Kurt, Had a friendly debate over a fish that was caught in the river several miles above the lake.

His argument is that it should be the lake record. My argument was that it was not caught in the lake thus it should not count as a lake record. He backed his argument with a Eufaula Lake record pic of a striper harvested in the river below the dam.

Kinda got me wondering after seeing that. Guess what im wondering is where is the line drawn? So far below/so far above?????

Figured if you did not know the answer off hand. You probably would know who would.

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Lake Texoma's Crosswinds Striper Guide Service

Website: Crosswinds Striper Guide Service

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Let me do some leg-work and get back to you with an answer. I'll be back in the office by the end of the week and should have something then.

Since Kurt is out of the office, I'll add a bit to this. Hopefully, he won't mind. Ultimately, his shop (the ODWC Fisheries Research Lab) administers the lake record program, so they will have the final word.

I broached this subject recently and was informed that the tailwaters of a dam (first 1000 feet) are typically lumped with the lake. Yes, in a series of lakes (such as Grand, Hudson, and Ft. Gibson), one would think a fish caught below Grand would be a Hudson Lake fish. Maybe Kurt can clarify this decision process.

As for the river above a lake, it may come down to the ecology of the species and how they use the river or lake which may factor into the decision. While the program is administered by OFRL, these lake records are individually approved or denied by the regional fisheries biologists. If they feel the lake record is valid, they approve it at their discretion.

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Jason ODWC Paddlefish Biologist
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The decision is pretty much left to the discretion of the ODWC supervisor of each region and our Fisheries Administration. Jason's post above pretty well sums up the process.

One thing to understand is that this Lake Record business is not to be taken as some kind of record along the lines of the IGFA world records or such. ODWC is trying to promote fishing and to get folks interested in getting out to catch a fish. Stories and photos of large fish help in that regard. The lake record rules are fairly flexible to allow a regional supervisor to sort out exactly where the fish was caught and how it should be classified (which lake, etc.). We would hope that some small recognition for a nice fish is adequate for the angler who caught it, knowing that it may help get folks out there to enjoy the sport we love.