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Lower Illinois River |
River information changes
constantly |
| The Lower Illinois River offers year round trout fishing. Designated area is a 7.75 mile stretch from Tenkiller Dam to Highway 64 bridge near Gore. Bank access and boat ramps throughout area. Overnight camping permitted at fee areas and Gore Landing North. Daily limits and size regulations apply for brown trout. |
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Canoeing the
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| In April and May, 1999 I made two trips to the lower
Illinois River near Gore, Oklahoma. The purpose of the trips were two-fold: canoeing and
trout fishing. I had been there several years ago during September, and at that time the
water levels were low. Most of the river could be waded then. I was uncertain about what
to expect, because excessive rain was flooding Lake Tenkiller and the Corps was running
all generators at the dam. What I found was so good I made a return trip a few weeks
later. Full discharge from the lake makes the lower Illinois a perfect fishing stream, if you are canoeing. We caught trout to our hearts content. Simply drag your power eggs along the bottom a good distance behind the canoe, and fish White River style. A small weight should be placed on your line about fifteen inches above the hook. As has also been the case for me when fishing the Arkansas streams in high water in Arkansas, I had no success on flies – and its difficult to be persistent when your buddy is catching them left and right with bait. We caught a number of large trout, including a two-pounder. By contrast, the bank fishermen caught nothing. Of all the people we saw and spoke to at out camping area (MarVal Trout Campground), only a few people caught maybe one or two fingerlings. The water was too high for them to get to the fish. During the high water trips, the current was obviously strong, but canoeing was easy (except maybe landing). There were no fluctuations in the water level. The water was cool and clear. There were few obstacles in the river, and they were easily avoided. There were no rapids.As far as logistics, we put in at a public access area near the dam. You can then float down to MarVal, if you are registered there, or to Gore Landing a couple miles farther down stream. |
Copyright © 1999-2003 |
