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So every year, before deer season in Oklahoma is over, I get the itch to go fishing. Happens around the first of the year, every year. I generally hit up some heated docks or catfish from the bank for Blues. At this time of year, it’s still a little early for White Bass Fishing.
Heated Fishing Docks in Oklahoma
This year, I decided to fish for Winter Crappie at Belle Starr Marina’s heated dock. There are several places in Eastern Oklahoma that have heated or enclosed docks for Winter Crappie fishermen.
Some of the ones that come to mind besides Belle Starr Marina are Eufaula State Park Marina, Hudson Lake Marina, Green Leaf State Park, Cypress Cove Marina on Fort Gibson Lake and I believe there is a heated dock on Grand Lake at Lee’s Resort.
So I head out and stop along the way to get minnows. In Winter, I usually prefer smaller minnows and jigs, but this time, the only thing the bait shop had was larger ones. Hey, you take what you can get this time of year!
I arrived at about 9 a.m. Most heated docks charge you to fish. Here at Belle Starr’s heated dock, it costs $5 a day. It works on an honor system. They have a lockbox where you pay. You fill out an envelope with your name and date and slip $5 into the envelope and slide it into a slot in the lockbox.
Belle Starr Marina’s Heated Dock on Lake Eufaula
Warning: Some Marina’s are closed during the Winter. While the heated docks are open. So be sure to check before leaving if you plan on buying bait, tackle, food or drinks from the Marina. Belle Starr Marina was closed and as I understand it from a few of the locals, it’s that way until Spring. I had contacted them on their Facebook page about whether they carried minnows because I saw they were posting pictures on Facebook about full parking lots and biting Crappie, but they never responded.
As far as I can remember, this heated dock on Lake Eufaula is one of the largest. It’s been many years since I was at this one or the one at Eufaula State Park.
Belle Starr’s heated dock has 4 open bays for you to fish from on the inside. You can also choose to fish on the outside as well.
On this day, the weather was beautiful. Forecasted highs were supposed to be in the upper 50’s to low 60’s. When I arrived there, I got to talking to some guys on the outside and decided to set up shop on the outside.
In my mind, there are two things that make for a really great heated dock. One is water depth, especially in Winter. If the dock is in shallow water, it will be hard-pressed to attract Crappie until Springtime. Belle Starr’s heated dock is in fairly deep water. The slips I fished were at least 18 feet and probably more around 20 plus feet deep. That’s good for Eufaula!
The other feature I judge a heated dock on is the amount and age of the brush they have sunk around it. Belle Starr has lots of brush at all depths. I’m not sure how old it is, but I would guess it’s within 12 to 18 months old. Crappie love all that brush!
Fishing Techniques for Heated Docks
When I arrive at a heated dock, I typically start fishing with jigs. I prefer to use jigs if the Crappie are biting on them. I think you can catch them faster on jigs rather than minnows. I use a double drop rig, with jigs about 12 to 18 inches apart.
In Winter, I go small for Crappie on Eufaula. My bottom jig is usually 1/16th and my top jig will be a 1/32nd jig.
To get started, I like to drop my jigs down to the bottom and then slowly roll them back to the top. I count how many turns of the reel handle it takes for them to reach the top. This helps me to get a feeling for how deep I am.
I want to find brush. Once I’ve found brush, I let my jigs down and then ever so S.L.O.W.L.Y. start working the jigs up. I want to feel the jigs crawl over the brush. And when I say slow, I mean super slow!
I keep counting the turns of my reel. If I tend to get bit at 5 turns of the handle, then I know once I’ve turned the handle at least 7 times, I’m out of their range and it’s time to roll it to the top.
Minnows or Jigs, Which is Best For Winter Crappie?
I generally fish with jigs for an hour or so. If the bite is slow or dead, I will switch over to a double minnow rig.
Without fail, most of the times I will catch more Crappie on minnows than jigs. There have been a few exceptions, but for the most part, this is true 98% of the time.
When I tie on my double loops for minnows, I leave a tag end hanging off the bottom loop. Usually around 6 to 10 inches long. On that, I place a small split shot weight and smash it closed with pliers. I do this so that if my weight gets hung up in the brush, it will slide off the line with just a little bit of pressure. This saves my hooks!
Above the hooks, I use a slip bobber with a sliding bobber stop. You may be fishing 5ft deep one day, and 18ft the next, so you want to be able to adjust your bobber to find the fish.
What Are The Best Jig Colors for Winter Crappie?
On Lake Eufaula, at least from midlake on South, you’ll be hard to beat black and pink jigs. The water is typically murky and dark colors usually rule. I’ve also done very well with black & chartreuse and black & blue jigs.
Feast or Famine With Heated Docks
Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to either kill them on heated docks or not. On this day, it was not. When I arrived at the heated dock, the parking lot was full. By noon, I was the only one left. People on the inside and outside just weren’t catching many fish.
I fished from 9 til 5:30 and ended the day with 5 Crappie. The largest one was a toad and came in just shy of 2 pounds. The next largest weighed 1.5 pounds and the others were your typical 10 to 12 inch fish.
Those big Lake Eufaula Crappie nearly made it worth the 1.5 hour drive! Actually, any day I can get out and go fishing is worth it, I just wish I had brought back a lot more!
