels as well on the gentle giant. But I totally believe it's all about structure and water temps on all these lakes. It hasn't been cold enough as far as water temps to push our fish into a full blown winter pattern. They are scattered and haven't schooled up like in a normal winter time pattern. One more thing I have thought about and often worried about that will change the ecosystem of our waters is the Zebra Mussel and don't let anyone tell you we don't have them cause we do and in large numbers. They suck up all the plankton that our bait fish need to survive. Just something to think about. Enough rambling for now. But I can't stress enough guys is you have to build structure on any body of water you fish to be successful.
Tight Lines
Ranger

I believe Cold fronts play a role in day to day fishing. I have fished on the front side and during a cold front coming in and smoked them but after the front came in it all but stopped.

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Originally Posted by Crappie ciller

Dreamcatcher- never drink to excess before you post- it doesn't turn out well........

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LOL......just a little humorous comparison.....all pun intended......

Seems the colder the better up here In my opinion as well.

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Originally Posted by Redge

Will be watching this, so I can learn something.

I certainly think the numbers do play a part. I don't have a clue so hoping to hear some logical ideas that will help me.

I can give one bit of input. On Xkiller last winter we were fishing 37 degree water for a lot of the winter and the fish were really schooled up. This year the coldest I have seen it is 44 degrees and the fishing hasn't been as good as it was last year. I know those colder temps relate to Kaw and Oologah also.

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At Carl Blackwell, a number of guys have brought their electronics and noted that there were plenty of crappie and large balls of shad, even though the bites were few and far between. Nearly every fish I've cleaned has been full of shad, sometimes with tails sticking out of their mouths. Why they hit the jig when they are stuffed to the gills is a bit of a mystery. Is it possible that the slow bite at CB is because those fish have so many shad to eat that they just aren't hungry?

Crappie season about to bust wide open Attachment 193630 Caught last week (eufaula)

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Originally Posted by Bigskyfisherman

At Carl Blackwell, a number of guys have brought their electronics and noted that there were plenty of crappie and large balls of shad, even though the bites were few and far between. Nearly every fish I've cleaned has been full of shad, sometimes with tails sticking out of their mouths. Why they hit the jig when they are stuffed to the gills is a bit of a mystery. Is it possible that the slow bite at CB is because those fish have so many shad to eat that they just aren't hungry?

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What we have seen last 2 years

Lots of great answers guys

I do agree with Mark on the zebra mussell issue....the north end stays clearer than it ever has and yes they are everywhere....last year on the big E we saw more shad than I have ever seen around I40 bridge and they were always there....we would spider rig the rip rap and not do anything like we used to EB....the bait fish were there, the water temp and depth was the same but the fish werent....but when we found them in the new spot they would seem to repopulate that area after fishing it....but our old spots the fish just didnt seem to be there.

Andy

PS....remember "Crappie are gonna do what they wanna do when they wanna do it" and we have to adjust to that

I have been fishing tenkiller intermittently for 40 years since we have a place there.....making the trip 3-4 times a year now from Denver. It seems the sand bass populations are even more prevalent than they used to be. Those schools can be huge and hit everything in their paths and I certainly wouldn't be suprised if they also take out every small crappie in their path making repopulation tough. In the early 2000s for quite a few years the spawing season was just flooding season for the lake so that didn't help either. This past year I have seen more small crappie caught which is a good sign of what's to come.
I spoke with Dept of Wildlife 5 yrs ago to see if they would consider adding wipers as a sport fish and maybe make a dent in the sand bass population. They said they had tried and didn't take. Pretty simple answer that I find hard to believe unless they only stock frys which the sandbass would clean out in a hurry. They didn't seem overly interested in the discussion...govt...don't get me started.
Lastly, I've fished Canada quite a few times and the guide services say that lakes just vary as to the dominant predators such as as really good smallmouth lakes aren't typically great walleye lakes.
So, my take is that on this lake in particular as long as the sand bass gang trolls in big numbers the other species will play small roles. The Shad population isn't hurting in the lake at all. We use to try to find shad balls on the finder to find any kind of fish to catch...nowadays those balls are huge and everywhere. Ok, enough rambling with my $.02 worth.

