Reservoir · Sequoyah, Oklahoma
Tenkiller Ferry Lake
Tenkiller Ferry Lake
Reservoir · Oklahoma
Information Only
StrikeTracks does not currently provide a live condition rating for this destination. Destination and fishery information is still available.
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Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Tenkiller Ferry Lake.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Tenkiller Ferry Lake is Oklahoma's premier Ozark highland black-bass, crappie, and catfish reservoir and the cold-water source for the Lower Illinois trout tailwater. StrikeTracks publishes complete static Fishery with catalog-visible Unavailable conditions because no same-lake live USGS 00010 exists. USGS 07198000 is the river below the dam, not this pool. This is not the Lower Illinois River, not Grand Lake, and not Lake Eufaula.
Target species
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller 2022–2023 survey and management plan: largemouth are a primary black-bass fishery; Florida strain has been stocked. Not Lower Illinois trout water.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller black crappie in the same aggregate crappie special.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller channel catfish. WMA materials also list catfish as a year-round game-fish target.
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller smallmouth are a destination Ozark-reservoir target; Tennessee-strain smallmouth were stocked. Catch rates remain lower than largemouth but angling interest is high.
Spotted Bass
Micropterus punctulatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller spotted bass are part of the three-species black-bass fishery.
White Crappie
Pomoxis annularis
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller white and black crappie are managed together; 10-inch / 15-fish special below Horseshoe Bend to the dam.
Blue Catfish
Ictalurus furcatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller 2022–2023 gillnetting includes blue catfish. Not Eufaula and not Texoma.
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller management plan lists sunfish among popular sport fish. Redear is notes-only.
White Bass
Morone chrysops
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
ODWC Tenkiller WMA and survey materials list white bass among premiere year-round game fish.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Deep clear USACE Illinois River reservoir in the Ozark highlands, about 12,900 acres with rocky bluffs and outcrops. Distinct from the Lower Illinois tailwater below Tenkiller Ferry Dam and from the upper Illinois River above the lake.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
ODWC Tenkiller Where To Fish and USACE Tenkiller Lake recreation document public ramps, two state parks, and shoreline access. Catalog coordinates are the Oklahoma pool, not USGS 07198000 and not Watts 07195500.
Stocking information
ODWC Tenkiller survey and management materials document largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, black and white crappie, channel and blue catfish, white bass, and Florida largemouth / smallmouth stocking history. Confirm current official ODWC notices.
- Stocked
Smallmouth Bass
Stocked · Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Official sources
ODWC Tenkiller specials include crappie 15 combined per day / 10-inch minimum downstream from Horseshoe Bend boat ramp to the dam. Gigging and spearing are prohibited on that same lower-lake reach. Do not apply Lower Illinois trout rules or Eufaula crappie 20/day as this lake. Confirm current official ODWC regulations.
conditionPublicationPolicy=static-value-structural-unavailable. Tenkiller Ferry Lake is Oklahoma's flagship Ozark highland reservoir (about 12,900 acres), the state's documented destination black-bass / crappie stillwater, and the cold-water source for the separately published Lower Illinois trout tailwater. ODWC Where To Fish, WMA, 2022–2023 survey, and special crappie regulations are destination-specific. inlandHasCompleteStaticFisheryValue passes on official ODWC fishery, access, and regulations. USGS 07198000 Illinois River near Gore is the tailwater, not pool 00010; using it would be a tailwater-to-lake remap forbidden by LAKE-STATIC-VALUE-POLICY-1. Watts 07195500 is the upper Illinois. HIGH plus PATH B does not auto-approve; public catalog-visible Unavailable is approved because this is the destination-specific Oklahoma Tenkiller pool pin whose honest Unavailable plus complete static Fishery is useful independently of illinois-river-near-gore, Grand Lake, Eufaula, and Broken Bow. This justification is Tenkiller-specific and does not copy Broken Bow or Eufaula prose.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
Sequoyah, Oklahoma
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
County
Sequoyah
Management Category
USACE Illinois River reservoir
Regulation Scope
Tenkiller Ferry Lake
Regulation Summary
Tenkiller Ferry Lake: ODWC special waterbody regulations on the USACE Tenkiller project. Confirm current official regulations.
Target Species
Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Crappie, Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, White Bass
Public Access
Public
Boat Launch
Available
Shore Fishing
Available
Description
Tenkiller Ferry Lake, Cherokee / Sequoyah counties, Oklahoma. About 12,900-acre USACE Tulsa District Illinois River reservoir. Catalog-visible Unavailable: no same-lake live USGS water temperature (00010). USGS 07198000 Illinois River near Gore is the Lower Illinois trout tailwater below the dam, not pool thermal. USGS 07195500 Illinois River near Watts is the upper Illinois, not this lake. Distinct from illinois-river-near-gore.
