WES WATKINS LAKE
This reservoir just east of Oklahoma City near Harrah spans 1,142 acres. Hit hard with largemouth bass virus in the late 1990s, the lake is now showing signs of rebounding. Though the bass suffered, the crappie were unaffected, and the slab fishing seems to get better every year.

When the lake filled, it incorporated some established ponds that had solid, mature populations of both crappie and bass. The timbered lake is a great one for catching springtime slabs on both minnows and jigs.

The ODWC's Garland Wright, who oversees West Watkins, believes that the lake is a great place for anglers. He said that when the lake first opened, it was intended to be a catch-and-release-only lake, but that reasoning has since changed, and now anglers can keep fish other than largemouth bass.

"Crappie fishing in April can be very good if the lake level is up," he said. "The water level has fluctuated in the past due to heavy usage coupled with drought conditions."

Mary Fowler has worked long enough at the lake office at Wes Watkins to know the type of crappie limits that the lake produces. In fact, part of Fowler's job is to sample anglers to find out what they catch and where they fish. She once witnessed a man bringing in a 4-pound crappie, and attests to having seen several other crappie that weighed 3 pounds or better. "We have some huge crappie," she stated, "but some days they can be tough to find."

Albert Baldwin lives nearby, and takes full advantage of that proximity by fishing the lake three or four times a week almost year 'round. Known as "Paw-Paw" by lake regulars, the retiree normally fishes the lake with minnows. He observed that when they're biting, he catches some nice crappie.

Baldwin shared part of his lake knowledge by suggesting some good spots for crappie anglers to try. "Most of the nice crappie are caught off of the main roadbed or off of the timbered area west of the roadbed," he noted. "Most anglers fish by boat, and most of them fish with minnows and small jigs. The lake's shoreline is very shallow, so most angling is done from boats."

I rate this lake an excellent choice for springtime crappie fishing. A little advice: Fishing here's a less crowded proposition on weekdays.

At Wes Watkins, anglers and boaters pay an access fee of $6 a boat and $6 to fish.