Copan Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Freshwater Drum

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Freshwater Drum, White Bass, White Crappie, Bluegill, Warmouth
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Sep for Largemouth Bass
Second window: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Channel Catfish

The reservoir

Copan Lake covers 4,449 acres in Oklahoma, across Washington County. It is a reservoir: 94.7% of it is 18 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 35.5 feet (10.8 m). Our records hold 13 species for this water.

Caney, KS (4705081755).jpg
Kurt Bauschardt from Edmonton, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Sep.
  • Channel Catfish — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Freshwater Drum — Best months: May.
  • White Bass — Best months: May.
  • White Crappie — Best months: May.
  • Bluegill — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Warmouth — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

Also recorded here: Orangespotted Sunfish, Red Shiner, Gizzard Shad, Golden Shiner, Western Mosquitofish, Inland Silverside.

Depth: down to 35.5 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 35.5 ft (10.8 m). 94.7% of the water is 18 feet or shallower. We hold 138 depth contours for this water, drawn from 50,988 soundings.

  • 0–2 ft: 19.7% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 20.2% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 13% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 12.7% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 2% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 1.1% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 0.5% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 0.6% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 0.2% of the water

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 62°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 35°F and the warmest is 87°F; the warmest monthly average is 85°F. pH averages 8.1. These readings span 2017–2023.

What is hard here

Winter water drops to 40°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do. Summer water sits at 85°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.

Where this data comes from

  • Texas Water Development Board — Texas Water Development Board: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2002.
  • USACE CWMS — USACE CWMS elevation-area curves: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map, 2007.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.