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If it’s one thing us Oklahoman’s are blessed with, it’s lakes, rivers and streams with excellent numbers of catfish in them. But not everyone has a boat to go chasing after them in. Some people are bank bound for whatever reason. This article is for you!
Here are my 5 favorite places to catch catfish from the bank in Northeast Oklahoma.
#1 – Lake Eufaula
Of course, no article about catfishing would be complete without mentioning Lake Eufaula. I’d go as far as saying it’s the Catfishing Lake of Oklahoma! While it is a popular place for Sand Bass fishing and Crappie fishing from heated docks, it’s just as popular with Catfishermen!
But with a lake that sprawls out like Eufaula, where do you find good catfishing spots from the bank?
Well, I won’t tell you my exact spots. That would be just crazy. But if you’re up to running and gunning in order to find the best places, here are the general areas I fish.
Pierce. This is one of those wide spots at the end of a county road that you would miss if you didn’t know it was there. Pierce is on the West side of Eufaula. The North Canadian River runs into Eufaula at this place. That’s why it’s a good place to catch a freezer full of hungry catfish! It’s also an excellent place to go White Bass fishing!
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My buddy and I caught our largest Flathead on a trotline here many years ago. It was a 48 pounder. While we’ve caught other big fish, Pierce will always hold a special place for us. Not only because of this big Flathead, but because it’s been the spot where we would catch a good number of catfish right off the bank.
We’d often stop in town and get a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, some pop and maybe a few beers, grab our tackle and bait and head out for a night catching catfish.
We didn’t always have access to a boat, but even if we didn’t, it wouldn’t keep us from fishing from bank!
If you can find the right road with lake access to the lake, just about any place will be good. You can get river access on 4120
Juniper Point. This spot is on the Southside of the lake. There are some large flats here where hungry catfish prowl looking for something to eat. Also, the point itself can be pretty good at times.
I40 Bridge. I don’t think you can park on the shoulder any longer. It’s been a while since I’ve actually fished from the bank there. Nowadays I use a boat if I want to catfish there.
This can be a hot spot for big numbers of huge catfish. I love the riprap here because you never know what you’ll be catching. A Blue? A Flathead? Or a number of other fish! If you can get there with fresh shad, you should be golden!
#2. Kerr Lake
I guess I should have said Robert S Kerr lake, but everyone just calls it “Kerr Lake.” That’s good enough for me!
Kerr can be a Wintertime Blue catfish paradise!
For any season of catfishing, I like the point where Dirty Creek empties into Kerr, just south of the I-40 Bridge. While it is good any time of the year, this place really shines during the Winter!
Another year-round hotspot is in the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge just south of Vian. Find a point jutting out into the lake and you’re more than likely going to find the catfish!
My other favorite place to fish from the bank on Kerr Lake is over at Keota, just West of the bridge. If you can find a place to park, you’ll be in the running to catch some good-sized catfish and in good numbers!
#3 McClellan Kerr Navigation Channel
“The Big Ditch” as it’s called, stretches through a good portion of Eastern Oklahoma. Anywhere you can find bank access along this route will put you in the running to fill your cooler with tasty catfish!
Rogers Point near Catoosa even made our “Best Fishing Spots Around Tulsa” list!
My favorite spots to fish from the bank along the Big Ditch are below many of the dams like Chouteau Lock and Dam 17 and Newt Graham Lock and Dam 18.
Other areas I like here are Afton Landing. Afton Landing is right off Highway 51 between Coweta and Wagoner. It’s sitting on a little oxbow just out of the main channel.
I also like the main channel that can be accessed on the Chouteau Wildlife Management area. It’s one of the few places I’ve found where you can drive right up to the river, back your pickup up, drop the tailgate and start fishing!
#4 Wister Lake
Okay, I’m not really sure if Wister Lake is actually in the 918 area code, but I don’t really care either! And shouldn’t either if you like to catch catfish from the bank!
I consider Wister Lake one of the most overlooked and underrated fishing lakes in Oklahoma. Especially for Crappie and Catfish.
Wister has great fishing for all types of catfish. Blues, Channels and Flathead. If you’re looking for a variety of catfish, Wister should be your go-to lake!
The spots I fished the most at Wister are on the East side around Potts Landing. If you can find a little point jutting out from the bank, you’re going to do pretty well
Victor Landing/Campground area has lots of places you can access the lake from the bank. I’ve probably caught more Channels and smaller Blue cats off the bank here.
#5 Oologah Lake
Oologah Lake is another one of those sleeper lakes. Generally overlooked for more “glamorous lakes” elsewhere, Oologah has a huge Blue Cat population and they love to eat!
One of my favorite bank fishing areas at Oologah is at Spencer cove. I take the road to the left as you’re coming into the park. I go to the end near the gate and fish off the bank in that area. There are some brush piles straight out from the bank there.
While there are a lot of people who fish for Crappie there, some of us know it as a hot spot for Blues!
Catch Matchmaking Eufaula Okay
The Bridge at Winganon can be on fire at times, especially during the spawn. Again, I’m not sure if they will still let you park on the shoulder there. If Winganon Bait shop is open, you might ask them for directions for a spot you can bank fish for catfish.
Catch Matchmaking Eufaula Ok Oklahoma
How To Catch Catfish From the Bank
If you’ve never fished for catfish from the bank, here’s a little video that shows you how a lot of bank fishermen gear up and do it. While I only use the large surf rods sometimes, this method