Sooner Lake?

I've been told by some locals that it use to be a great place for crappie but not any more. Lots of different opinions but I'm curious what your thoughts are. Lots of lakes with predatory fish have good crappie populations but that seems to be the most common opinion(saugeye, blues, hybrids, and stripers eat them). It doesn't get much pressure at all from crappie fisherman so it's not over fished. There seems to be decent amount of cover. Do crappie hang out in the grass and hydrilla beds? Is it a shad issue? I know it's an OG&E lake but does the wildlife department stock it or do anything with it at all?

I retired from OGE/Sooner Power plant a little over a year ago.
I fished the discharge area almost daily for 16 years. Never caught or saw a crappie caught in that area.
In the main lake I have heard of some crappie caught, but most are there for hybrid and black bass. The ODW stocks hybrids and Florida strain bass.
There is a good population of big blue cat as well.
Sooners problem is with zebra mussles and white perch.
The lake has no natural inflow. It's filled from the Arkansas River by huge pumps that may not run for years, so there is not any nutrients coming into the lake to feed the plankton that shad and small bait fish feed on. Some of the hybrids and stripers I've caught look like they are starving. Bellies sunk in, skinny, etc.
In the spring and summer, crappie are caught in the tunnels that run under the highway, on hwy 77 and hwy 18 headed to Pawnee. Your right, it doesn't have much fishing pressure for crappie.
It may be a hidden treasure for crappie, or it may not get fished for crappie for a reason.
With all the high water in area lakes, it may be an option to consider.

I have fished Sooner for crappie in the past, but last couple of years has been tough. Like Dennis said, the tunnels along Hwy 18 and 177 were always good. Early spring using jigs always seemed to catch fish. Now, it's hard to get bit for crappie. I think the bigger fish are feeding on the fry and the population is way down. Do most of my fishing at Kaw these days.

I've not spent a ton of time on the lake but haven't seen many shad and have been told that there are very few there. Is that the nutrient tie in you are talking about Dennis? No nutrients so no plankton so no shad? Hasn't the largemouth record been broken 3 times in the last couple of years? Maybe they are eating all the crappie?
Just seems weird that a lake that has had crappie in the past, has very little water level fluctuations to effect spawn, and very little fishing pressure, can't keep a good population of crappie but can grow big largemouth, stripers, and huge blues.

The food chain for shad is being interrupted by the zebra mussel. They dine on phytoplankton, by filtering up to a liter of water through each mussel. Phytoplankton is the main diet for zooplankton.
Zooplankton is what the shad feed on, so overall, the shad population can't expand because there is not enough food to go around.
The white perch primary food is sand bass fry, but a school of crappie fry is just as good. The white perch population is really growing, and they have few natural predators because of the needle sharp spines in their back that don't lay down.

I have fished sooner lake since moving here in 1986 with my dad caught nice hybrids in the discharge.crappie fishing is tough there did fair in 2012 nothing since 2014 this year was tough.

Lots of huge drum, they kinda fish like crappie and look like em if ya squint real hard. What about the Ponka city lake? I know it used to be good for crappie.

It was a heck of a crappie lake for years, but that was years ago. All said above, I believe to be true. Shad population drop really hurt. We have caught 125-150 white perch in a trip, and early part of the year they will be full of crappie fry. I have been busy with two jobs so we haven't hit the white perch, and they are easy to catch/good to eat. Go north to Crappie point, from there south about a mile on the east side. Find 20-35 ft depth. Trolling motor and look for solid fish on bottom 2'. Slab spoon a 7/8 chrome bomber, and you will kill them. Have 15 lb line and hold on. The occasional large drum, or big small mouth buffalo will get your heart pumping.

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Originally Posted by Fishers

Lots of huge drum, they kinda fish like crappie and look like em if ya squint real hard. What about the Ponka city lake? I know it used to be good for crappie.

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Ponca lake is good for 6-8" crappie. You get an occasional 10". So many docks with people fishing off them, and they take everything home.
I'm wondering about the Pawhuska city lake, or bluestem. I'd hook a decent crappie every so often in the city lake when they stocked trout in there.
Haven't fished bluestem since the 80's so I don't have a clue about that lake.

I have been wanting to try cor hybrids at sooner lake. I live in norman and have a decent boat with lowrance hd7 and more sophisticated trolling motor than i really need, but would love to check out the lake with someone who knows it!
Any offers?

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Originally Posted by Cadoll

I have been wanting to try cor hybrids at sooner lake. I live in norman and have a decent boat with lowrance hd7 and more sophisticated trolling motor than i really need, but would love to check out the lake with someone who knows it!
Any offers?

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I worked in the Power Plant for 16 years. I Know the lake fairly well. Let me know what you want to do.

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Originally Posted by dennishoddy

I worked in the Power Plant for 16 years. I Know the lake fairly well. Let me know what you want to do.

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Thinking of taking boat up next week. Looking for perch for live bait down lines.

Most of the hybrids will be schooling on main lake humps in the summer. Chasing shad schools early morning and late afternoon/evening

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Originally Posted by dennishoddy

Most of the hybrids will be schooling on main lake humps in the summer. Chasing shad schools early morning and late afternoon/evening

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Made the trip to sooner today. Fished 7 hrs. Started out fairly well.
got into some hybrids and saugeye early, but wind came up and it made finding fish a bit harder. Ended with 10.

this was my first trip to sooner and more of a get to know the lake trip more than anything else, though it was quite enjoyable for several hrs. Before the wind came up.

Will return soon. Will be trying Carl Blackwell for hybrids as well since both are a tolerable drive from norman.

if I would have remembered to take night crawlers we do think we could have put more saugeye in the boat.

Bonus fish

Yeah, there are some huge bass in that lake.
Congrats on a good day!
That lake can get tough in the wind. Dangerous actually.

Nice report on a good initial trip Cadoll. We're the Saugeyes good sized?

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Originally Posted by Crappie ciller

Nice report on a good initial trip Cadoll. We're the Saugeyes good sized?

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Had a couple keepers, but were wishing we had brought worms though!
sorry it took so long for reply.

looking for a fishing buddy to fish sooner or Carl Blackwell!

Past two trips to Sooner, 7/31 and 8/3. About all I do is troll. No sign of crappie or bass. Tons of white perch in decent eating size. Lots of undersized saugeye (anyone catching legal ones. So far I am just trolling from the power lines to where the lake opens up along the points on the east side. Way too much hydrilla in water any less than 15' deep. Almost no white bass (sand bass). I do like the ramp and the loading pier, although it would be nice if they were together. Not busy during the week.

Also my little bass cat if you see me on the water, say hi.

Nice catch! Probably not seeing sand bass because of the white perch. From what I've read about white perch, their primary diet is sand bass fry.

We have cut the white perch open and they were full of crappie fry. They are eating machines. We have caught they with ghosted lines of the sandy, and have read that they will cross.:( In the area you are hitting, go to 17-30 fow, and watch your graph for the bottom two feet to be solid. Drop down and slab spoon, and you will slay them. Good eating. Larger saugeyes are hard to come by, they will often be in one spot if you can find them. Lot of times a small depression.

Really full of crappie fry that sucks
.I miss them real sooner slabs