Oklahoma
What is the state fish of Oklahoma?
Sand Bass
This passive fishing gear uses panels of mesh to entangle fish by the gills and is often regulated due to bycatch concerns.
Gill net
I wear whiskers but never shave,
I taste the mud where rivers behave.
Flat as a board or round and sly,
Name my common name—who am I?
catfish
Before reservoirs were common, this river system (the largest in the state) supported one of the most diverse native fish assemblages in Oklahoma.
Arkansas River.
This type of fishing is done through a hole cut in frozen water and requires specialized short rods and shelters.
Ice fishing
What state agency manages fish and wildlife in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Biologists use this backpack-mounted sampling gear to survey small wadable streams where boats can’t operate.
backpack electrofisher
My spots run bold from gill to tail,
In clear streams I often prevail.
A bass by name but small by fame,
Which green fish plays this game?
spotted bass
What bass species was introduced to Oklahoma in the mid 1900's?
smallmouth bass
What lure must you "walk the dog" with?
super spook/pencil bait/topwater lure
Who is the beneficiary of Oklahoma's fish and wildlife resources?
Everyone
Electrofishing relies on this physical principle to temporarily immobilize fish for sampling without permanent harm
electricity induced taxis
Armored in scales like ancient stone,
A toothy grin from days long gone.
I gulp the air when waters warm,
A living fossil, long and strong.
Not gator, not snake, yet named for both—
What fish am I that haunts the growth?
alligator gar
These man-made water bodies, constructed largely during the mid-20th century, permanently changed fish communities across Oklahoma.
Reservoirs
Anglers often check this before heading out, because falling or rising values can strongly affect fish activity.
barometric pressure
This world record fish was caught in Oklahoma in back-to-back years.
This fish-sampling gear uses baited hooks on a mainline with multiple branch lines and is commonly used in large rivers.
trotline/longline
I drum and croak beneath the flow,
In muddy rivers down below.
A red eye gleams, my body stout—
Which noisy fish am I, no doubt?
freshwater drum
This Oklahoma fish was one of the first in the state to gain federal protection due to habitat fragmentation from dams.
Arkansas River Shiner
Lake Texoma's world famous fishery.
Striped bass fishery
This fish swims 4.3 million times its body length each spring to reproduce in Oklahoma.
This type of net is commonly used in streams and rivers to sample fish moving downstream, especially larvae and eggs.
drift net
I shimmer gold in prairie streams,
My scales flash bright like sunlight beams.
Not trout, not bass, but loved just so—
Which Oklahoma sportfish steals the show?
Sauger
What state did the stocked smallmouth bass come from originally?
Tennessee
Before plastic baits became common, many early lures were constructed from this material, which influenced their buoyancy and action.
wood/cork