Good Fishing at Hefner 2016

Got out the old float tube yesterday and hit Hefner. Crappie and sandies were both very active. Got them from 25-40 feet and all of them were just off the bottom. Used BG albino shad under a green/white/white hair jig and got 3 sandies and 5 crappie. Switched to a 1/32 orange/peacock herl/pheasant tail over a 1/16 G-Daddy Thunder Dan. It was non-stop hits until I left after sunset.
I have been tube fishing during the winter since the 80's, even when I had to break ice in order to get to open water. And yes, float tubing with these water temps does require numerous relief trips ashore (or a plastic bottle that will fit inside the waders).
The wife may be right about me getting older. Nearly every time I get out, there are young folks asking me if I need help.

OK so you are the guy I heard float tube Hefner in the winter be careful.a lot of boaters there
Anyways good luck

I've seen Big Sky in his float in January in Northern Mo. He is too tough for me.:fish

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Originally Posted by Crappiekey6

OK so you are the guy I heard float tube Hefner in the winter be careful.a lot of boaters there
Anyways good luck

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That's me. And I appreciate the boaters. The other day, one boat had marked two piles with buoys. Naturally, since this was my first time out in the tube this winter, I headed right for the one they weren't fishing. As they moved over toward me, I thanked them for marking the pile for me. I detected a slight bit of grumpiness from them, until they recognized me and realized I was looking for a rise (we are good friends). Turned out, the fish were scattered everywhere, and all were at the bottom.
Get your tube, send me a pm, and we'll do some "real man" fishing.

I think float tube fishing in January calls for a little more information SkyKing. Like how in the heck you keep from freezing!

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Originally Posted by Crappie ciller

I think float tube fishing in January calls for a little more information SkyKing. Like how in the heck you keep from freezing!

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You don't. But you'll be OK if you have a good wife to thaw you out and provide some hot chocolate when you drift to shore. Actually, special socks, Under Armour, and lots of fleece help, and I very seldom get too cold. The worst problem is what happens to the kidneys when you are floating in cold water (you lose a lot of fishing time going back and forth to the bank).
Come on over to OKC with your tube, and we'll go get 'em. You'll catch a lot more fish than you will by slip-corking or cast and crank from the bank.

You know more ways to catch fish without a boat than anyone out there Eric! If you ever got a boat I would follow you around like a stray dog but until then I'm gonna pass on the winter tube fishing. My wife thinks I am obsessed with it but has backed off since I showed her how YOU go about it! Lol Sky- keep up the good posts.

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Took the kids and grandkids out to Hefner the other day. Montanaboy had caught a lot of small crappie from his float tube the previous day, but since we only had three tubes and there were seven of us, we decided to balloon fish for the slimy species. As we got to the lake, there were two guys buried in the mud on the lake bed. Four of us spent about 3 1/2 hours jacking up the truck, placing rocks under the wheels, and shoving with all of their might.
Meanwhile, two of the boys and I put out balloons (my excuse for not pushing the truck was my Grandpa back, and the boys said there wasn't room for more people to push the truck) baited with perch, minnows (left over from a non-successful trip to Carl Blackwell), and worms. All three baits caught fish, all channels.
It is a real blessing whenever I get to fish with the kids, grandkids, or great grandkids, or ANY kids. I thank the good Lord for the opportunity to do so.

See what you mean about the mud SkyKing. I moved from there 37 years ago and I don't miss that red sticky mud. Way to use your wait time well tho. You are still the master of methods!

I thought them cats had already been soaked in Sriracha sauce!! LOL nice job Big Sky.

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Originally Posted by Redge

I thought them cats had already been soaked in Sriracha sauce!! LOL nice job Big Sky.

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Redge, I told that boy to keep those fish out of the mud, but.... At least HE wasn't covered with mud. When he and his two brothers were younger, they fished with me a lot. My big mistake back then was to tell them where the stickiest, softest mud was, and telling them to stay out of it. Their mother finally said they were done fishing with Grampa, after she had to scoop about thirty pounds of sand and mud out of the bathtub after having them take a bath. (I'd post a picture, but....).

Any new reports?

Not for Hefner, George. We've been catching cats though. Perch heads, cut perch, shad chunks, and worms have all been working. I may go out in the tube for crappie tomorrow, if the wind is right.