I know the spring/summer of 2013 and 2014 were really wet compared to previous years where it was a drought. During the spawn and throughout the summerin the drought years I was killing them on T-Bird but the last 2 years not so much. I figured the fluctuation of lake levels due to massive amounts of rain during the spawn crapped it out the rest of the season. But on the flip side of that coin Oolagah lake levels were crazy because of these last 2 wet seasons but yet the lake is on fire now. I can't call it. Hope for a better year in 2015.

Denvervet talked about the sand bass having a bad effect on our crappie. I would like to recommend a sand bass threat on crappie.com to help thin out the predictor fish and help save our crappie. A lot of fishermen would like to get into the Sand bass spawn and summertime top water schooling.

I think it all boils down to consecutive years of good spawns, We have had a couple of wet years up here as well but that doesnt always mean that the lake is fluctuating, rains were spread enough as to not get alot of runoff, Kaw hasnt flooded in a few years and if I recall correctly, and the lake hasnt fluctuated more than a couple feet during spawn in the same time, thus GOOD #s of fish. Im not counting the drop in levels to plant and flood the millet for the Duck hunters.

dstreet, we all pretty much agree on the strength in numbers. Its pretty awesome the numbers of fish being caught on Kaw, Oologah, and Grand. EB

What can play a big part in less crappie is the crappie hogs that catch and clean a whole school of crappie just because they can!!!!! I have been fishing for about 50 years and two things play a big part in less crappie. No 1 the huge increase in the number of fishermen and #2 our new fish finders and equipment have improved and the addition of GPS has greatly improved our fish catching ability.

Go fishing and enjoy the day and quit bragging that you limited out with 37 fish or 74 or 111 or 148 fish in one fishing trip!

I can say this as believe it to be true and I'm not running for any office.

Crappie are prolific breeders. They can quickly out number their food source, especially in smaller waters. I've never seen any fish biologist advocate catch and release for crappie.

As big as kaw is, there are truely 5-10 people that fish the lake on a regular basis during the winter season. I've been the only person on the entire lake many times during the week days. I just can't see with the numbers of fish that show up on locators that anybody could even make a dent in the crappie population.
Just my honest opinion. Not trying to be contentious.

Dennishoddy I do not know anything about Kaw lake. But look what has happened to the following lake in Oklahoma which I have fished and now have 10" size limit and you can only keep 15 fish. Grand, Hudson, Ft Gibson, Claremore Lake and Tenkiller plus other lakes I have not fished. If this doesn't not prove the case I do not know what it will take. Some of these lakes you can not fill the 15 fish limit.

I used to be a quail hunter and did not shot any quail if their were less than 10 remaining birds in covey. You have to have breeding stock if you want a new crop next year!!!!

l
a
k

Two main reasons first fishing pressure water temp.and weather we live in oklahoma not kansas but the kansas guy differ its all about timing.i got canton kaw and sooner figured out bigg slabs on the way.

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Originally Posted by minnowtime

What can play a big part in less crappie is the crappie hogs that catch and clean a whole school of crappie just because they can!!!!! I have been fishing for about 50 years and two things play a big part in less crappie. No 1 the huge increase in the number of fishermen and #2 our new fish finders and equipment have improved and the addition of GPS has greatly improved our fish catching ability.

Go fishing and enjoy the day and quit bragging that you limited out with 37 fish or 74 or 111 or 148 fish in one fishing trip!

I can say this as believe it to be true and I'm not running for any office.

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Hit the nail on the head! My thoughts exactly!

Cormorants take more fish than the fishermen. Of course, they take crappie, shad, sandies, just about everything. And each one eats 1-3 pounds of fish per day. Some "experts say they can eat 5#s per day. Even at 1#, you put 1000-10,000 (The Oklahoman one time had a headline that there were 9000 cormorants on Lake Hefner) cormorants on a lake, that's .5 to 5 tons of fish per day. Yet PETA got them on the endangered species list.

I don't agree that over fishing is the issue. Grand is the lake I grew up on and there was a time that it was a fantastic crappie lake. Several years in a row of terrible water fluctuations(Some of that is on GRDA and some on the weather) hurt the spawn a LOT. There aren't enough guys that consistently catch limits to have a real big effect on it.