Southern Plains
Fly fishing in Oklahoma
Short answer
Oklahoma fly fishing for trout exists only below dams and only where cold water is released, chiefly the Lower Mountain Fork at Beavers Bend and the Lower Illinois River. Rainbow and brown trout are stocked into both. A licence is required from age 18, and unlike its neighbours Oklahoma has no separate trout licence.
What makes Oklahoma different
Every trout in Oklahoma is there because somebody built a dam, and the state is unusually straightforward about it. The Lower Mountain Fork, below Broken Bow Dam in the Ouachitas, is the one that behaves like a real trout river: cold releases all year, a designated trout area with catch-and-release zones and tackle restrictions, and brown trout that hold over and grow. The Lower Illinois below Tenkiller does much the same in the north-east. The Blue River in the south is different again — a seasonal fishery stocked from November to March, fished hard by people who drive down from Dallas and Oklahoma City, and empty the rest of the year. The quiet administrative point that saves visitors money: Arkansas and Missouri both make you buy a separate trout permit, and Oklahoma does not. The ordinary fishing licence covers it.
What trout and other fish are in Oklahoma?
- Rainbow trout
- Stocked into all the trout areas and the bulk of what you will catch.
- Brown trout
- The Lower Mountain Fork holds them over, and they reach a decent size.
- Smallmouth bass
- The upper Mountain Fork, the Glover and the Illinois. Excellent in warm weather.
- Striped bass
- Lake Texoma and its tailwater, which needs its own permit.
- Largemouth bass and panfish
- What a fly rod in Oklahoma does for most of the year.
Where to fly fish in Oklahoma
- Lower Mountain Fork River
- Below Broken Bow Dam at Beavers Bend. The state's only true year-round trout river.
- Lower Illinois River
- Below Tenkiller. Cold releases, stocked trout, and quieter than the Mountain Fork.
- Blue River
- Seasonal trout from November to March, then a smallmouth and bass stream the rest of the year.
- Upper Mountain Fork
- Above the lake. Smallmouth in clear Ouachita water, and beautiful.
- Glover River
- The last undammed river in Oklahoma. Smallmouth, and worth it for that fact alone.
- Lake Texoma
- Stripers on a fly, and a separate $12 permit that covers both sides of the state line.
When to fly fish in Oklahoma
| When | What is happening |
|---|---|
| November – February | Peak trout season. The Blue is stocked, the Mountain Fork is cold and quiet, and the weather is pleasant. |
| March – April | The last of the Blue River season, and the Mountain Fork fishing well as the water warms. |
| May – June | Smallmouth season begins on the Ouachita rivers. Trout fishing narrows to the tailwaters. |
| July – August | Hot. Trout survive only right below the dams. Fish early, or fish for bass at dusk. |
| September – October | Cooling water, good bass fishing, and the trout rivers coming back into form. |
Do you need a license to fly fish in Oklahoma?
Yes. Licenses are issued by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
| License | Price |
|---|---|
| Resident, annual | $31 |
| Non-resident, annual | $81 |
Figures are the department's published rates for an annual fishing licence, valid 365 days from purchase. There is no trout licence to add. Lake Texoma needs a separate $12 permit. Prices change — check with the agency before you buy.
Rules worth knowing before you go
- A fishing licence is required from age 18, and it is valid 365 days from purchase.
- There is no separate trout licence or trout stamp in Oklahoma — the ordinary fishing licence covers trout, unlike in Arkansas and Missouri.
- The Lower Mountain Fork trout area is divided into zones with different tackle and harvest rules, including catch-and-release water. The signs mark the boundaries.
- Lake Texoma needs its own $12 permit, which covers both the Oklahoma and Texas sides.
- Some municipal trout sites, including those in Oklahoma City, require a city permit in addition to the state licence.
Regulations change every year and vary water by water. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation rule book is the only authority — this page is a starting point, not a legal reference.
Flies that matter in Oklahoma
Each of these is a card in the deck, and each has a full page in Our Fly-brary.
Keep reading
- Do I need a fishing license? — how licensing works across states
- How to read water — where trout hold, anywhere
- Best time of day to fly fish — the seasonal logic behind the table above
- Our Fly-brary — every fly in the deck, explained
Fly fishing in Idaho Fly fishing in Pennsylvania Fly fishing in Montana Fly fishing in Colorado Fly fishing in Michigan Fly fishing in Wyoming Fly fishing in Utah Fly fishing in Oregon Fly fishing in New York Fly fishing in North Carolina Fly fishing in California Fly fishing in Washington Fly fishing in Wisconsin Fly fishing in Arkansas Fly fishing in New Mexico Fly fishing in Tennessee Fly fishing in Vermont Fly fishing in Maine Fly fishing in Virginia Fly fishing in Alaska Fly fishing in Arizona Fly fishing in Missouri Fly fishing in Georgia Fly fishing in Minnesota Fly fishing in Nevada Fly fishing in Ohio Fly fishing in Maryland Fly fishing in Connecticut Fly fishing in Texas Fly fishing in New Hampshire Fly fishing in Massachusetts Fly fishing in Kentucky Fly fishing in South Carolina Fly fishing in South Dakota Fly fishing in West Virginia Fly fishing in New Jersey Fly fishing in Iowa Fly fishing in Indiana Fly fishing in Alabama Fly fishing in Illinois Fly fishing in Nebraska Fly fishing in Kansas Fly fishing in Rhode Island Fly fishing in Delaware Fly fishing in North Dakota Fly fishing in Louisiana Fly fishing in Mississippi Fly fishing in Florida Fly fishing in Hawaii
The deck
54 flies, drawn by hand, in your jacket pocket.
A 54-card fly-fishing deck of original hand-drawn flies, each explaining what it imitates. Made by a father-and-daughter team in Eagle, Idaho.
Order now (opens our Shopify store in a new tab) See the deck