I just got my kayak this year .and just got some new Bobby G's.man I'm broke now

Before I moved to Lake Texoma I lived in Okc for 20 years and I also float tube fished Hefner a lot being as I lived within 3 miles of it. The key to staying warm for me was neoprene waders. There is also some mighty fine walleye fishing in Hefner. I used to go walleye fishing before daylight and put my limit on ice and clean theme after work.

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Originally Posted by crappie wrangler

Before I moved to Lake Texoma I lived in Okc for 20 years and I also float tube fished Hefner a lot being as I lived within 3 miles of it. The key to staying warm for me was neoprene waders. There is also some mighty fine walleye fishing in Hefner. I used to go walleye fishing before daylight and put my limit on ice and clean theme after work.

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Hefner is a great lake for night fishing. I waded the shallows for many years and just killed the walleyes and hybrids. There were a lot of 8-9 pound walleyes, but I lost a lot of crankbaits to those toothy critters (should have invested in wire leaders). There were some really big hybrids that liked shallow-running cranks, when retrieved with a pull-stop retrieve. There were a lot of 15-16 pound fish, with the biggest being 18.5 pounds. Most of that fishing was done in the summer, but I haven't done it since about ten years ago, due to spending my summers in Montana, helping my brother with his haying operations and fishing for trout.
My boys used to night fish for the walleyes, with large Rapalas. Many times, they would come back with just the Rapalas' wire frames and a few pieces of wood.

Where would you catch them in winter time im only able to catch them during the spawn at night using jerkbaits on the dam

sparky, I have killed them in the winter, fishing just before total dark, on through midnight. Shallow-running cranks like the Baby 1 Minus, Wiggle Warts, and the best is a crank that hasn't been made for a number of years. Rapalas in the size 15 also work well. I usually carry a second rod, rigged with a LARGE sassy shad on a specialty jig head, featuring a large hook with a small jig weight. Cast parallel to the bank, because they are going to be tight in. Deeper-running cranks or heavier jigs will hang up in the rocks. Use a twitch-stop retrieve, rather than a steady retrieve.
Hope this helps.

I have long wondered what the city/state requires for tube fishing an OKC lake. Do you have to permit your tube like a boat? I'm guessing not at the state level, since they don't even tag canoes/kayaks anymore, but I haven't seen Oklahoma City's policy.

DC, The sergeant at the lake patrol told us that you do not have to have a permit to use the float tube, but you must be off the water before dark. The regular police will write you a ticket if you fish near the tower, but the City's law (1992) says that a float tube is defined as a "fisherman's float" and is NOT a watercraft. The sergeant told us that we can fish near the tower, but he said we should not tie up to it. Someone recently told me that the police are still writing tickets, but it was for tying up to the screen on the tower and pulling off the screen. If you have more questions, the sergeant at the lake patrol is the horse's mouth (and a nice guy to boot).

Man, that's great to hear BigSky! I live about 4 miles from Draper, and work about 3 miles West of Hefner, yet don't buy a city lakes permit but about once every 3-4 years (when Cricket George wants a fishing partner at Hefner). It's sad that I've had permits to Texoma, Shawnee, Arcadia, and Carl Blackwell more often than the city I live in.

I've often wondered what methods people use to know how deep they're fishing in big open water like that. It's been my experience that depth is the #1 key to catching crappie in the Winter, and I was curious how you replicate your depth? It has to be more consistent than just casting out "about that much line..."

Every 3-4 years?????? Oh dear, gonna have to change that.

I get exact depths by using a float tube and Power Pro's Depth Hunter braid. It's marked every five feet with a short white/black/white section, and the color changes every 25 feet, using blue, yellow, orange, green. When casting from the bank, a count down method works unless you're going to the bottom. Then you just have to tick the rocks and hope to not lose too many jigs.

Now George, I know we like TALKING about crappie fishing all the time, but actually FISHING for them is a different story. ;)

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Originally Posted by DC Crappie Kid

Now George, I know we like TALKING about crappie fishing all the time, but actually FISHING for them is a different story. ;)

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I think he's onto you George!! LOL. Not saying, that I have observed the exact same phenomenon, just sayin!

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Originally Posted by Bigskyfisherman

Hefner is a great lake for night fishing. I waded the shallows for many years and just killed the walleyes and hybrids. There were a lot of 8-9 pound walleyes, but I lost a lot of crankbaits to those toothy critters (should have invested in wire leaders). There were some really big hybrids that liked shallow-running cranks, when retrieved with a pull-stop retrieve. There were a lot of 15-16 pound fish, with the biggest being 18.5 pounds. Most of that fishing was done in the summer, but I haven't done it since about ten years ago, due to spending my summers in Montana, helping my brother with his haying operations and fishing for trout.
My boys used to night fish for the walleyes, with large Rapalas. Many times, they would come back with just the Rapalas' wire frames and a few pieces of wood.

