Oklahoma Fly Fishing – Three Rivers & Honobia Creek Wildlife Management Areas
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A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
THREE RIVERS AND HONOBIA CREEK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS OFFER ANGLERS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
Sportsmen looking for a fantastic and rugged place to fish should look no further than Three Rivers and Honobia Creek Wildlife Management Areas. With more than 100 miles of creeks and rivers and another 100 small ponds, there are plenty of fishing opportunities available for anglers on either WMA. Dakota Christian, Wildlife Department biologist for those areas, encourages anglers to experience the unique fishing opportunities these areas provide. “You won’t find a fishing experience quite like this anywhere else,” Christian said.
Most ponds on the WMA are a half-acre or less in size and many have been stocked with fish over the years. Surveys have shown that nearly every pond offers fishing for bass, sunfish, and channel catfish. In some ponds, largemouths in excess of five pounds have been caught. “Anglers can take advantage of the short hike to some ponds that are just off the road, or for the more adventurous, use a virtual map like Google Earth to seek out hidden gems,” Christian said. He even provided coordinates for multiple ponds on both areas (see below).
An added bonus to pond fishing on the WMAs is the chance to fish the rivers that flow through the areas. In fact, Three Rivers WMA obtained its name because there are three rivers that run through it; the Glover River, the Mountain Fork, and the Little River. Today, Anglers have the option of fishing from the banks or by wading, tubing, or canoeing over 40 miles of great river fishing.
“Anglers looking for more aggressive fishing should try the Glover River. It offers some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the state if you are looking for quality smallmouth,” Christian said. Although several walk-in-only fishing access projects are available for anglers to take advantage of along the Glover, some of the best fishing is most accessible by canoe or kayak. While smallmouth bass are caught from the Little River, quality smallmouth two pounds in size and larger are more frequently caught from the Glover River. Other species of fish frequently caught out of both the Little River and Glover River include green sunfish, largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill sunfish, and longnose gar.
While the creeks on the WMAs don’t offer as much water to fish as the rivers, large holes of water along each creek produce great rewards to any angler willing to try them out. In addition to green sunfish, populations of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are present. Christian points out that the largest smallmouth bass caught during a 2009 WMA fish survey was not captured from a river but from a creek, and it weighed 3.2 pounds.
Three Rivers Pond Hopping episode of “Outdoor Oklahoma”.
For a better understanding of what to expect, make sure to watch the Three Rivers Pond Hopping episode of
“Outdoor Oklahoma” by clicking the photo or follow this link: Outdoor Oklahoma. Please feel free to contact the Honobia Creek and Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area biologist at (918)527-5308 before planning your next trip to the Honobia Creek and Three Rivers WMAs.
Honobia Creek and Three Rivers WMAs do not offer electric or water hookups for camping, however many established campsites are available throughout the WMAs with many located along creeks and rivers. Accessing the Honobia Creek and Three Rivers WMAs for any type of recreation does require each person to buy a Land Access Fee permit.
Three Rivers and Honobia WMAs are privately owned by timber companies but open to the public through cooperative agreements between the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and each timber company. There are two available permits. The first permit allows nonhunting or nonangling Oklahoma residents area access for three days. The cost for the three-day permit is $10. The other permit is good for one calendar year and costs $40 for Oklahoma residents ages 18 to 64 and $85 for nonresidents (no age exemptions for nonresidents). The Land Access Permit is sold at all locations in Oklahoma that sell hunting and fishing licenses. All revenue from each Land Access Fee permit sold goes not only toward the management of the WMAs, but also to pay the timber companies an annual lease fee to help keep the WMAs open for the public to enjoy.
Pond Coordinates
Three Rivers WMA: Lat/Longs
34 15′ 26.77 : 94 57′ 54.90
34 16′ 32.12 : 94 59′ 10.66
34 16′ 41.56 : 95 01′ 33.34
34 19′ 30.98 : 94 51′ 47.95
34 22′ 02.59 : 94 48′ 50.88
Honobia Creek WMA: Lat/Longs
34 23′ 15.60 : 95 16′ 29.47
34 21′ 39.25 : 95 13′ 38.02
34 18′ 49.90 : 95 14′ 11.33
34 11′ 55.04 : 95 14′ 03.81
34 11′ 54.12 : 95 13′ 31.09
News Contacts: Don P. Brown or Micah Holmes.
Website: www.wildlifedepartment.com
Telephone: (405) 521-4632
This program receives federal assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and thus prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and sex (gender), pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. To request an accommodation or informational material in an alternative format, please contact the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation by calling (405) 521-3855. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or service, please contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, Attention: Civil Rights Coordinator for Public Access, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203.
Category: Adventure, GPS, Oklahoma Report
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