Crappie fishing on Lake Eufaula. (wildlifedepartment.com)

Look for the crappie and white bass fishing action to pick up in the next week or so. Late March and early April normally marks the start of spawning season for these two species.

As these fish position themselves in pre-spawn staging areas, they will gorge on available forage, offering Oklahoma anglers a window of opportunity to fill up their stringers.

“Three things really trigger the spawn: longer days, warmer temperatures and rain,” said Barry Bolton, Chief of Fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

White bass, also called sand bass, will hold in the mouths of creeks and rivers at this time of year, waiting for the rain to increase water flows. As water levels rise, look for the sand bass run to start.
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Oilers Nathan Lutz battles Mallards forward Jeff Lee

MOLINE, IL—The Tulsa Oilers once again traveled to the land of Lincoln on Wednesday night to take on the Quad City Mallards for the seventh time this season. In a surprisingly tight contest with the Mallards another stellar performance by goalie Kevin Carr, who has only allowed four goals in the last five games, helped his team hold on for a 2-1 win.

The first Tulsa goal opened the scoring and the power play goal could almost be considered a fluke as defenseman Ricards Birzinsh dumped the puck in and got a lucky bounce off the corner glass that caromed out in front of Mallard goalie Parker Milner. Oilers forward Kyle Bochek lobbed the puck over Milner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead they took into the intermission.

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Jeff Jubinville (91) celebrates one of his four goals against the Brampton Beast on Sunday afternoon.

TULSA, OK—A hockey puck dropped on the ice covered floor of the BOK Center for the first time in 27 days on Friday night at the Tulsa Oilers returned home for the first time since Valentine’s Day.

The Oilers returned to action on their home ice after an eight-game road swing that saw them go 6-2-0 on the road, making that swing one of the best this season and indeed one of the best in team history. Tulsa would face Wichita once, and then play the Brampton Beast twice in a three game home stand and for the first time in the 2014-15 campaign complete a string of three victories in a row at the BOK Center.

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Angler Charles Jewell of Healdton showcases his Lake Murray lake-record largemouth bass. The fish weighed 12.3 pounds. The fish measured 26½ inches long and 20¼ inches in girth. (Photo by Chase Jewell – Provided)

Whether you’re a tournament, trophy or recreational angler, now is the time to hit your favorite hole or try out a new body of water. Big bass are on the move, positioning themselves for the approaching spawn.

The month of March offers the best opportunity to catch a lake- or state-record largemouth. Fifteen of the top 20 heaviest largemouth bass recorded in Oklahoma history have been caught in March. Three of the remaining five spots were landed in the last two days of February.

It’s no coincidence record bass are caught mostly in March.

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Oilers captain Nathan Lutz battles Mallards forward Jeff Lee on Wednesday night.

On Tuesday and Wednesday night the Tulsa Oilers ended their longest road trip of the season with a 6-3 loss to the Missouri Mavericks and a 2-0 shutout of the Quad City Mallards.

Missouri has been a consistent thorn in the side of the Oilers since they became a team back in 2009.

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