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How big gun do you guys mount on them float tubes to fish Hefner a Night

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Originally Posted by TimY

How big gun do you guys mount on them float tubes to fish Hefner a Night

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Tim, At night, I wade fished. The boys would fish from the bank, usually between the aerators and the tower, and sometimes just west of the aerators. We mostly float tube for crappie and sand bass (daylight only), but sometimes we have fished dough for cats (being VERY careful to keep the fins from our tubes). Walleyes would be a bonus.

I was more talking about protection for yourself down there at night LOL

Sorry. I can be dense at times. I only had one scary moment when fishing the dam at night. It was in January, a very cold and windy night, at about 1 am. A car stopped and I heard some talking and laughing that sounded like drunks. Then a girl leaned over the wall and asked if I were a fisherman. She yelled with joy when I said yes. Then she explained that they were on a late-night video scavenger hunt, and finding a fisherman was major points. As they started to leave, a young man returned and asked if I had any fish. When I showed him 2 walleyes, they said first place was cinched.

But.....I know of other guys who have been clobbered and robbed at the dam, and a number of guys who fish late DO carry pistols.

When I was walleye fishing there I wade fished north of the restaurant on the east bank of the lake to where the dam began. There are some submerged house foundations there along with a few boulders. The ones I caught were on 2" sassy shads in total darkness. If your flashlight illuminated the water around you that would be your last bite. That was summer fishing. I would catch crappie and sand bass south of the restaurant. I many times had restaurant patrons come ask me what I was catching after they finished their meal where they had been watching me through the glass portion of the restaurant while they ate.

.45, just sayin.

Did I hear 2 fellers volunteering for a controlled burn of 6 big brush piles, a 2 acre field, and 15 acres of timber this Saturday and Sunday?????????? after a 3 day round trip to Nebraska this week?????????? Hmmmmm??????

Just need a clarification. The fire tower will be contacted and there will be a 5 man crew with 2 tractors present, 2- 4 wheelers with fire suppression equipment, so 2 more will be a great addition. Burn begins at 10am. Be there or be square. FRC's will be a good idea to wear. Need i say more?????? I am anxiously awaiting your reply.............

BigSky, Most of my crappie rods are spooled with PowerPro, but I haven't seen this "Depth Hunter" before. Thank you for the tip! I was thinking about marking my own line, but a pre-marked line would be so much easier to see...

I reckon it really is a small world. I moved to Texoma 13 years ago and lost touch with many people. Turns out I know Bigsky and had fished with him a thousand times. I think he and his son in law both have custom fishing rods I made them years ago as gifts. We always wade fished Hefner when we went. We were both younger then and usually did not waste time with waders. If he gives fishing advice I would listen

Thanks, wrangler. As far as help or advice on anything related to fishing, from terminal tackle to boats and equipment, wrangler is THE man. He made us some rods that would make the best manufacturers jealous. I hope reaper doesn't get on us for using this thread as part of the mutual admiration society.

Mutual admiration might be laying it on a bit thick. We were fishing buddies and picked on each other :). You might need to come down and fish if I ever figure out cold water crappie in Texoma. I have not had anyone to pick on in a while.

My best fish to date on 2# line

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2# test??????

Yes. He turned and ran towards open water where there was nothing for him to break off on and I followed him. Took about 45 minutes. That fish is why I prefer a bait casting reel for crappie fishing. Much more efficient drag system. I had been told that you never catch crappie and catfish out of the same hole but I got a 14" crappie the cast before that one and a 13" crappie on the cast after that one so I am not convinced about not getting crappie and catfish out of the same hole. Actually caught that on one of my home made flutter spoons it is visible in the cats mouth. If you look at the line on the rod it is pretty thin. The rod was only 3' long. I made it out of an ice fishing blank. I like the light tackle fishing. I have since gone to mostly braid and put a light weight mono below the braid. I was just goofing off that day with the 2# line, usually I use 8# below the braid because the crappie here are pigs and have broke me off to many times. Here are the rest of that days catch that I kept. The table is 22" wide.

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This pig did not come on 2#

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