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news
May 17, 2023
An Oklahoma summer fishing must – Barren Fork Creek
By By Skylar St. Yves,

Barren Fork Creek is Oklahoma’s premier Neosho smallmouth bass wet wading stream destination. What the fish lack in size they make up for in volume. There is very little in the way of bycatch, 95% of fish caught will be smallmouth bass. For the most part, bycatch will include different species of sunfish. Most smallmouth bass average between 6”-14”, but there are a few fish over 14 inches in each section of the creek. With an average CFS around 200 and depth around 3 feet, it is an ideal location for new and young anglers to gain experience stream fishing. The packed cobble streambed makes for easy wading and wide gravel bars with little bank overhang makes for easy casting.

There are five public access locations along the creek. ODOT offers public access at the Eldon Bridge on HWY 51 (parking available to southeast of bridge). Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) offers public access at Welling Bridge. Corps of Engineers maintains public access at Boy Scout Hole. ODWC offers public access at the Thomas A Bamberger Sr WMA and Barren Fork WMA.

There is no public camping on Barren Fork Creek, but float outfitters along the Upper Illinois River have traditional campgrounds, RV hookups and cabins depending on what best suits your needs. The Corps of Engineers and Oklahoma State Parks operate campgrounds around Tenkiller Lake and there is an abundance of other lodging and AirBNB opportunities in the area.

ODWC offers primitive camping along the Upper Illinois River at Round Hollow, Stunkard, Peavine Hollow, No Head Hollow and Echota public access sites. These sites are maintained in partnership with GRDA. GRDA collects a camping fee at these sites on the weekends and at their office on weekdays. Camping is $14/night and accommodates two vehicles and tents per site. For more information, contact GRDA Scenic River Operations (918) 456-3251.

Fishing Tips

1.5” to 3” tubes, grubs and swim-baits paired with a 1/32nd or 1/16th ounce jig-head are all that is needed at Barren Fork Creek. Green pumpkin is an excellent base color mixed with red and/or black flakes. Soft plastic baits in shades of green, brown, black, white and orange are also effective.

Fly anglers can find success stripping jighead and bead-head flies like Clouser Minnows and Woolly Buggers. Hatches such as mayfly and caddis provide dry fly opportunities along with terrestrial patterns like hoppers and stimulators. Stonefly, pheasant tail and rubber-legged yellow sally nymphs are also effective.

Bait anglers can find success with a cup of nightcrawlers or red worms drifted below a bobber or fished off the bottom with a 1/8th to 1/4th ounce weight. Scooping up a handful of grasshoppers along the creek’s banks is also an effective bait choice.

Due to the small size of the creek, anglers can cover a lot of water. Fish will be stacked up in reliable areas such as pools and woody structure, but don’t overlook any inch of the creek. Some of the biggest fish can be found in shallow shaded areas.

Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
A: Main, news
Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Long before Route 66, there was the Jefferson Highway. Route 66 was a federally funded, 2,448-mile highway that crossed the country going east and west from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, Californ...
A: Main, news
Jacob Foos re-hired as Eufaula City Manager
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
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It was a surprise hire, but not a total surprise as former Eufaula City Manager Jacob Foos was rehired as Eufaula’s city manager. The hiring took place following an executive session at a special meet...
A: Main, news
Complications of finding a city manager
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Jeb Jones resigned as city manager in April. He was hired in 2022 to replace Jacob Foos, who had resigned months earlier and became assistant city manager in the City of Shawnee. Andrea Weckmuel-ler B...
A: Main, news
LEA Poker Run Saturday
June 11, 2025
The Golden Eagle Poker Run, one of the most popular events on Lake Eufaula, is Saturday, June 14. This year’s theme is Pirates & Parrots, so get your crew and costumes ready for a day of high seas adv...
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
A: Main, news
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
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The Oklahoma Press Association presented its Better Newspaper Contest Awards during the OPA Annual convention June 6-7, at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee. The top award a newspaper can r...
A: Main, news
Commissioners getting an increase in road spending
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
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Rep. Tim Turner, R-Kinta, announced some good news and some bad news at the Monday morning Monthly County Commissioner meeting. First, the bad news, at least for those who oppose wind turbines in the ...
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Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
A: Main, news
Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently honored the late veteran William “Bill” Antrum Fox Jr. by naming a bridge after him. The William A. Fox Jr. Memorial Bridge is on SH 9 East at Nine M...
A: Main, news
Ten Mile Yard Sale this weekend
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Bring an umbrella Bargain hunters set your alarms. The annual 10-milelong yard sale begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, stretching from the east end of Eufaula, down SH 9 east through Longtown and past Enterpris...
Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
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Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
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Two Muskogee men charged with killing a Eufaula resident were ordered to appear at a preliminary hearing in district court at 10 a.m., Thursday, July 3. Suspects Kyren Omari Boulware, 19, and Michael ...
2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
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2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
June 11, 2025
Two people from Marshall, Texas were killed, and four others were injured in a harrowing four-vehicle pileup on U.S. 69 half a mile south of the Muskogee City Limits at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, June...
Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
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Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
June 11, 2025
Managing Editor Jerry Fink of The Eufaula Indian Journal and the McIntosh County Democrat was inducted into the Oklahoma Press Association Half Century Club on Saturday, June 7 at the Grand in Shawnee...
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