Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees Fishing Hot Spots

Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees in Oklahoma is notorious for producing big bags from the month of January to April in bass fishing tournaments. It’s no wonder why this lake has been home to numerous Bassmaster Classic events, championship tournaments with other fishing organizations, and numerous professional bass fishing tournaments in the springtime. This year, Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees is home to the Major League Fishing RedCrest championship event. This is where the best-of-the-best of the Bass Pro Tour will compete for a chance at $300,000. Weights are likely to be high, and several Largemouth Bass over the 5-pound mark will probably be weighed in during the tournament. In this blog we are going to take a deeper dive into Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees and the upcoming MLF RedCrest event. Make sure to read to the bottom to see How Revital Outdoors Premium CBD Products help anglers fishing Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees.

Types of Bass in Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees

Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees is located in northeast Oklahoma and is surrounded by the town of Grove. The lake was actually constructed in the 1940s when the Pensacola Dam was built to become a power generation source for the four-state area of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. The dam was built across the Grand River and the lake was formed. Since then, the lake has been known to have a healthy population of Largemouth Bass, Crappie, and several species of Catfish. The lake is also home to some of the best Hybrid Bass and White Bass fishing in the state of Oklahoma. But where Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees really gets its publicity is the Largemouth Bass fishing. Each and every year either a national bass fishing tournament serious or a regional bass fishing tournament series holds a tournament here. And the majority of these tournaments are held in the month of March or April. This is typically when the Largemouth Bass in Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees are moving up shallow and relating to rock, wood, and thinking about spawning. There’s also been numerous tournament anglers that have weighed in big bags during tournaments and done well fishing the docks that line the shore of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees. The watercolor of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees is predominantly stained to dirty, however in the month of March and April it can clear up which helps the fishing on the lake. 

Predominant Structures and Water Quality

There are two predominant structures in Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees that tournament anglers are going to target first in practice. Lots of riprap and rocky points, and docks. Now tournament anglers may not necessarily be targeting docks specifically, however, there is a lot of brush piles and wood around these docks that the dock owners have put out. And this creates a great holding area for big Largemouth Bass in the springtime. Anglers who are not targeting wood, are more than likely targeting the riprap along main-lake points and bridges that are in Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees. These hold an abundance of crawfish and create a breaking point in the river channel which can serve as a magnet to hold big Largemouth Bass in the springtime.  Anglers also have two different options on where to fish in the lake. Many anglers in the springtime are either going to go up the Elk or Neosho River, which is the northern part of the lake. Or they will go south towards the dam and fish areas such as Horse Creek and the Bernice areas. Areas down south are typically where the clear water is in the springtime. Now the huge exception to this is if Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees is experiencing a lot of springtime rains. If the area has received a lot of rain, then clear water will not be a factor on the lake. 

How to Select Your Fishing Bait

Bait selection really depends on which area of the lake and angler chooses to fish. If an angler competing in the Major League Fishing RedCrest Championship is going up north toward the Neosho and Elk River area. They will most likely be fishing dirtier water and throwing spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and flipping a jig into the wood. Going up the river anglers have a great variety of riprap, bluff walls, rocky points, and wood lay-downs to fish. This is a very effective area to cover a lot of water and fish multiple different targets. But if anglers want to go down to the dam and fish the Horse Creek, and even the Honey Creek areas of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees, they are going to be fishing baits that do better in clearer water situations. Anglers will most likely be throwing jigs at brush piles they find in staging areas leading to spawning pockets, throwing jerkbaits along riprap and rocky points, and still throwing a spinnerbait around wood and docks. Crankbaits will still be a factor in this part of the lake and anglers that relate to crawfish color patterns will generally see a lot of success. 
 
These are just a few of the different options anglers will likely be throwing at the 2022 Major League Fishing RedCrest Championship on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees. For tournaments anglers in the areas of Grove, Tulsa, and the Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees; please come to the RedCrest Outdoor Sports Expo. There will be a lot of opportunities to see some of the newest innovations in the fishing industry, meet people behind the fishing brands, and have a lot of fun for the whole family. Also, the chance to meet some of the best anglers in tournament bass fishing such as Greg Vinson and Shaw Grigsby. 

How CBD Helps Anglers

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