Honey Creek’s bass, crappie and catfish scored a major housing upgrade this week with an initial down payment of just $5,000 from the City of Grove.
The newly upgraded Fish Attractor Locator Map on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation website now shows 11 new red dots on Honey Creek, where that initial contribution of $5,000 resulted in about 10 times that in fish habitat improvement work thanks to federal matching funds and contributions from Mossback fish habitats of Springdale, Arkansas, according to Josh Johnston, northeast region fisheries supervisor.
Unlike typical “spider blocks” made of concrete and round plastic pipe, Mossback creates its structures from recycled plastic that is textured and has flexible V-shaped cross-members on large vertical pipes. The flexible “limbs” are designed to collect silt, but not snag lures, and to promote growth of moss and other vegetation.
Mossback was enthusiastic about the effort, Johnston said.
“They delivered all the materials and three guys were here all day, including the owner, and they helped us assemble the blocks and put everything out,” he said.
Funding for the project began with the Grove City Council, which kicked in $5,000 for a habitat improvement project, he said.
The wildlife department was able to get a 3-to-1 match on the council’s contribution with Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Act funding, and Mossback not only offered materials at a 45% discount, but it also donated an additional 10 structures to place around the fishing dock at Honey Creek State Park, he said.
The 11 fish-attractor sites each are made up of 15 to 30 habitat structures and “cover quite a bit of area,” Johnston said. “I’m hoping they will attract and hold quite a few fish.”
“I had hoped for a project of about $22,000, but with everything considered it’s probably closer to about $50,000 in value,” Johnston said. “We hope to work with Mossback again and the city. This would not have happened without that initial contribution from Grove.”
Anglers can find the structures using the map at wildlifedepartment.com, which describes each site and gives GPS coordinates. Anglers with even the most basic depth finders should have no problem locating the new “brush piles,” Johnston said.
Turkey Mountain
HIKING AND BIKING TRAILS
Tulsa's nearest available off-the-sidewalks hiking trails are located at Oxley Nature Center at Mohawk Park, 5701 East 36th St North, Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area, South Elwood Ave., and the Redbud Valley Nature Preserve, 161st East Ave. Catoosa.
Redbud Valley Nature Preserve
Turkey Mountain
HIKING AND BIKING TRAILS
Visitor centers are closed but maps and guides for each area are available online: Turkey Mountain at riverparks.org.
Oxley
HIKING AND BIKING TRAILS
Oxley Nature Center is at Mohawk Park, 5701 E. 36th St. North.
Visitor centers are closed, but go to oxleynaturecenter.org for info.
Keystone Lake
STATE PARKS State parks are located near all of our local reservoirs, be it Keystone Lake State Park, Sequoyah State Park at Fort Gibson Lake or Arrowhead State Park at Lake Eufaula. The TravelOK.com web site lists them all and the amenities offered.
Natural Falls State Park
STATE PARKS
Natural Falls State Park, east on U.S. Highway 412, features a 77-foot waterfall, 4.5 miles of well-marked trails, camping and picnic areas.
Sequoyah State Park at Fort Gibson
Tourism information centers and state park lodges, nature centers, group camps, dining halls and community buildings at the state parks are closed through April 15, but rental cabins, campgrounds and outdoor sites will remain open.
Osage Hills State Park
STATE PARKS
Osage Hills State Park, located on Highway 60 between Bartlesville and Pawhuska, features a fishing lake, stream, and miles of hiking and mountain bike trails in a historic spot.
Nickel Preserve
NATURE CONSERVANCY
Two properties of the Nature Conservancy are within a 90-minute drive of Tulsa, the John T. Nickel Family Nature & Wildlife Preserve northeast of Tahlequah, and the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve north of Pawhuska.
The 17,000-acre Nickel Preserve is a wilderness area with no facilities. It has three designated hiking trails open daily during daylight hours. Most access is along scenic county roads that are favorite routes for bird watchers and other lovers of nature. Learn more under the Oklahoma link at nature.org
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
Harvey Payne, community relations coordinator at the Tallgrass, said bison calves will be born through April on the 40,000-acre preserve, the wild prairie is beginning to show signs of spring growth and new migrating birds are present on any given day, he said. The visitor center and restrooms are closed until further notice but most of the preserve is viewed from county roads and scenic turnouts, or the hiking trial located near the visitor center. More about the Tallgrass also can be found at nature.org.
Lake Bixhoma
FISHING
Wildlife Department offices are closed, but licenses can be purchased online and most local bait shops are open.
Nearby lakes that offer good fishing in addition to picnic and playground amenities include community lakes like Pretty Water and Sahoma lakes near Sapulpa, Bixhoma Lake near Leonard, and Claremore Lake, east of Claremore.
Fishing at Garnett Pond
FISHING
Fishing is picking up with longer daylight periods.
The Garden Ridge Pond, off Garnett Road near the intersection of Highway 169 and the Broken Arrow Expressway, is a water-control project pond that has been stocked with bass and bluegill by the Wildlife Department. There are no amenities but bankside fishing is easily accessible. Parking can be found at large nearby business parking lots.
Mohawk Park pond
FISHING
Several local ponds, including ponds at Mohawk Park, have been stocked by the Wildlife Department. They are listed in the department’s Close To Home fishing link on its web site at wildlifedepartment.com/fishing/tulsa-urban-fisheries.
Veterans Park Pond
FISHING
The fishing pond at Veterans Park in Jenks off Elm Street near the Creek Turnpike is a local best-bet fishery. It has ample shoreline access, two fishing docks that are ADA accessible, and offers big bass that are catch-and-release only, bluegill and catfish, as well as some remnant rainbow trout still left from wintertime stockings.
Fishing
Fishing on local rivers and creeks for white bass should pick up as flood waters recede and snagging for paddlefish will be in high gear on the Grand River system, although the Paddlefish Research Station near Miami has been closed along with other Wildlife Department offices due to coronavirus worries, Johnston said.
Look for the latest fishing reports and more about fishing opportunities at wildlifedepartment.com/fishing.
August 02, 2020 at 05:32AM
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$5,000 from City of Grove multiplies Honey Creek fish habitat - Tulsa World
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