Fish kill on the salt fork/arkansas river

[Repubiman]

I spent many weekends on the Salt Fork river S.E. of Tonkawa fishing for big cats.
Had an awesome sand bar to fish from into a deep hole with lots of car bodies lining the opposite bank.
Best cat fishing I've ever done down there. Bar none. It was common to catch 25 pound flatheads, blues or channel cats.
We'd set limb lines and pole fish and always came away with a lot of fish.

I hope they find out what caused it so they can hopefully avoid another fish kill like that in the future.
If it is oilfield related, I hope they make the responsible party pay for a restocking program that stocks
thousands of fish back into the Salt Fork once conditions are improved for all aquatic life. Something in
me believes we will never have a solid answer or responsible party found. A terrible incident that will take
years and years to recover from. Makes me sick to think mu old fishing hole has been ruined for the rest
of my life time. Sure there will eventually be a return to decent fishing but not like the size and numbers
we caught regularly every time we fished down there.

 

[dennishoddy]

I agree..

 

[SoonerP226]

It made StateImpact Oklahoma on KGOU this morning:
http://kgou.org/post/months-later-oklahoma-s-salt-fork-river-fish-kill-still-mystery

 

[dennishoddy]

I saw that as well.

I just don't want to speculate without concrete data, but I have my suspicions, and its not natural.

 

[Okie4570]

NOT WELL

So where could the salt come from?

One clue might be in the name of the river itself. The Salt Fork is fed by the Great Salt Plains Reservoir, which is flanked by a great salt flat filled with salty crystals and deposits. It’s possible that the rainstorms washed a natural salty deposit into the river.

Officials at the state agencies investigation the fish kill have no record of this happening in the past, but say it’s conceivable.

I can help the investigators out here a bit..........................water hasn't flowed over the dam at SP in 2-3 years now? The water from SPL to where Pond Creek flows into it, has only flowed whichever way the wind was blowing on any given day.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have a contact at OETA to email these pics to if you don't mind.

 

[Okie4570]

Top pic was from the middle of July, bottom pic was end of November. The river is almost twice that wide the last time I saw it at the same location, lol.

 

[Okie4570]

Flowing good the last few days though!! Not much for wildlife other that herons, egrets and this walking stick......no fish spotted in the river or lake.

 

[dennishoddy]

Good to see the flow. I understand the odw is not going to stock the lake again. Maybe some of the locals will.

 

[Okie4570]

I think the lake is crap shoot myself on it ever being a consistent fishery again. The river on the other hand, I just hope the flows can continue to bring up fish from the Arkansas and the Chikaskia.