Have GPS? Plug in Waypoints of Fish Attractors to Explore Over 100 Oklahoma Lakes
OutdoorHub 06.18.12
Anglers can access the GPS waypoints of manmade fish attractors in 102 Oklahoma lakes right now on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s website.
The Wildlife Department’s website at wildlifedepartment.com provides a link on the homepage that directs anglers to a list of lakes where fisheries personnel have submerged a range of fish attractors such as cut cedar trees, tire reefs, spider blocks, brush piles and even old car bodies. By clicking on the name of any lake, anglers can access the coordinates for the sunken fish attractors and plug them right into their GPS. Also listed with each lake is the type fish attracting structure that has been submerged and other unique details that may be available such as the area name where the attractors can be found, their submerged depth, date of placement and whether or not they are marked or accessible from the bank or for persons with disabilities.
“These fish attractors can concentrate larger numbers of fish in specific areas,”
said Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department. “This can give anglers an edge, especially if they know a few details about where to find the structure or how deep they are under the surface of the water. It can take some of the guessing out of the decision of where to fish, and hopefully can help our anglers have more success.”
Fish attractors may be comprised of cedar trees that have been cut down and removed from local wildlife management areas by Wildlife Department personnel because of their limited value to wildlife and tendency to be invasive. Brush may be placed in piles or rows, and spider blocks may be placed that are made from plastic tubing that has been cemented into cinderblocks to create usable structure for fish.
“One of our important goals is to help anglers be successful, and making these underwater fish attractors available to fish and then making their location available to our anglers is one way we can accomplish that goal,” Bolton said.
Along with providing fish attractor locations, the Wildlife Department’s website at wildlifedepartment.com offers extensive resources for anglers, hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts to get the most from Oklahoma’s outdoors. Timely fishing reports, license requirements and purchasing options, detailed maps and other useful information are available along with much more on the site. To learn more, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
