freshare.net
By RandyR
08-27-2008The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation announced it is postponing regular trout stockings until water quality conditions improve in the Lower Illinois River trout stream below Tenkiller Reservoir near Gore.
“Heavy spring rains and a period of extreme heating have combined to create unusually warm water in Tenkiller Reservoir,” said Jim Burroughs, east central region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife Department. These waters are released through turbines used for hydropower generation and flow directly in to the Lower Illinois River trout stream.
“Water temperatures are approaching potentially lethal limits for trout. Regular stockings, as well as those temporarily postponed will begin as soon as conditions improve that will allow survival of the stocked trout,” Burroughs said.
According to biologists with the Wildlife Department, trout that were in the water before temperatures warmed to near lethal limits have a better chance of adapting to the temperatures and may find springs and other refuges where colder temperatures may exist.
Although trout fishing may be poor in the Illinois, anglers are still having luck catching largemouth bass on topwater lures. Striped bass fishing is also excellent using shad all along the river. Anglers report catches of channel catfish, walleye and saugeye are good to excellent as well.
The Lower Illinois River is one of only two year-round trout fisheries in Oklahoma and is managed by the Wildlife Department.
For more information about trout fishing in Oklahoma, log on to http://www.wildlifedepartment.com.